FINDING MY FOREVER A Word From Tux
Hello!
My name is Tuxedo, and while I may technically be a Chihuahua mix, I’m really an ancient Tibetan miniature wolf. It’s in my paperwork! I’ve been living with a lot of other pets and my mom, Dana Klamecki, for a long time, even before we moved to Montana. Before I joined Mom and Dad’s pack, I was roaming the streets with my first pack in California. There were 25 of us walking around, looking for food and somewhere to sleep. At the time, I had never interacted with a human before, so it was pretty scary when a group of people gathered all of us up and took us to an animal rescue where I met Mom and her human son for the first time.
AND GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP How to Stop Procrastinating at Bedtime Though there are very real medical conditions, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, that deprive people of sleep, the reason most of us probably don’t get enough sleep is simply because we put off our bedtime. Instead of getting into bed, we opt to check off another item on our to-do list or watch another episode of our favorite show. This is sometimes called “bedtime procrastination.” We all know a good night’s sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, so how can we stop putting it off?
It was really confusing at first, especially when they brought me home. I was away from my pack, but I wasn’t alone because there were two other dogs living with them when I came home: a pug named Packer and a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Gucci. All of us got along well, and I was never lonely, even if Packer and Gucci were older than me. Everyone was so nice to me and gave me so much attention, pets, and food that I knew I was in a wonderful place. I love them all so much, but Dad is my favorite. When it came time for us to move seven years ago, that was also very confusing. Suddenly everything was packed up and we came out here. Even though it was a little scary, we were all pretty excited. But then, a week after we moved here, Gucci started to get sick. She’d always had some heart problems, and even though she was
taking her medicine, she wasn’t doing so well. Mom was really worried about her, so she started to look around for a local vet and found the Animal Clinic of Kalispell! As soon as Mom told Dr. Jevon Clark about Gucci, the doctor knew what to do and sprang into action. It was incredible! One day later, Gucci was doing even better than before, and Mom, Dad, and our whole family knew we could rely on Dr. Clark and his clinic to take care of us. He has done a lot for us, even as we’ve added new members to the family.
A good place to start is by keeping track of your day. The human mind isn’t meant to internalize checklists and task reminders, so use your phone or journal as a scheduling assistant. However you decide to keep track, make sure to give yourself a set amount of time to accomplish your tasks, like letting yourself watch TV for just one hour or blocking out three hours to help your kids with their homework. It might even help to set alarms on your watch or on your phone to let you know when your time is up on any of your activities. Another big part is creating an environment that is conducive to a good night’s sleep, and that starts with turning your electronic devices off well before you get under the covers. Smartphone screens, computer screens, and even some energy- efficient light bulbs emit blue light, which reduces the production of melatonin, the hormone that tells your body it’s time to go to bed. Instead of looking at your phone, try reading a book before going to sleep. If your screens prove to be too big of a draw for you when bedtime comes, it might be a good idea to move your devices to another room so they’re out of sight and out of mind.
Two years after we moved here, Packer passed away, and Gucci passed away a year later. We were all really sad and
the house felt emptier without them, so my humans decided it was time to adopt another pet, and soon we had
Finally, don’t get discouraged if you don’t start getting better sleep right away. Setting up good bedtime routines takes time. But if you stick with it — and maybe have someone else in your house hold you accountable to your commitments — you’ll start to get better sleep and have more energy to take on the day in no time.
Lucy, a Labrador. Dr. Clark helped Lucy out a lot, too. A while ago, she had to get two surgeries on her back
The Cavaliers are Versace, Giorgio, Chanel.
WWW.KALISPELLVET.COM
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