For a variety of reasons, I don’t sleep very well. Caffeine, too many pillows on the bed, an overactive brain, random middle of the night Javelina visits. Sleep for me comes in broken up pieces. I’m positive it’s not considered healthy but I still seem to manage.

The biggest obstacle stopping me from getting a full night’s sleep is a 17-year-old dog named Jethro. My J-dog.

We have had him since he was a puppy. Matter of fact he just slept through his 18^th Christmas! He is family. I call him my love dog.

At one point in his life he was sharp, fast, obviously intelligent. One of those dogs that people stop you and want to know what he is. Most common question being is he a wolf of some sort? No, Jethro is a white pure bred Shiba Inu we got from begging an old friend whose pair had their final litter.

Now, at 17, he has lost that sharpness. Confusion looms in its place. No longer happy on a leash, no longer the center of attention walking along the beach, no longer interested in being pet by strangers. This from a dog who I marveled at for the endless patience he had for a little neighbor boy who would come by regularly to sit and torment, I mean “pet” Jethro.

Everyone loves Jethro. He’s a good dog.

Like most of us as we age, the need to pee comes frequently. Oh sure, I could put in a doggie door and hope that my basically senile old dog bangs his head around enough to find his way in or out at night, but instead I wake at the slightest jingle of his collar. I’m not going to let my very old man of a dog go it alone at this stage of his life.

We live on a hill. Early one morning right after we moved here last May, I was in the kitchen making coffee and looked out the window to see Jethro, wobbly legged, trying to lift one to pee and rolled right down the hill! I ran outside barefoot, t-shirt and underwear, still waking up, to find a very confused dog on the side of the hill, unhurt and unfazed because well, he’s not all there anymore. ( Full original posted June 27, 2016 “Monday Morning”)

He now has a fenced area he goes to in the back.

I talked to my doctor about how in the last year my lack of sleep was affecting me. Being an animal lover herself she understood what I was dealing with and suggested I go natural. Agreed.

My daughter Chase gave me a few tiny bottles of oils and said all I would need to do is put a couple of drops of “Vetiver” on my skin and that should do the trick. I had never heard of it, did no research, and honestly didn’t care what it was if it would get me some rest.

Tiny drops of this thick oil on my temples and my brain settles. Tiny drops on Jethro’s nose and he gets sound rest as well. Neither one of us are going to get 8 hours straight but what rest I am getting has been significantly better. I’ve heard him snore.

Don’t worry, I don’t sell the stuff. I didn’t even pay for the tiny bottle I have so I can’t tell you if it’s expensive or not, but I know it doesn’t take much at all. Drops, barely. I don’t even care if it’s just all in my head and I just “think” it’s working, neither does Jethro.

Just sharing that I have found something that is pretty simple and that seems to make a big difference. Look it up. Vetiver.

It’s helping me and Jethro quite a bit.