Pause with Paws: A Sunset Wellness Evening for You and Your Dog

There is a moment, somewhere around the third or fourth year of loving a dog, when you realize they have been taking care of you this whole time.

They meet you at the door. They know before you do that you have had a hard day. They lie down beside you and slow their breathing until yours follows.

Pause with Paws is ninety minutes to give some of that back.

Elmira resting her face against one of her greyhounds by the water

Breath

We begin together

Your hand rests on your dog's ribs. You breathe out, slowly, longer than you breathe in, and you feel their breathing settle underneath your palm. Your dog reads your nervous system before they ever read your words.

Elmira kneeling on the deck at dusk with her two Italian Greyhounds resting against her

Touch

We care for their body

Slow, warm, unhurried work along the spine, shoulders, and hind end. Not to fix anything, simply to notice. To learn what your dog's body feels like when it is well.

Elmira holding one greyhound close while her hand rests on the other, water and sky behind them

Movement

We build the strength that carries them

Gentle mobility work drawn from canine rehabilitation: the long stretch of the neck, the careful opening of a shoulder, the sideways step that quietly builds stability into old age. Every movement offered, never forced.

Elmira walking both greyhounds along a waterfront path in the early evening

Stillness

We rest together

Crystal and Tibetan bowls played low and slow under a violet sky, always mindful that your dog hears a world far wider than we do. A little Persian poetry, spoken softly.

Elmira playing crystal bowls by lantern light on the sand after dark

Pack Hour

And then we stay.

Saffron tea is poured, dates are passed around, and the evening loosens. Your dog is handed a Golâb Bite, made that morning with rose and sardine and a little pomegranate, and given the way you would give something to a guest. We make slow, guided introductions between the dogs, at whatever pace each one needs. On the Pack Board, guests leave a name and a block, a neighbor two streets over, a morning walk, a playdate for a dog who has been waiting for one.

The loneliest thing about loving a dog is how few people understand how much you love them. Here, everyone does.

Elmira walking her two greyhounds across the lawn at South Pointe Park

Elmira and her greyhounds beside the reflecting fountain at South Pointe

Elmira carrying both greyhounds along a palm-lined lawn at golden hour

Elmira offering a treat to both greyhounds during Pack Hour

Golâb

We send something home

Golâb is Persian for rose water. It is also what we call the small bites we make by hand for every dog who comes, sardine and pumpkin for their joints and their gut, blueberry and pomegranate, a whisper of turmeric, and Persian rose petals pressed into the top of each one. No beef, no dairy, no chicken, no wheat. Nothing your dog has likely ever reacted to.

One is offered during Pack Hour. The rest go home in a small bag, so that a few days from now, in your own kitchen, some of this evening comes back to you.

The saffron is for you. The rose is for them.

Golâb Bites arranged on a small ceramic plate with dried rose petals, warm natural light.

A little more

You leave with something, too

Goodie bags

A small bag to take home, with the rest of your dog's Golâb Bites and a few things chosen for the two of you.

Tasty surprises

Golâb Bites, made by hand for your dog, with sardine, pumpkin, pomegranate, and Persian rose. Saffron tea and dates for you. Nothing here is an afterthought.

Fun photoshoots

A few quiet moments of professional photography, capturing you and your dog as you are.

The rhythm of the evening

Ninety minutes

0:00Arrival and intention
0:07Co-regulated breath
0:14Warm touch and body scan
0:24Gentle mobility and stretch
0:38Partner shapes
0:48Sound bath at sunset
1:02Pack Hour: tea, introductions, and the Pack Board

Elmira playing two crystal bowls on the sand beside the ocean

Elmira facing forward with two crystal bowls and marigolds on a beach blanket

Your guide

Elmira Shahzeidi

I work with sound and stillness, and I have spent most of my life in the company of dogs. My Italian Greyhounds, Niko, Nugget, and now Luna, have taught me more about slowing down than any practice ever has.

I hold these evenings the way I would hold a room in my own home, gently, with room for whatever you arrive carrying. Nothing here is asked of you or of your dog. We simply make a quiet hour and a half, together, and let it do its work.

Elmira seated in front of her crystal singing bowls, hands at heart

Elmira holding one of her greyhounds beneath a sea grape tree

Niko and Nugget

The two who started it

Nugget arrived in April of 2009, Niko in July of the same year. Sixteen years side by side, two Italian Greyhounds who set the pace of my days and, without meaning to, taught me what a paused hour feels like.

Niko and Nugget seated side by side in bow ties against a dark backdrop

A greyhound resting on dark leather with an amber collar

Close portrait of Niko and Nugget looking into the camera

Niko and Nugget in black and red bow ties

A greyhound reclining on a dark leather lounge

Nugget passed in September of 2025. The quiet he left behind is part of why these evenings exist, a way of sitting with what stays after something soft leaves.

That same September, Luna came home. Niko showed her the rhythm of the house, and she has been learning it ever since.

Luna

The one who arrived after

Luna came home in September of 2025, small enough to fold into one arm. Niko met her with the patience of a dog who has already lived a whole life, and the house found its rhythm again.

Luna standing, ears folded, in her first weeks home

Luna as a puppy curled on a soft blanket

Luna as a puppy holding a chew nearly as long as she is

Niko and Luna sitting together on the couch

Niko and Luna asleep together in one round bed

Luna tucked against Niko in the afternoon light

Niko and Luna curled together under a blanket

Most evenings still end the same way, with a small body settling into a lap, breath slowing to match breath. That is the whole idea behind Pause with Paws, learned from three dogs across sixteen years.

July 14th

Eighteen years of Niko

This July, Niko turned eighteen. His party was simple, candles on a cake, a table of treats, and the people he loves most: Iman, Elmira, and Luna beside him. After all these years, he is still here, still gentle, still teaching everyone around him how to be still.

Iman and Elmira celebrating Niko's 18th birthday with Niko and Luna at a candlelit table with a cake

That is where Pause with Paws lives now, in the long arc from Niko and Nugget, through Luna's arrival, and into a summer evening where an old dog sits between the puppy he helped raise and the humans who have loved him for nearly two decades.

Every month, we make a little space for that same feeling. Slow breath. Soft light. You, your dog, and the quiet that settles when nothing is asked of you.

Come as you are

Every kind of dog is welcome, whether anxious, senior, or simply here to lie down and watch
Nothing to be good at, no experience needed
Twelve pairs only, so there is space for you both
Mats, water, tea, and treats provided. Bring your dog, their bed from home, and their leash
Every treat we serve is free of beef, dairy, chicken, wheat, soy, and egg, the things dogs actually react to

Guests lying back on the sand while Elmira plays a crystal bowl at dusk

Elmira seated on the rocks at the water's edge with both dogs settled beside her

What to know

Venue: The Meridian Hotel, pool deck. 418 Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139.
First date: Sunday, September 6th, 2026. Doors open at 7pm.
Duration: Ninety minutes, beginning an hour before sunset.
Capacity: Twelve pairs.
Who it is for: Any person and any dog, at any age or stage.
What to bring: Your dog, their leash, and their bed from home. We provide mats, water, tea, and treats.
Allergies: Tell us anything we should know about your dog when you reserve, and we will make sure what we hand them is safe.
Please note: This is a wellbeing practice, and not veterinary care.

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Write to us

Questions about the evening, your dog, private gatherings, or partnerships. Every message reaches info@platform.miami.

Elmira carrying her two greyhounds along South Pointe Park Pier at blue hour

Elmira and her greyhounds at the railing overlooking the water at sunset

Stay close

More ways to gather

A monthly sound bath

LUNA

Elmira also leads LUNA, a Platform Wellness sound-healing experience under the full moon. It is a Persian sound bath rooted in ritual and intention, featuring crystal and Tibetan bowls. If the quiet of this evening speaks to you, LUNA may be the next one to join.

Learn more at LunaSoundBath.com

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A WhatsApp chat of more than 400 members, dedicated to wellness events happening in Miami. It is the quiet place where we share what is coming, from sound baths to sunset gatherings.

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Peace & Presence

A soft, gentle space from Elmira for wellness tips, upcoming sound baths and gatherings, thoughts on living well, notes on keeping our sweet pups happy and healthy, recipes, and the occasional reminder to breathe.

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