Oh! Lily!

If Lily had her own sitcom, the theme song would be 8 Days a Week by the Beatles. Sometimes my sister, niece and I play the song, and just watch Lily do her thing. We "aahh" because "oooo she needs our love, girl, just like we need hers." (Clap Clap.)

Lily loves us so hard and so much she crams 8-days worth into a 7-day week. She "ain't got nothing but love / Eight days a week." Life with Lily is exhausting, but oh so exhilarating!

Lily likes to "give the kisses." She likes to let us know she loves us with all her heart! She has done so every year, every month and every day since she came into our lives.

She was born on June 19, 2016. We brought her home August 14. She was a calm little girl.....errrrrrk. Back up. We thought she was a boy. So, Peyton my niece, named her Charlie.

"Charlie" was born out in an old barn. (She and her brothers and sisters were unplanned. Supposedly, her mom was a mix of Blue Heeler/Jack Russell and mated with another breed known for high-energy. We don't know for sure. We're guessing after life with Lily.)

Anyway, a friend of ours saw a "Free Puppies" sign way out in the country. She told us to go check it out. We went. We were looking for a puppy for Peyton who was 11 years old at the time.

The little black and white spotted puppy with an all black head looked at Peyton as if to say, "I'm your puppy. It's me you came to get."

The owner told us Lily was a boy, and apparently, our looking at and knowing about genitalia was amiss. She clearly was a girl, but we just stupidly took the owner's word for it. Who does that???? Even our parents were inquisitive when we said "Charlie" was a boy, but didn't say anything. So, "Charlie" lived with us for several weeks as a calm little boy. Calm? How could a puppy with both Blue Heeler and Jack Russell -- and lord knows what else -- remain calm?? I did have my reservations.

Then one day we got hit over the head with the "Duh Board." "Charlie" became Lily, and "giving the kisses" ramped up. Calm went to hyper activity. We learned she could destroy pillows and shoes. We learned she could run very fast, jump very high. We were shocked to learn she could open doors on her own making her a master at the art of escaping -- all in the name of love.

Oh! Lily! The life of love and frustration with Lily began -- 8 days a week.

Lily doesn't look great in a dress. We learned that at Christmas time. Oh, she looked cute at first. Then we realized she was too muscular and too "Charlie-ish" to look feminine in a dress.

See how that dress just doesn't look quite right on Lily? Bows in her hair wouldn't help.

It's strange. She is calm around other dogs. She was calm and shy when she went to see Santa. There were a lot of other dogs there, and she became an introvert.

She is not calm or an introvert when she is around us. Especially when we walk in the door.

Peyton nearly got a concussion. All in the name of love.

Februrays are great months for our Lilybug because she is a lovebug! It's as if with every "give the kisses" and "head hug" she is confirming we are her true loves. She is our true love, too. We are forever Valentines.

Lily apparently gets Spring Fever. She likes to open doors and escape in the Spring. She has a lovely back yard with plenty of room to run very fast and jump very high. But when Kerri breaks out the mower, it's a constant battle to make sure the doors are locked behind us. (She hasn't yet figured out how to unlock doors.)

Below is a little escapade we went through after ONE of MANY escapes. I must tell you, we have never beaten her ass. Well, once she got a spanking after escaping. I cried. Hell, I bawled. She acted like it was no big deal. She gave me lots of kisses, as if she knew I scolded her out of love. We are petrified she will get hit by a car. She likes to race them. We have clocked her running 38 miles per hour! Told you she can run very fast.

We may not be able to distinguish girl dogs from boy dogs, but I know the secret to getting a dog to come to you. You lay down in the middle of the street and pretend to be hurt.

As you can see, Lily is too smart for that. She also suffers from selective hearing.

Lily KNOWS she is not permitted to escape and chase cars. She KNOWS a lot of things. She is smart. She can open doors for crying out loud! So, after we catch her, and as part of the game, she pretends to put herself in time out. She hides under the bed.

After 20 minutes, we forgive her. We give her a ride in the convertible.

Lily can be silly whether she realizes it or not. She has a dry sense of humor, as you can see with her serious expression.

We got her a swimming pool to keep her cool in her backyard where she has plenty of room to run very fast and jump very high. She will only play in her pink swimming pool if one of us joins her. She likes to share. Oh! Sweet Silly Lily!

Amazingly, Lily doesn't like to watch football. Even though she tackles us when we walk in the door, and darts quickly out of reach with her bonesies like a running back, she hates when we cheer for the Ohio State Buckeyes. We find it bizarre as she trembles, but I hold her during all four quarters.

We love Lily despite her faults -- or her talents -- perhaps we should say. Lily loves us despite our faults. She doesn't care that we thought she was a boy. She tried liking her Christmas dress. She doesn't understand that it's not safe to chase cars or to almost give Peyton a concussion when we walk in the door.

Four years of 8-day weeks with Lily has been exhilarating and exhausting. Her love for us never wanes. She protects us. She is devoted and loyal. She "ain't got nothing but love -- enormous heart-felt love -- 8 days a week!" She makes our family complete.