Happy Birthday Fitz

Four years ago on Memorial Day, Scott brought home a little black ball of fur. He didn't ask. He had been working in Seward for a week or two and when he came home in the wee hours of the night. He laid the little furball on the bed next to me and I was awakened by a cold nose sniffing my face. Needless to say that I was surprised. We had not even talked about getting a dog.

Having a dog in Alaska is quite a commitment. It is so cold that the little thing would need to be able to come in to the house and would basically need to become a member of the family. I just wasn't sure that I was ready for that kind of commitment. I have never been a great dog lover and I knew that the lion share of the training and caring for the dog would fall on me. Scott would say it was "his" dog, but I would be the one taking on the job of training him. This was all running through my mind as the little thing snuggled into the crook of my neck and settled down for a nap.

I think that Scott was reading my mind as he stood there with a goofy look on his face. I could see how excited he was to have a dog. (He WAS adorable.) Scott let me name him. I think that he thought that if I named him, I would become attached to him. I named him, Fitzwilliam Darcy, after Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. (Little did I know how well the name suited him. We took him to the dog park last week and he towered over every other dog and his attitude was so superior to the other dogs that they were almost beneath his notice.)

Everyone loved Fitzy! I had no idea what to do with him as I had never house trained a dog. I took him to the vet and he gave me some amazing advise which I followed to the letter. It worked and before long he was trained. At first I had to carry him down and up the deck stairs as he was too small to navigate the stairs by himself, but before long he was big enough to do it.

We had many memorable moments with Fitz as he grew and learned. Puppy classes, dish towel battles, teething on deck posts and other moments come to mind. Scott and the kids taught him many fun tricks and the neighbor kids and Ward kids loved to come by and watch him perform. Scott will still put him through the paces for anyone who comes over and Fitz will do most anything for a treat.

Now, Fitzwilliam is 4 years old. He has grown so much; we think he is about 125 lbs. He is a good dog and is truly one of the family. With only Luke here, he has helped to fill the lonely hours here in Washington . He is my companion during the day and on walks around the neighborhood, but as soon as Scott drives in, I am forgotten.

I wanted to have a cake and a party for Fitz's birthday, but Luke thought it was kind of silly. Who would we ask anyway? (Scott wanted to have a party for my birthday last year and could not think of who to invite.) Instead of a party we took him for a walk along the Columbia river and Scott wore him out tossing sticks into the water for him to fetch. It is one of his favorite pastimes! I tried to take a video on my phone and after a few tries while I figured out how to do it, I finally got one. So enjoy this video of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy Ekstrom's birthday fun!!
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