Sad news…
Well blogfam. I appreciate yall so much. This post comes with the sad news, that my side kick, and the dynamic part to the duo has crossed the rainbow bridge. My sweet Bianca Bear, Bianca Potts, Muffin, Potts Smith has left us. She passed peacefully on Friday, July 29th. I haven’t been able to remove any of her things from my home just yet, and I also am going to leave up my about me section with her photo for now. After all, my sweet little Iggy was a driving force behind this blog. My little 10lb italian greyhound kept me company while writing, filming and often even while I was traveling and in hotel rooms for the day job.
The amount I miss her presence, her little noises, even the way she neurotically separated her kibble before eating it eventually leading to me stepping on soggy pieces of dog food. Haha. She was my sweet girl. Ten pounds of the most cuddly, sweet, loving dog and she was my everything.
I know now, she is at peace, no longer in pain, and I can imagine her running around with Zoe up there… and potentially being the most needy little cuddle munchkin to the angels. No matter what, I know she is bringing happiness somehow. She will be forever missed.
Italian Greyhound: Anxiety
Having Italian Greyhounds is unlike having any other type of dog. I love most breeds of dogs, especially energic ones. Before getting Iggy’s I had wanted a large dog but there were restrictions where I live. After meeting another Italian Greyhound, I immediately knew it was the breed for me. Don’t worry, I did extensive research for months before actually getting my two babies. And it was one of the best decisions of my life. (Right behind moving to North Carolina).
In any case, you may know that Italian Greyhounds are known to be little tornados that quickly turn into coach potatos. They are also known for their little bodies that get cold easily, and their general nervous demeanor.
My Zoe was the confident one. As long as she could see me she was happy. On the other hand, Bianca needed to be touched at all times to maintain happiness. Being that my dogs very well represented both sides of my personality, I understood their needs well. And when together they were happy little munchkins.
However, once Zoe left us in December of 2020, two weeks before I started the blog. Bianca needed more. So I quickly started researching solutions to help her. Funny enough, a lick mat never came up on my research. Instead, I came across one while shopping in a pet store while on vacation in Montana. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to post this review is to help other pet owners!
Bianca and me
Before Bianca passed, she was having high levels of anxiety. Basically ever since her almost identical sister (Zoe, my other Italian Greyhound) passed she had been seemingly depressed. With moments of joy and energy, I did what I could to keep her happy and occupied. While Zoe loved to run and be outside, especially with other dogs. Bianca, on the other hand, just wanted to be held and cuddled.
Since I have a day job, and enjoy going to the gym, I did what I could to keep her happy and at peace when I was home but couldn’t physically hold her. One of the things that really helped her was a lick mat. This particular lick mat is from a company called SodaPup.
In this video I review it and I do recommend it. Because this little doggy became so much happier when I would put anything on her lick mat, I wanted to be able to pass along the positive review. In case, your dog has similar separation anxiety, is getting older, needs something to occupy them. Or, just needs to eat slower!
Lick Mat Review
I hope that this lick mat review helps many other pet owners, whether italian greyhound parents, or just parents to a pet or doggo with anxiety. I hope that you at least try out this low cost solution to see if it works for your dog baby!
