Five years ago we met this little cutie at an Underdog Rescue adoption event. We were going through a painful season in our life and needed a pick-me-up, so we thought it would be fun to snuggle with some puppies.
Well, let me tell you, the event was like a three-ring circus – literally! There were three enclosures containing various breeds of dogs: One for the retriever types, one for bulldogs and those with special needs, and one ring full of little white fur balls running in circles. It was sheer insanity! We petted many of the dogs, but we ended up at the back with the little guys. As we walked up to the enclosure, one little boy, a white miniature schnauzer, made a B-Line for us… it was like he knew us from another life. When I picked him up, he put his head on my shoulder and the rest is history. Other people asked to hold him, but he kept looking at us the entire time. My husband is allergic to dogs, so our dogs have been large outdoor breeds (our last girls were Great Pyrenees), but I wanted a lap dog to console me when times were tough. Craig held the dog for a long time, put his face in his fur, and had no allergic reaction. Halleluiah!
Here’s the deal with Underdog Rescue. You can’t just walk into an event, pick out a dog, pay the fees, and go home. Prospective puppy parents are vetted and home visits are required. But for some reason, they allowed us to take little Irving home that day; perhaps they felt the connection as much as we did. The first order of business was changing his name… Irving was a little nerdy for our stud muffin. Since I’m an author and an avid reader, I lobbied for a literary name. We thought about Dickens, but this little guy was just too chill. Then, voila, we had it! Irving had been a stud dog at a puppy mill, and F. Scott Fitzgerald was a ladies’ man, so the name Fitzgerald made perfect sense. A star was born.
Fitzy has come a long way. Before we adopted him, he’d never been in a home; they kept him in a cage for the first two years of his life. Don’t even get me started on puppy mills! My husband is a dog whisperer and had him house-trained in no time, and once he developed some muscle tone in his legs, Fitz was able to negotiate the stairs. Since then, he has become a certified therapy dog and brought more joy into the world than I can tell you.
Today is Mr. Fitzy’s seventh birthday. Would you join me in wishing him many happy returns?
Until next time,
Amy