Our First Tug Baby

Saturday, September 29:
Today Joe, Jake and I picked up Kaylee (formally known as Phoenix) from the vet's office in Providence, NC today where she had been spayed. We were surprised to find out that Kaylee had been 38 days pregnant.

When we first met Kaylee she was very frightened (wouldn't you be after all that?) and the vet tech said she was refusing to walk on a leash. Kaylee, however, walked outside on the leash although rather timidly. She was shaking like a leaf. We spent a few minutes petting her in her wire kennel in the back of my car before hitting the road. We stopped at an Arby's a half hour down the road and found a nice picnic area with shade. We spent an hour loving on Kaylee and letting her and Jake get acquainted. We got the first of many kisses to come and her tail began wagging. When we finally got lunch, Kaylee jumped on the table and stole Joe' roast beef sandwich. We obviously need to work on some manners. =)

We stopped again in Charlotte for two hours to let the dogs stretch their legs and visit with an old friend. Kaylee kept running back and forth between me and Joe kissing our chins and leaning against us for some loving. She even included our friend in her kissing rounds after a few minutes of him being there. She is very velcro and walks next to you easily although she isn't used to a leash. Kaylee likes to look at you over her shoulder with a very trusting look on her face. We got back on the road and reached Columbia about 6:30. We got a few pictures before the sun went down. It was hard to get any b/c if she sees you she comes running to give you a kiss.

We've begun working on OFF, SIT, and teaching her the new name. She responds very well to "Kaylee, come" (better than Jake). Kaylee is a trashcan diver and we're working on nipping that in the bud, too. Kaylee met all three of our cats upon entering the house since they were waiting at the door for us. She was scared of our male cat Obie but touched noses briefly with our female cats with nothing more than passing curiosity. Even when Joe got her to sniff Willow she turned right back to Joe for more kisses. We might not have any chins left after all this kissing but we'll survive somehow. =) Kaylee is very curious and continues to investigate our living room and dining room (we babygated the area) stopping on every round to get petted by both me and Joe. Her tail has begun wagging, she's carrying it high, and her ears are up. Kaylee and Jake are getting along well, although Jake seems very confused about why he can't play with her yet. Kaylee has shown no food agression even when Jake poked his nose in her food bowl - - she just went to his food bowl instead.

Kaylee currently weighs 30 lbs according to the vet records. She's a tad on the thin side but I'm sure being pregnant and being spayed has something to do with that. I can feel her spine a little too well. Kaylee does have some tan on the backs of her front feet so she's not completely blue and white. Kaylee has a gorgeous tail with a body spot at the base. Kaylee has a single mask and a nice Bentley with a spot in middle. Another spot graces the other side of her head. She is dainty with a small mouth, small feet, and long legs. She's almost Jake's size if not a little taller. I am to keep her an inactive as possible for the next 10 days because of the extremely stressful circumstances of her spaying.

Day Three:
I keep finding new patches of red on her -- in between all her toes, the circle of fur below her tail, and sprinkled throughout her fur making it look like she rolled in clay. She has a small rice-size hard lump on one of her ears below the skin. It doesn't seem to bother her. Her ears do come up on the top of her head when she is listening really hard to something but she does seem to keep them spread out a little in general. Her teeth are in really good shape with only small patches of tartar build-up on them. She doesn't mind you touching any part of her body. She's well-muscled but thin. She's not so sure what brushing is all about. She's leaving her stitches alone for the most part and is easily distracted just by calling her name. She moves around like a hummingbird, darting here and there. There is nothing slow about her. I've never seen a dog even wiggle as fast as she does when she's happy to see you (which is every single time). She's a little confused on where to potty so we're working on potty training. We're working really hard on OFF and SIT and she's responding quickly to SIT. The OFF needs a little work since she's so desperate to be touching you at all times. If she can't be touching me or Joe, she's plastered to Jake. I'm sure Jake's totally confused about how he spontaneously grew a Siamese twin overnight. If Jake is sitting, she has to be sitting. If Jake is laying down, she has to be laying down. If Jake is eating, she has to be eating. If Jake is getting a kiss, she has to get a kiss. I have yet to hear her bark but have heard her whine and howl when I step outside the house without her. She's quiet when we put her in her kennel although she definitely doesn't want to go. She has got to be the messiest eater I have ever seen. She shoves her head into the bowl pushing all the food out onto the floor. She smacks loudly with food coming out of her mouth in every direction. Jake just stands near her trying to catch the flying crumbs -- it's a new game in the kitchen. Kaylee is not a food hound and eats in small amounts. She has continued to ignore the cats. So far she's not interested in toys, only human contact. So lots of loving it is!