Fitz Fits*

We have a new pup. Two weeks ago we brought him home from Chicago. Two weeks is a lot of stories worth to share about our newest bear-of-a-dog. Here are a few:

Fitz's full name is Larry Fitzgerald Diesel Finan, named after Larry Fitzgerald. The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver. Now I really need to learn more about football. So that I can sound smart when I talk about my dog's namesake. But until then, Fitz fills his role by cuddling on the couch every Sunday to enjoy many a football game with Casey.

Fitz has many nicknames. One is Big Head Todd. Because of his ginormous head. We rented So I Married An Axe Murder the first weekend we had Fitz, so that we can crack jokes about Fitzy's "huge noggin," the size of a "virtual planetoid" "like Sputnik." And to top it off, we bought Fitzy a giant dog pillow so that he can "go cry himself to sleep on his huge pillow." Well, we didn't buy it for that reason only, but it does make the big head jokes funnier. But mostly, we call him Fitzy. Or The Fitz.

Fitzy is a total cuddlebug. For a two year old dog, he is extraordinarily relaxed and chill. But at times, he thinks he's a cat. He doesn't just want to cuddle. He wants to crawl on top of our heads and lay there. Usually, this ends in him falling off the couch because he works so hard to find just the right spot, and then he rolls ever so slightly until he loses his balance. And ends up on the floor. He has a bit to learn. Hopefully that doesn't include the ability to walk across the back of the couch like our cat Zima. Which Fitz has tried, after seeing Zima do it.

We made a visit to Lake Michigan our first weekend with Fitz. We found out that it was (presumably) Fitz's first encounter with large bodies of water. He was quite the sight to behold. Amidst the running and attacking the waves, we didn't identify his tendency of "water freaking" until the second time we took him swimmng, at my father-in-law's lake. That is another post entirely, but suffice it to say that when Fitz gets in the water, nothing and no one can stop him. Or rather, it took Casey's dad and his speedboat to bring Fitz back from the middle of the lake that first time. Tthankfully, it's nothing a 50 ft. rope and some training can't fix.

Yesterday, we did some of that training. Turns out, Fitz is a good jumper. That's the Chessie in him. And he likes to fetch. We look forward to many good times in the water.

It's good to have a dog in the house again. There's a warmth and energy that was missing for about six weeks. Nothing can replace Trekker, for sure, but we are certain that Fitz is a good fit for our family.

*Accolades to Adam Houston for the "Fitz fits" pun. Clever, yes; cheesy, maybe, true, nonetheless. :)