Stella and Chewy's

For the past year, Lady has been thriving on raw food. We went back and forth from frozen raw to freeze dried raw and have gone through different brands including Steve's Real Food, Primal and Stella and Chewy's. They are all great and Lady loved them all but she seemed to do best on Stella and Chewy's.

There are many cases of dogs' conditions improving on raw and while Lady saw the most common conditions - less stool and less smelling poop - I also noticed a few other things as well. 

When we first adopted Lady I noticed that she grazed on grass a lot. Even after I switched her from Natural Balance to a home cooked meal, whenever she was in the backyard, she would often times graze. I know this is fairly normal for dogs but I wondered if maybe she was trying to fulfill something that was missing from her diet. I am not quite sure if my hunch was correct but when we switched her over to a raw diet she stopped grazing. Also, when we used to bathe her the first few times there would be clumps of fur that she would shed. After switching to a raw diet there was no such shedding.

I was a bit worried if she was too old to be eating raw food (she is 15) but I was able to speak to someone at our local natural pet store who talked about her own dog and how she planned on giving her raw even when she is old, unless she showed signs of not being able to digest it well. I gained the confidence to do the same. I also was able to speak to a holistic vet/acupuncturist who seemed to agree that it was a good plan (although he does encourage his clients to give their dogs vegetables and homemade stews). 

A few weeks ago though, I noticed that Lady wasn't as enthusiastic about raw food as she had been in the past year. She would literally dig right in and lick her bowl clean but she was slower to start her food and would leave small chunks of food behind.

I have been testing out other types of food with her lately, canned food and human grade food, but I am wondering if she is just being finicky and holding out for something better. She used to get a taste of canned food because that was the only thing that she would take her medicine in (she has now figured out that I stuff pills in there and won't touch it when I try to feed it to her from my hands - and I can't stuff the pills inside the wet food for her to lick up from her bowl because she will do just that, lick up the food and leave the pill behind. She is truly a master at it). But she shows signs of boredom with canned food as well. She will be so enthusiastic the first couple of times and then just stand in front of her food or just walk away in the days following. I recently read an article and am pretty much convinced that she is spoiled (the last couple of days, she eventually came back to her food and ate it, although she did leave a portion of the food where vegetables were stuck to it. Man does she hate her vegetables..)

In any case, I would love for Lady to continue to be on raw food and perhaps we may revisit once I get in the habit of not panicking and switching up her food every time she doesn't eat.

Lady's absolutely favorite flavor was Phenomenal Pheasant but Stella and Chewy's no longer makes it. Her other favorite flavor is Absolutely Rabbit.

Below are links to some of the raw food that we have tried. 

 // Stella and Chewy's

 // Primal

 // Steve's Real Food

*This is not a sponsored post

Songs for a Sunday Afternoon

 01 // Make You Feel My Love - Adele

 02 // Bring It On Home To Me - Sam Cooke

 03 // We Can Always Come Back to This - Brian Tyree Henry 

 04 // Blues Run the Game - Jackson C. Frank

 05 // The Butterfly Song - Pink Martini

 06 // A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum

 07 // You and Me - Penny & The Quarters

 08 // Heart of Mine - Peter Salett 

You, me and the dogs

Our little home is currently visited by Spootie and Clover, our most frequent guests to Piri's Place.

Is being warmed by space heaters and warm slippers.

And filled with music and podcasts and of course barks, too.

Every year I have a hard time transitioning from summer to fall. It's those first few weeks of the new fall season that makes me sad and moody. This year, we were going through some hectic days and nights with Lady and her incontinence (controlled now thankfully) that I didn't really have time to go through my usual emotions. Although it's hitting me now, perhaps because I have more bandwidth to take notice of them.

I'm thinking about visiting my crafting area again. I broke out my sewing machine to sew together two thick incontinence pads together (pictured above) and thought it would be nice to make something. Something useful for the home. Then I thought about my neglected yarn and knitting needles and thought about making a hat. A simple patterned hat. 

I look back just a few years ago and saw that I was so much more busier with my hands - making and baking and cooking. I don't know where all that motivation went. I feel as though I've been searching for it for the past two years.

Yesterday was two years since Piri crossed the rainbow bridge. I can't help but think again and again that my motivation died too the day we said good bye to him. And I've been desperately trying to find that spark again.

I know it's somewhere.

I'll find it soon.

In the meantime, I think I'll bring back my daily task list again.

I've been doing without them for the past year and came to a realization.

I'm a task-list kind of person.

Zion National Park | Observation Point Trail

We woke up on a bleak Wednesday morning in our Airbnb for our first full day at Zion National Park. All night it was raining hard, thundering loudly and lightening too. Yangkyu and I had planned on hiking The Narrows on this day but due to heavy rains the trail was closed (dangers of flash floods). We had signed up to have breakfast at our lodging at 7 am and afterwards we headed out to Zion. Even though it was still raining we wanted to see if we could still hike Observation Point Trail, which was slated for Thursday. 

Parking inside Zion can get incredibly crowded but we had no trouble finding ample space because we began our days very early. For one, we wanted to beat the crowds and two, we didn't want to take the shuttle into Zion (the Springdale Shuttle), which is easy and accessible if you are staying in any of the lodging at Springdale. There are multiple stops where you can get on and off. We just wanted to pack our gear inside our car and be in the comforts of a familiar vehicle after a long day's hike.

I'd say if you are inside the park by 9:30 to 10 am you'll still be able to find parking (by this time though it is almost full). On this particular day, we were parked at the Visitor Center by 8 am (possibly less people because it was still raining) and the following day, even earlier. There are a handful of hikers who start this early and so you won't be completely alone but if you are like us, it definitely is a lot better than dealing with the crowds later on (it gets very very crowded). 

We checked in with a ranger inside the Visitor Center at 8 am (Visitor Center opens at 8 am - but shuttles inside Zion start running at 7 am) to see if Observation Point Trail was good to hike despite the rain. We were given the green light and some pointers and tips. Rangers are incredibly helpful at Zion and checking in with them and asking any questions would be your best bet instead of trying to figure things out on your own.

The Zion Canyon Shuttle (which is different than the Springdale Shuttle I mentioned earlier) is convenient, easy to use and educational too. When it gets crowded it's difficult to hear the information shared through the speakers, but early mornings when there are less people, it's worthwhile to take a listen. Here is a video I viewed to get a feel for the shuttle system and this page also has really good information including a map of the stops. You can also always ask a ranger! 

Observation Point Trail starts at the Weeping Rock Trailhead, which is the 7th stop on the shuttle. We were on the shuttle by 8:30 am and reached the trail entrance by 9 am.

The trail is 4 miles one way (8 miles roundtrip) with 2100 ft elevation gain along the trail. It is considered a strenuous hike as there is a constant incline with just two areas where it flattens out, one of them being at the very top before you hit the observation point.

Yangkyu and I began our hike a 9 am, reached the top by 11:30 am, began our descent at noon and finished a little before 2 pm. There were people who were just beginning their hike when we got back down and even during our descent there were lots of people making their way up, many asking "are we almost there yet," (our response almost always was "umm.. not quite"). This was one of the reasons we wanted to get an early start to beat the crowds.

One other point - you can us the restroom at the visitor center before you get on the shuttle to get to the Weeping Rock Trailhead but there is also a bathroom at the start of Observation Point Trail. They are single stall bathrooms (2 available) and it does not flush.

  // On top of Observation Point Trail - the view is breathtaking and the look down frightening! // 

Yangkyu and I took a few breaks during our time on the trail as it is a strenuous hike. Because of the constant uphill, your legs and your lungs will definitely feel it. Just as a point of reference - Yangkyu and I are on the fitter side - we run, do yoga and some cardio on a more regular basis than not. 

Observation Point Trail is Yangkyu's favorite out of all the hikes we ever did. It even beat out Old Rag circuit at Shenandoah, which is 9-miles and has a crazy rock scramble starting at mile 3. For Yangkyu though the views you get along this trail and up top was just too incredible. He kept saying how he wanted his mind to remember it forever.

For me, while the views were amazing, it wasn't a favorite hike of mine - not even while we were in Utah. Mine was The Narrows as it provided a bit more fun. Nonetheless making it to the top is always a goal when we hike and standing 6608 ft. above sea level felt pretty awesome. Once we got there, we dedicated the hike to our boys, Piri and Bartles across the rainbow bridge (we dedicated Old Rag to Piri as we hiked it just after he passed. It may sound silly but it's a way to always remember them and keep them in our daily doings and happenings).

  // Can you spot Yangkyu? There were many, but this was one of my favorite spots on the trail // 

People on the trails are incredibly friendly. I can't count the number of times I said, "Hello!" But even for this introvert, the exchange was always welcome and felt good. We also got to converse with a few hikers, sharing stories and jokes too.

And as always, when you are visiting public lands, leave it better than you found it and leave no trace. There are plenty of information online about this and you can do your part to educate yourself before visiting.

Our next post will be all about my favorite hike - The Narrows. Hope you'll come back for that adventure.

Related Utah posts:

 // Antelope Island State Park 

 // Bryce Canyon National Park :: Navajo Loop Trail

 // Where we stayed at Zion National Park

Rebellious teen

Lately I've been dealing with what can only be the equivalent of a rebellious teenager. I have never had issues with Lady taking her medicine and supplements and eating her food but ever since she has been on oral antibiotics for an ear infection everything's been turned upside down. I've been resorting to pilling (sticking pills down her throat) because she turns her head away at everything or puts it in her mouth only to drop it realizing that I had stuffed pills inside what was once her favorite wet food (or raw food, or cold cuts, etc.).

This morning was an all out war. Lady not only knows how to spit out pills when it's wrapped in something, she now knows how to spit them out when I pill them. 

After wrestling with her and getting her to take everything, we kind of stared at each other, obviously unhappy, at the situation and maybe at each other as well. But you know, we can't stay mad at each other forever. She is currently hanging out in our room as I write this blog, staring at me with her half sleepy eyes. Yesterday she opted to stay far away from me and not wagging her tail when I went to check up on her. That was heartbreaking because if you know Lady, her tail is always wagging.

I know she's currently unhappy with all the new medicine and supplements I've added to her routine. I worry about her heart and her arthritis and so a part of me wants to add new things to her regiment because I don't want her to feel pain or discomfort. But other parts of me thinks maybe I should just pass up on them if she hates it that much.

I've gotten great suggestions from friends on Instagram on giving medicine to finicky dogs and we're going to try a few different types of pate style wet food to mask her pills and I'll be putting her back on a freeze dried raw food diet for her food. The thick soupy consistency has worked in the past in masking some of her liquid-form supplements and so I am hoping that we can find our normal again. 

Have a good weekend. And to our friends who are in the path of the hurricane, please stay safe.