The Blog That Almost Wasn't... and Other News

I know it's been a few days since I posted last but I got the feeling no one was reading this so I kinda stopped. But since then, I've gotten requests to update so THANK YOU! Thanks for reading. (And now my mother can stop laughing at me.) I know there is a lot to read, but I talk a lot. Sorry. And I feel like if I don't post every single day, longer posts might be ok. :)

So... where to start? Ah.
Luke just finished his first official full week of school. And he survived. Discipline was a bit of an issue still but after Thursday, things hopefully should be better. :) I  received an email from him telling me his morning went well and his girls choir was very good. (He also told me his girls were interested in how many pairs of shoes I had.) This is because a couple days ago they commented on the fact that he always wears a different pair of pants and asked him how many pairs of dress pants he had. He told them that if they did well during rehearsal he would count them when he got home and let them know the next day. They were good, he told them 9. (I don't think that's right, for the record... he has to have more...) So I can only assume the topic of shoes came up today. (How, I have no clue) and again, if they were good, he'd tell them how many I have. Cracks me up. But it's stories like that that make me happy to know he is having fun with the students and they are having fun with him. Love it!

We have been busy around here as well. Bedroom is about 95% unpacked and done. We just have to finish painting the closet, hang new shelves and bring our clothes back up from the basement to hang. Then we have a beautiful room! (Then we get to tear it all apart again to paint the whole room. Ugh.)

The outside of the house is also coming together. Luke took out all he bushes from the front and I trimmed a couple of the others around the driveway today. Luke also installed new lights to line the drive. He was a bit self conscious about the drive looking like an airplane runway, and of course I give him a hard time about it, but it really looks pretty. I like it a lot. (Of course, it only looks as nice as Kylie will let it... she knocks them over all the time.)

We also have couches!! Did I mention that before? It's very exciting! Thank you again, Mom and Dad Overton, for letting us use your old couches. I can't tell you how nice it is to SIT!

And last, the Kylie update. She is as wonderful as ever. Except... this going in the house thing. UGH! It's mostly in the evening when Luke is home. When she's outside, all she wants to do is eat moths. When she's inside, she poops. I don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be nice. Other than that, she is as perfect as can be.
Well... kinda. She LOVES being outside so we got her a little steak for her leash so we can tie her out there. I'm not a fan cause it's hot and I'm so afraid someone is going to come and take her or she's going to get lose... anyway, she loves it. Rings her bell all day long to go lay out there. Well, as of two days ago, she has learned she can dig. And dig she does. 2 baths in 3 days. (Though I now have this bath thing down to a science! HA!) But we love her anyway so we just moved her steak. Done and done.
Another love she has is Lucas. Holy cow does she love Lucas. She snuggles with his shoes when he's gone, watches his every move from the window when he's outside working, sits in the bathroom when he's showering and freaks out when he gets home! She adores him! And as upset about the potty thing as he is, he loves her right back. For better or for worse, she's ours. And we love that goofy little dog. :)
I'll end with some pictures. I have to now take my car to get the nail out of the tire then pick up Luke! Enjoy!!

Trying to get to Luke under the seat of the car. (He's driving and she's in the back seat.)

Hogging the remote.

Taking a nap... Look at her tongue!!! Haha!

Got caught with Luke's sock. She knew it too.

Sleeping with Luke's shoes.

Yes, that's out bathroom and yes, Luke is in the shower. (To be fair, she usually sleeps on the bathmat when I shower.) She also likes to poke her nose against the shower curtain. When you poke it back, she goes and lays down. Who knows why.

Her favorite thing to do. She is also eating her bone with frozen peanut butter in it. Yum?

In-laws and the Goofus...

I'm done guess how long my posts are going to be because it's starting to make me a liar and I'm not comfortable with that.
Exciting goings-ons today! Luke's parents and grandparents came to visit us today and they came with presents! We always love to visit with them so it was so nice of them to come - even if it was only for the day! Luke's parents brought us their old couches so we have something temporarily before we pick out our new stuff, and his grandparents brought us really yummy fresh tomatoes from their garden. YUM! It was so nice to be able to visit. Us ladies went on a walk around the neighborhood with Kylie and the boys went to Lowes to do what else... more shopping! We now own a ladder, tool bucket and a drill. Luke and his dad tried to install the microwave but it took a little longer than we anticipated so it is currently sitting on a chair in my kitchen. On a plus side, we can at least use it now. Yea!
Although we were sad to see everyone go, Mom O will be back out in a couple weeks and we are going to paint the living room together! She helped me pick out the most beautiful colors... I can't wait for everyone to see them! :)
Thanks again for the visit, guys! We love you!

I have to admit, I've been cooking a lot lately and kinda enjoying it. Kinda. Everyone seemed to enjoy lunch today (I didn't eat it because I don't like asparagus) and I kinda had fun doing it. Who knows, maybe I am channeling my inner Martha after all! :)

Again, I didn't take any pictures of the outside of the house because I was doing other things and forgot. Eventually I'll get to it.

Luke goes back to school tomorrow for his first full week. I'm excited to hear how it goes! It's funny... every time he talks about his 7th grade boys' choir, he giggles. He is really enjoying teaching that class especially. I love to see him so happy. I can't wait to hear the first concert!

Now on to Goofus... day 3 with no accidents! Yea!
Although we have learned a new little tidbit about Kylie... She watches TV.  It's hysterical. I'll end for the night with a photo and video.

UPDATE: From the time I posted 'no accidents in 3 days' till I started to upload the picture/video, she pooped right behind the couch I'm sitting on. And Luke JUST let her out not more than 10 minutes before that. Shoot!!! And we were doing so well too!! (She knew she did something wrong because as soon as I caught her, she RAN into her cage.) Grrrr!!! She totally knows better! I guess the "run of the house" timer has reset another week. Darnit!!

Such a Better Saturday Than Last Saturday...

This blog post should be short. At least I'll try.
Nothing really interesting happened.  Luke was home with me today and we did some shopping... I really wish this shopping would end. (Me, of all people...) It feels like every project needs something that we don't have. On a plus side, I told Luke that next time we move, hopefully we won't need to buy as much stuff. Hedge clippers? Done. Weed whacker? Got it. Lawn mower? Coming tomorrow. (Ok, that was free) But still... these were all things we never thought of when we registered for our wedding cause you don't need to worry about lawn maintenance when you are in an apartment. But slowly but surly things are starting to come together. At least this Saturday we have AC!
As much as I am complaining about buying things for our new place, I'm still excited when little by little everything is starting to fall into place. For example, Luke took all those bushes in the front out yesterday, (raining today so I couldn't get a picture) and he bought a weed whacker so he cleared out a lot of scary things in the front of the house. It is looking so much better already! We also bought solar lights for the sides of the driveway. They look so pretty and inviting... I love it. Luke did a great job out there. Tomorrow, he is going to attack the backyard. Yikes. Luckily, Mom and Dad Overton and Grandma and Grandpa Thomas are coming out to bring us their old couches and a lawn mower so hopefully, Luke will get a little help back there. It's scary.
Meanwhile, while Luke was toiling in the yard, I bought paint and started to paint the closet in our bedroom. This way we can buy more/new shelves and organize the closet a little better than it currently is. My plan was to have the whole thing painted by tonight so Mom Overton could help me design the closet and we could get shelves. Well... turns out I ran out of paint about half way trough and we need a second coat. Shoot. So looks like I'll be heading back to Lowes in the morning. Grrr.
And I believe, unless the plans have changed, that Mom O and I will be looking at all the paint swatches I took home and try to pick out colors for the house. We don't want to start hanging anything until we have everything painted. I'm excited to hear some of her ideas!! :)

And that was our day! Poor Kylie had to spend some time in her box today while we were out, which she didn't seem to mind because she usually goes in there and sleeps most of the day anyway. But when we got back and I was in the closet covered in paint and Luke was outside with the week whacker, she also had to go in her box. I didn't want to leave her unattended until I know she's good to only 'go' outside. She was NOT a happy camper and she let me know!! I finally gave up and told Luke to tie her outside with him so at least she wasn't in her box crying at me. Then she was happy. Actually, it was kinda cute. Before she went in her box and I started painting, she kept sitting by the window and watchingLuke's every move. We thought she might be afraid of the whacker sound, but she just sat there watching. I probably could have just left her out but just in case... Why set her up for failure?
A fun fact about Kylie I learned today was that she LOVES ice. I was filling my cup (the same cup the cousins have that I LOVE) (and mines prettier, FYI) ;) and I dropped a piece of ice. Kylie immediately ran and grabbed the ice and took it in her box where she pounced it and sent it flying all over the place. Then she came back to me and sat down. I opened the freezer door and gave her a cube. Again, she ran and chased it all though the living room. By this time, I was in the bedroom emptying out the closet. I turned around and saw her sitting and staring at the fridge waiting for the ice to come out. Hysterical!  I gave her one more piece of ice but that was it. There were puddles all over my house! I texted the picture of her looking at the fridge to Kaylyn and she said that indeed, Kylie is an ice fiend! So funny. She doesn't beg for people food EVER but ice?? She loves it! I'll share the picture tomorrow... it's on my phone and it's too lazy.
Anyway, that's about it. It's Saturday night and I'm blogging, Luke is upstairs playing video games and now that I'm done, I'm going to bed. Stop us. We are some crazy people. Enjoy the post that again, was longer than I anticipated and sweet dreams.

Goodnight from all of us Overtons :)

Oh yeah. I forgot to share this with everyone. I saw this my first week here. Camo bandaids. (I almost didn't see them.) ;)

Why Do I Still Have Boxes All Over My House and Why Aren't They Empty Yet??

Hello family, friends, and those who are secretly stalking us. Welcome back. Thanks for sticking with us/checking in.

I had some time today to post earlier but to be honest, there was nothing really new or interesting to share. So this post should be brief.

First, we'll start with Luke:
He finished his first official week of school today feeling some mixed emotions. He is really enjoying his new job! Still going through some of the challenges of being a new teacher and everything that goes with it. Next week should be easier because they are actually singing. It's hard to get yourself in trouble for talking when you are busy singing! :) In time, things will get easier. :)

Now for my day...
Uneventful. I spent the whole day at home with Kylie. Now, you would think being home all day, by myself, with no car and no TV, I would be the most productive person in the world! Not the case. I keep looking at the rest of these boxes and bins thinking that if I stare at them hard enough they'll magically unpack themselves. Well I am here to tell you that that is not the case. They are still fully packed and strewn all over my house. (Ok, I'm being dramatic. They are all jammed up against the one wall of my living room.) Either way, they probably shouldn't be there anymore.
So what the heck am I doing all day then? Well I'll tell you.

This morning I woke up at 8:30...which is late for me these days but I think cause I went to bed at 2am, I needed the extra sleep. Anyway, I got up at 8:30, let the dog out and then made banana bread. No kidding. I can prove it too.

Mmmmm... Told ya so!

I also learned (along with Lynne) what a pastry blender is. Turns out, I don't have one. So I used a fork. That's what crated the lovely topping on my banana breads. Yum!
I then rearranged my spice rack with the new turntable I bought with Wendy yesterday. I can also prove this.

Mmmmmm.... Organization...

Then I paid and mailed all our scary home ownership repair bills and played with the dog. Oh yeah! And before all this I took the dog on a 45 minute walk. (And for the record, I REALLY need to remember to bring my inhaler on these walks. Between the 85-90 degree weather, the steep hills and the humidity, I feel like a 90 year old smoker with emphysema. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm nuts wheezing all over the neighborhood.)
And that was pretty much my day. I was going to make spaghetti sauce but apparently you need ingredients to make different foods and I didn't have what I needed. Oh well... it's on the to do list for tomorrow.

Oh yeah! We also (and by we, I really mean Luke) attacked the front of our house today with a set of hedge clippers. I took a few pictures of the during, but none of the after as we found hidden wasps nests and after Luke sprayed them and pissed them all off, I stayed in the nice, safe, inside. But I'll make sure to take some pictures of the outside as it is a HUGE difference. You can actually see our house! (And it's also kinda funny because our house is kind of a tan color so when we drove back from Aaron's softball game and drove up to the house, it looked naked. Literally. It was kinda funny.) Anyway, here is Luke hard at work:

We have a window! Who knew?!

After all this fun, we took a family outing to watch Aaron play softball. (They won) We took Kylie on her first trip with us and I got to meet some of Luke and Aaron's high school students. Nice girls. :)

Oh! Another exciting think I forgot to mention yesterday... I don't know how! Look what I bought!!!

I have always wanted one of these chairs and I finally got one! (Pier One was having a sale...) I am so happy! 

Kyles thinks it's hers.

And that pretty much sums up our day...uneventful, semi-unproductive but some good news...
My Kylie update!
It was a big day for little Kylie. NO ACCIDENTS IN THE HOUSE!!!! I know I usually text these kind of things to my family, but I didn't want to jinx the morning cause as soon as I got excited that she went outside yesterday, she went in the house. Today, we have had 0 accidents! Everything was done outside! (And I'm really getting good at my potty outside song and dance. My neighbors must think I'm NUTS!)
Also, I got Kylie growling today while playing with her rope. I should probably not encourage her to growl, but I feel like she is feeling more confident to assert herself a little more. I take it as a good sign. She even pounced at me randomly and barked! It's this funny sound cause it's little and squeaky, but it also sounds like she means business! Nothing aggressive, just having fun. Here is a little morning fun video. Ignore me giggling...

So all in all she had a good day. She slept by my feet for at least  hours while I paid bills and such, and even got to Skype with Mom then with Mom, Dad and Grandma! Lucky girl!
But it all wasn't fun and games for Kylie today, I'm afraid. We had a traumatic evening after the softball game...

Dun-dun-dunnnn....We had a bath. Yes, we once smelled like a sock, now we smell like expensive dog shampoo. (It actually had the word 'spa' in the title. You know it's fancy.) She may like to swim, but not so much taking a bath. However, it was necessary as she had dirt on her from laying in the grass and dirt as well as playing on the baseball field bleachers, and she smelled. I like to cuddle... I did not enjoy what I was smelling as of today. So now she's clean and pretty again! (I will say, though, that she managed to escape the tub twice all full of soap, and when she was allowed to leave the bathroom after being toweled off, she HAULED BUTT around the kitchen and around the kitchen and slid across the living room and around the kitchen again. It took the two of us to catch her to put her damp little self back in her crate for bed! And they said baths were soothing... yeah right!) I don't know who this dog was tearing around my house, but I was glad to see she wasn't so timid! Go Kylie! (She's sleeping now... I can't imagine why...)

Wow. This post was longer than I thought. A sign for me to go to bed. I just find that by sharing my day I still feel somewhat connected to everyone back home. (And it's easier than repeating myself over and over...) Thanks for reading and I'll leave you with one last little Kylie-ism to make you smile.

Sweet dreams and goodnight.
So much love from me, Lucas and Kylie :)

From Kaylyn

Emma, (my cousin) asked me why we didn't change Kylie's name and asked me to blog the answer. I wrote the whole story of Kylie as I remembered/knew it and then asked Kaylyn (Kylie's foster mom) if there was anything I did not record accurately and she sent me a text in response. She wanted me to see it before she "posted it to the world". I loved her response so I told her I would blog it verbatim to the text. So here it is:

"Cristen has asked me to make some changes as necessary. While the gist of everything is there, I'd like her to have details.

6/3 Kylie was rescued from JCAC (Jefferson County Animal Control) by CIC (Canines in Crisis) at 10 weeks, 4 days old and was set for Euthanasia. Name given was Precious.

6/6 She was given her second puppy shot and fixed. She came to me (Kaylyn) as a foster. She [had been] beaten and ... cowered when she came to your feet, sprawling out like a rug, urinating all over herself. For some reason still excited to see people, she trusted no matter what. I worked with her on rehabilitating her to not cower and keep her head up, calmly and confidently. No one would hurt my Precious again.

6/18 Third puppy vaccine and adopted. Name given, Kylie

7/24 returned due to "too calm and cuddly; she's more like having a cat. She is also too affectionate." (6/19 These people bought the purebred JRT (Jack Russell Terrier) and had two outside labs.

7/27 Treated her for tapeworm-which you get from ingesting infected fleas.

8/1 Started having additional tummy issues. Diagnosed with Giardia - a stomach parasite from having dirty bowls, and stale, stagnant water. Obviously these people kept her outside. Treated again.

8/3 Technically she was adopted again and named Ellie

8/5 She was (returned) due to a medical emergency/issue. (Whoever adopted her had an anxiety disorder?/panic attack about not being able to raise a puppy)

I was certain I was keeping Kylie. My family was certain either they or I was keeping her. UNTIL I met Cristen! I seriously found someone as crazy about dogs as I am! Someone who treats a 'dog' like a baby -just like me! I couldn't thank Cristen and Luke enough for loving her the way they do and the way I would. as you can imagine, fostering is hard at times - mostly when they are sick and especially when it's time to let go. Technically, I have no say once the papers are signed and taken over. I've been blessed with wonderful people, with one or two exceptions (above). Cristen and Luke didn't just gain a home, new job, and a dog-they gained a friend...me! I'm so happy that through a messed up way of showing me, Cristen and Luke were brought into Kylie's life for a reason. Kylie could possibly have another name change. I just can't say if it will affect her normal puppy training and it could cause her confusion."

As much as I appreciate the kind words from Kaylyn, I really credit her with all the hard work and labors of love for Kylie's incredible disposition. We could not love her more. She is perfect for our little family. I have been lamenting about the accidents in the house because I worry that I am doing something wrong that is causing her to struggle with going potty outside. I also hate that she is going to be spending so much time in her crate when I am home with her and she could be following me around all day long! After hearing her full story, it just makes Luke and me love her that much more. She is a strong little pup. I cannot wait for everyone back home to meet her! She was meant for us. So again, thank you, Kaylyn for everything you've done for Kylie and us. And thanks for always being so patient with me when I call or text with a million questions. I just want Kylie to be as happy as can be!
And for the record, I just want to add that technically we are adoptees #4. There was another person who had her for 2 hours. I don't think that was an official adoption, but she still met with them. What is wrong with people?? I'm still trying to figure out why this puppy couldn't find a home sooner! (Not that I am complaining... it just blows my mind!)

On a side note, I have changed her name quite a few times in the past couple days. Let me share...
Kylie
Ky-Ky
Kylie-Mylie
Kylie-Rylie
Kylers
Baby (That one is mainly Luke)
Love or Little Love
Pup
Fuzzlekins
Fuzzers
Fuzzy Pup
And I believe Doofus has been thrown around one or two times...

Rest assured, she responds primarily to none of them, occasionally to Kylie, and 100%  of the time to squatting down, arms open and a hug. :)

A couple updates and a couple pupdates.

I'm going to mush a bunch of things all together in this post. I am also going to follow this post with a post sent to my by Kylie's foster mom, Kaylyn.

Let's talk about Luke...
Yesterday was his first official day of school with students in his classroom! Thinking back on it, I wish I had taken a picture of him in his handsome new outfit, but at 6am, who's thinking clearly?? He wore a turquoise dress shirt, black pants and a navy/turquoise tie. So handsome!!! (Not that he's not always handsome, but he looked especially dapper yesterday morning. ;) His day went well! Well... it pretty much went well. He was a little discouraged by the lack of listening and the abundance of chit-chat he was getting from students, but he went back today so that's good, right?? He was all fired up this morning about taking away daily participation points and coming down on them hard for not listening or talking or being disruptive, but in the end, it wasn't necessary. He said his second day went MUCH better. To the kids' credit, it was the first day of school and by the time Luke got them, it was the end of a day full of sitting there listening to classroom rules and guidelines. Luke said this to me last night. He said things went better today because they were actually doing things instead of just sitting there. So all in all, he had a good first couple of days! I am so glad for him! He's really going to be great. :)

Pupdate:
First the good news followed by the "not as good as the good" news:

Kylie pooped outside today!!!! I gave her treats, danced, sang the "good-job-pooping-outside song" (it's an original) and praised the bageezus out of her!

She was proud of herself too!

So as not to jinx our progress this morning of no accidents, I took the mirror off our dresser, set it up in the living room and brought all my makeup and curlers. I did my hair and makeup with her. I then took her into the bedroom, closed the door so I could keep an eye on her, and just as I was about to touch my eye with my contact lens.... she pooped. Right between the bed and the window. Then she peed. All in the time it took me to unscrew the contact lens container and hold one to my eye. Shoot. So in her crate she went. And I ran around the house trying to clean it all up... in my bra. Note to self, small town + no blinds + half naked running around the house in a bright pink sparkly bra = this will probably come back to bite me in the butt. Ugh! In the end, it was fine. I am a little disgruntled by her lack of going potty outside, but it's only been 2 days. I've tried everything I can think of as well as googled a bunch and everything I've read says we are doing everything right. It's just a matter of patients. But I'm not patient and I know that's my issue and not hers. I love this dog so SO much and I just want to be able to let her roam wherever she wants all day long. I never ever want to have to put her in her box if I don't have to but that's what I think we are going to have to do to train her to go outside. All in time. I only want success for little Kylie so we'll work for as long as we have to. Once you read my next post, I know everyone will fall even harder in love with her! She is a fighter!

Now for my day...

I made a friend!!! My neighbor from a couple doors down, Wendy, is so very nice! On the day we moved in, she stopped by to say hi then came back to bring me and Chuck (again, our realtor) some cold drinks and a cleaning rag. Then she came by a little later so her boys could say hi. :) (Carter is 9 and Eli is 6) What a sweet family. We also exchanged numbers and last night she asked if I would like to join her in St. Louis and possibly stop by TJMaxx or Homegoods. She had me at Homegoods. ;) So she picked me up this morning and away we went. Apparently she is just like me! Who knew?! And, she's from Downers Grove!! So we can actually talk about things and places from back home. It was such a nice day and nice to get out of the house. Barely been a week and already I'm getting stir crazy. After we got back, she picked up her boys from the bus stop and next thing I know, Eli is at my door with a toy for Kylie. And Carter is walking up the drive carrying a chair. Wendy is lending Lucas and me an adorable table and chair set until we get more furniture! (And she brought some tomato sauce so I can make spaghetti! HA!) She could not have been nicer!! And after the boys dropped off their gifts, we made cupcakes together. They are the sweetest kids. It is neighbors like these that make me feel so comfortable and happy here. Thanks, Wendy!! What a blessing!

I took a small pause in my post to run to the Walmart with Luke. (These never ending trips to Walmart are getting old...) And upon my return, our little Kylie ate the entire top fuzzy layer off her tennis ball! Little dickens! And... drum roll please.... we pooped outside again today! So the final count for today is 2 poops and 5 pees outside and 1 poop 1 1/2 pees inside. (The half is because we saw a stain on the wood floor and upon further inspection, it washed away yellow and smelled like pee according to Luke) So we aren't quite sure when that happened. So yea, Kylie! She's getting better each and every day! She has also figured out that if she rings the bell on the door, she gets to go outside. She just hasn't quite caught on that she has to do something bladderly productive. Not just eat bugs. We'll get there.
Oh! I also gave her an ice cube today. I wish to God I had my camera ready cause she was killing me. She'd pounce on it and it would slide away. She'd cock her head and look at it then pounce again. Repeat. Then she finally got it into her cage - probably thinking she was going to outsmart it there. Nope. Kept sliding all over. After awhile she got tired and was done. Luke came home, laid by her crate and goes, "Ew! I think she peed in her crate. It's wet and her towel smells awful!" I laughed and said, "Nope. Ice cube." But it does lead me to my next point... bath time. We are starting to smell slightly like a foot. I'll take plenty of pictures of our first bath. I don't know about Kylie, but I can't wait!!

I think that's it for tonight. It's crazy, I feel like I don't do much during the day but I am beat by the end of it. Why is that?
Well, I am going to copy Kaylyn's post to me so you can get the full Kylie story straight from her.

Goodnight everyone and thanks for reading about us. We miss you all!!

Love and kisses!

Cris

As Requested...

Two posts in one day you ask?? Emma (my cousin) had a request. She wanted to know a little more about Kylie and why we can't change her name. I was going to dedicate a post to her eventually anyway, but here it is. (I am also going to do a plug for Canines in Crisis.)

Well... it all started on March 21, 2011. Kylie was born. We don't know where, we don't know to who, but what we do know is that she was rescued at an animal control center at 12 weeks old on the day she was scheduled to be euthanized. (I can't even imaging!) She was rescued by Canines in Crisis. (www.caninesincrisis.webs.org) At 12 weeks she only weighed 8lbs. She was taken in by CinC and was given the name Precious. I cannot remember the details but eventually a woman named Kaylyn (she's FABULOUS) received Kylie as a foster. She nursed Kylie back to health and eventually she was adopted by a family from... Ottowa? IL. Well one month and one week later, Kylie was brought back to Kaylyn. They no longer wanted her because she was "too calm and affectionate like a cat". What? Who doesn't want a calm, affectionate dog?! To add insult to injury, she was returned COVERED with fleas and ticks, she had a parasite from stale water as well as an infection from ingesting an infected flea. She was, well, sicker than a dog. (Clearly this family kept her outside all the time, which, for the record, you are not supposed to do as per the contracts you sign with the shelter!) And if that wasn't enough, they adopted another dog not days later!!! A pure breed Jack Russell. (Kylie is a mix) Unbelievable! So, to answer the name change question, although it kills me that she has the name those inconsiderate jerks gave her, I think it will only add more confusion to change her name again. A 5 month old with 3 different names under her belt seems a bit much, wouldn't you agree??
But as upset as I am that those other people did what they did to her, lucky for us, Kylie was back up for adoption when I saw her online. She was just too cute!

How Kylie came to be an Overton:
About 3? weeks ago I started shopping online for dogs. Luke and I were super excited to finally be able to get a dog of our own. I googled shelters in De Soto and Canines in Crisis came up. I looked through their pictures of adoptable dogs and these ADORABLE boxer mix puppies came up. So I immediately emailed the shelter and asked a little bit about how their shelter works. How much to adopt? Do they do a home inspection? What do we have to provide for them?  And most importantly, we still didn't have a closing date. How long could they hold a dog for us before we can pick them up? Well Jeri, who runs the shelter? contacted me back and told me a little about the boxers. I told Luke about them the second he got home... he was not as excited as I was. He said he grew up with a boxer named Max and although he loved Max, boxers are very high energy. He actually suggested a Jack Russell Terrier... I was not 100% in love with the idea since I don't particularly like small dogs. So we decided to just wait till we got into town to go to the shelter and physically pick out a dog after meeting with them. Then we got a closing date and a whirlwind of 2 weeks later, we were heading to Missouri. When I got here, I googled Canines in Crisis once more to see if they had any new puppies up for adoption. That's where Kylie came in. As soon as I saw her picture I knew! AND she is a Jack Russell MIX! So best of both worlds! Luke got his Jack Russell and I got my bigger-ish dog! Win win! I contacted the foster mom, Kaylyn, and she couldn't have been greater! That was Thursday. By Monday I had toys, treats, shampoo, collar, leash and anything else I could think of to meet Kylie on Tuesday. I also talked to Kaylyn extensively about Kylie and was ready for her! I gave 3 references as well as a vet reference from the Bartlett Animal Hospital back home and we were set. Kylie came over to visit us last night to check us out and I think she's a great fit! We ADORE her!

Now for the negative, I guess...
And maybe someone can give me some advice.... she's had 4 accidents in the house since last night. I have taken her out every half hour or more when she rings the bell on the door and nothing. I did get her to pee about an hour ago? but that was about it. She's been out more than 20 times today! Not to mention a walk around the community this morning. And through all this, she still pooped in the house. I've kept her away from all carpet since those were her first two accident places but the third time was on the fireplace. I have also not left her side all day! I have no idea when she did that! (Even when I went to the washroom myself I put her in her crate for those few seconds.) Any advice? Is it just adjusting?? I'm worried about her little bladder!
Also, I have to talk to Kaylyn again because I don't know if she is really this calm or depressed from the transition. She has been just laying around all day. When I lay or sit by her for  a belly rub she nuzzles, but she seems so sad. Any suggestions for that too? I'm sure it's just going to take time or again, she is really just this calm, but I just want her to be happy. She is such a fabulous little thing. We love her!!!

So you see, Emma, there is a method to all the madness. Kylie it is. (Though I really liked Lilo...) ;)

And here's the last plug of the day... www.caninesincrisis.webs.com is a fabulous organization doing wonderful things for dogs. The foster mom, Kaylyn went above and beyond for Kylie as far as time and money... I know she is not the first nor the last to be so well loved and cared for by Kaylyn. If anyone would like to donate to the organization or even check it our for adoption, please do.We are so happy with Kylie! She could not have come from a better place or a more wonderful group of people. Thanks guys!!!!