Cru Vin Dogs Dog of the Month for NOVEMBER

Hey there Cru Vin Dogs fans. I have a CVD Dog of the month! Our November dog is perfect for the first really snowy month of the year, a Newfoundland! He’s a big, beautiful boy whose parents are very proud of him and love him dearly. His loyal and careful care of his family make him a great candidate for this prestigious distinction.
Doc Diamond, you are the Cru Vin Dogs DOG OF THE MONTH for NOVEMBER!

I’ll let his mom tell you more:

"After thirty years of rescuing dogs, cats, rabbits, ducks and other critters, my husband and I decided we wanted to have a puppy 'of our own'. We had long since fallen in love with Newfoundland Dogs and over a period of twenty years, had lived with four of them.

We met Doc when he was 4 weeks old and took him home when he was 10 weeks. He came from a wonderful, reputable breeder and although he had a premier lineage, he was lacking a few 'show qualities'. We were fine with that. We simply wanted a puppy we could love, spoil and train to be our companion on any couch in our home. He also fit well with his animals friends: two cats (a psychotic tabby named Abigail, a wonderful old soul named Murphy) and three dogs (an autistic Newfoundland named Winter, a separation-anxiety ridden Lab-mix named Shiney and a spoiled Shih Tzu named Ghengis). This foolish group tormented him as he wrangled his way into our home. None of them had any idea that Doc’s sheer size would ultimately make him leader of the pack!

Ghengis at 17 is pretty frail. Over the years his hearing had waned and his eye sight became clouded by sclerotic lesions. His confidence had turned to fear as he confronted the world without two senses. In the spring of 2008, things went from bad to worse when Ghengis had a horrible accident and lost one eye.

And, it was at this point that Doc stepped in to become the protector and guardian of little Ghengis.

It happened, I thought, quite by accident. One night I heard Doc emitting a series of soft woofing sounds. I rolled over and said, “Doc, go back to sleep”. The sounds kept coming and finally I turned on the light. I realized Ghengis wasn’t on my bed. He had fallen and was struggling to get up. “Good dog, Doc”, I said. I picked up Ghengis and put him back on the bed. A few nights later, I witnessed the same routine. The following week, I surrounded the bed with cushioning so that when Ghengis fell the landing would be soft.

Ghengis fell again last week and Doc couldn’t get me up. My husband was sleeping in the next room (he’s a SNORER!). Doc pushed open the door and awakened him. When my husband finally turned on the light, Doc had left the room and went into the hall to stand protectively over Ghengis.

Ghengis is the size of Doc’s head. He’s a small, frail creature who is lovingly guarded by our sweet, gentle giant. Doc’s ability to sense trouble is a small miracle in a world filled with frightening possibilities. He brings a smile to my face and comfort to my soul."

-Felicia Diamond

He sounds like a wonderful dog and I was thrilled to hear from Felicia. I love to hear how pets and people enhance each other's lives. They can be such a godsend.
Aren't we lucky our pets decide to keep us?!
So, thanks again Felicia. Good dog Doc!

Feel free and encouraged to send your own stories of wonderful animals to me here on my comments page or to my email, CruVinDogs5@gmail.com. Who doesn't love a good dog story?!
That's all for tonight, wishing you all a great November!
Kristin

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The Holidays Cometh

Let me first apologize for the lax upkeep of the blog, our holiday catalog and newsletters have just gone out and it takes the full force of our budding company to get them where they need to go and looking the right way.

So, in this small moment of calm before the storm I'll take this opportunity to share some beautiful dog stories from some of our members, they're both viral emails and I don't know who wrote them or where they started but as a TOTAL animal person, they both choked me up. Just in case the email forward didn't make it out to you from your friends who know what a dog person you are, here they are. Enjoy.

"There is a God in the Post Office.

This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced.. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service .

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

'Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith. '

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten t h e letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.


Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, `To Meredith,' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:


'Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love, God'"

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And Here's Another:
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"Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God."
________________________

Sniff.




I'll need a dog of the month for November so send me your dog or pet stories, or any moving emails that come your way. I would love to hear from you! If I don't pop in before Thanksgiving I do wish you all and yours a wonderful holiday!





And just in case you need a great bottle to go with your family meal, Anne Noto, our resident chef, recommends the 2005 Bloodhound Chardonnay for Thanksgiving fare, "the nice acidity will help to balance the heaviness of the Thanksgiving dinner- turkey, gravy, etc.". Sounds delicious! Happy eating!
Kristin


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