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The Fast and the Furriest

Andy Behrens - Author

A reluctant boy and his unexpectedly keen dog take on dog-agility classes in a humorous summer story.

More about this book

Meet Kevin Pugh, 12-year-old couch potato. Now meet Cromwell, his part beagle, part potato chip dog. Kevin's looking forward to spending his summer doing as little as possible. Unfortunately, Kevin's father, former Chicago Bears star player/super-sports fanatic, Howie Pugh, feels differently. So does Cromwell, who has suddenly and mysteriously developed a fascination with agility competitions: running up seesaws, leaping over hurdles, soaring through hoops (sometimes). If he has to do anything, Kevin would rather do something for newly obsessed Cromwell, but dog agility lessons do not constitute a sport in his father's mind, so football camp it is. Until some well-timed events collide, literally, and soon Kevin's found a way for he and Cromwell to take classes, and the upstart Team Cromwell is born.Andy Behrens has written a hilarious novel with a dry-as-dirt protagonist who's constantly tortured by the goings-on around him. It's also a charming story about a boy and his dog, as well as a meaningful and heartfelt look at a relationship between a boy and his father who don't always see eye-to-eye.From the Hardcover edition.

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

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Family relationships· ExplainedSport· Explained

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Beyond the Cover

family relationshipssport

FictionNovel

Themes in Context

Father and son with different sporting priorities

Howie wants Kevin to attend football camp, while Kevin would rather support Cromwell’s interest in dog agility. Their differing views shape Kevin’s summer.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The story gives the father-and-son relationship a meaningful, heartfelt place alongside the sports plot.

Talk about: What helps Kevin and Howie understand one another, if anything?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The dog-and-sport premise is paired with a father-and-son relationship in which the two do not always see eye to eye, giving the competition plot a family dimension.

What Deserves Attention

The central tension involves Kevin’s father directing him towards football camp while Kevin wants to help Cromwell pursue agility classes. Their disagreements are part of the family story.

A Conversation Worth Having

If Kevin and his father want different things, what might help them understand each other’s point of view?

Reading Approach

Try reading together or in short stretches, pausing to talk about what Kevin and Cromwell might enjoy about training and how the family’s sporting expectations shape their choices.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Father and son with different sporting priorities: The ending and the eventual outcome of their disagreements are unclear.

The Fast and the Furriest - Andy Behrens - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Father and son with different sporting priorities

The Fast and the Furriest by Andy Behrens | Open Library