Winemaker Dinner at Great Northern

Want to try the Cru Vin Dogs wines expertly paired with amazing food? You're in luck. Cru Vin Dogs is hosting a delicious and star studded event at Great Northern in the Denver Tech Center (see http://www.gntavern.com/index.html) on February 17th! It's our very first Winemaker Dinner in Colorado!

Our Winemaker, renowned in his field, Tony Wasowicz, will be there to discuss the wines, answer questions and talk about the process of making what is our current vino portfolio and all of it's progressions and complexity. I've seen him speak at a dinner after the bottling of our "Lucky" Cabernet-Merlot, and it really is an experience.

There also will be a surprise barrel tasting of a wine we're currently working on, it's going to be very exciting!

Above is a picture of Tony with his beloved Whippets, Jimi and Devo:

And a picture of his Whippets, (who love warm laundry), that I couldn't resist sharing :

You'll also be able to meet and greet with Cru Vin Dogs President, Mary Snellgrove and her husband, the artist of Cru Vin Dogs' labels, Jay Snellgrove, (Come visit us at the 1500 South Pearl Gallery for a close up look at his amazing work!)

Also in attendance will be Nurse Practitioner, (and CCI Calendar Girl), Randi Price and her very loyal Labrador,

"Lucky", (the same dog who graces the Cab-Merlot). They are both wonderful!

(Photo is by Sarah Watson of Watson Photography, see watsonphoto.com)

A winemaker's dinner would make a wonderful Valentines Day gift for a special someone if you're in the market!

Below is all the information about the dinner.

Don't miss it!

Cru Vin Dogs Winemaker’s Dinner
A multi-course meal prepared by Executive Chef Damon Keith paired with Cru Vin Dogs’ current portfolio

With a very special, surprise Barrel Tasting

$65.00 Per Person (price includes tax and gratuity)

Tuesday, February 17, 6:30 PM
Seating is limited, reservations are required
http://www.gntavern.com/ -Contract Andrea
303-770-4741

Reception:
Goat Cheese Pistachio Tartlette
Melon and Prosciutto Terrine
Puppy Series Labrador Retriever Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Salad:
Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio
With chive oil, Fleur de Sel, and micro greens
Puppy Series Bloodhound Chardonnay 2005
Puppy Series Golden Retriever Chardonnay 2006

Fish:
Tuna Au Poivre
With white bean truffle puree and swiss chard
Portrait Series "Yogi" Cabernet-Syrah 2005

Meat:
Beef Tenderloin
With Blackberry demi-glace, butter
Poached potatoes, and tomato provencal
Portrait Series "Lucky" Cabernet-Merlot 2006

Dessert:
Chocolate Mousse Triangles
Raspberry studded and served with vanilla bean crème anglaise
Best in Show Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Hope to see you all there!!

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Cru Vin Dogs Dog of the Month for DECEMBER/JANURARY

Dear readers and friends,

Our Cru Vin Dogs Dog of the Month will be a double this month, Trevin Weldin, a very special dog was elected to be the Dog of the Month for December, he has since been diagnosed with a rare form of Canine cancer. His mother and caretaker has been focusing her energies on giving Trevin the very best care a dog could hope for. So, with such a special and accomplished dog we wanted to make sure the piece was just right. Trevin is an incredible service dog with a huge heart and he and his mother have made a wonderful contribution to their community.

Sending my very best to them both and honoring the wonderful light they have been to each other and all of those who Trevin has worked with, here is an extra special Dog of the Month Feature:

Trevin Weldin
Cru Vin Dogs Dog of the Month

By Carol Weldin

"Trevin Weldin, bred to be an assistance dog by Canine Companions for Independence, puppy raised in Denver, CO and having completed advanced training at the South West Regional Training Center in Oceanside, CA, was “career changed” in August 2003 at the age of two, coming to live in Northern California.

Recognizing his extraordinary skills and delight in “working” led him to his alternate career path as a certified therapy dog in February 2004, having waited the requisite six months prior to certification.

His initial “work” (although he would hardly call it that) consisted of visits to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, CA, visiting the Rehabilitation Unit, with occasional visits to Oncology and Pediatrics as requested by the hospital staff. Special events with disabled children at Camp Arroyo always brought joy to Trevin and delight to the children.

His commitment to literacy programs for children was exhibited by his involvement in Pleasanton Library’s Paws to Read Program; Orinda Library Paws to Read; and starting up his very own program at Ygnacio Library of reading to children and teaching the appropriate way to approach an unknown dog.

While all dogs know how to “speak”, Trevin would exercise his “library voice” with the command “whisper” to the delight of adults and children alike!
Trevin brings joy to the many faces both young and old, with a special fondness in his library visits with his little person friend Melyssa who always asked if she could read to Trevin.

Involvement with Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in Walnut Creek, CA consisted of representation at special events such as Stars to the Rescue (their signature headliner fundraiser) as a greeter, and on-site Learning Center and Birthday Party Programs for kids, aimed at creating awareness of the human animal bond and humane treatment toward animals.

Trevin’s career has been varied, (one person even commented “he is the only dog who has a canine resume”) whether it be launching and demonstrating the Revive-A-Pet resuscitation mask program outfitting all fire trucks in the Pleasanton-Livermore Fire District, which promoted CBS Channel 5 anchor Ken Battista to say “he is either one very obedient dog or is trying to reach the dog treat at the end of the mask”, to his ambassadorial role with varied animal- assisted programs.

His outreach/public relations events reached an international level having met Madame Jihan Sadat the widow of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (who was assassinated in 1981). Madame Sadat, who pioneered the cause of women’s rights in her country, currently teaches classes and leads seminars on women’s issues; Egyptian culture and international studies. She is the author of A Woman in Egypt.” Trevin met her at a Women’s Conference outreach activity.

The highlight of his career has been his special visits to George Mark Children’s House, visiting children with life limiting illnesses winning over several young patients some of whom were initially skeptical, but soon demonstrated big smiles when they heard he was in the House. Trevin could be found happily walking the halls alternately dressed as the Easter bunny; a Halloween pumpkin, and Santa “Paws”, carrying gifts for the kids and staff like in his monogrammed fabric “buckets”.

Sadly Trevin’s five-year therapy career will be cut short due to his recent diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma, having undergone emergency surgery on December 19, 2008. He will continue to bring joy to everyone whose life he continues to touch with his gentleness and sweet spirit. To everyone whose life he has touched in animal-assisted therapy, we salute and love you, Trevin."

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"If Dogs Could Talk"

Dear Friends,

In spite of the negative and very sad parts of life, our pets are here for us, giving us unconditional love and support and consistently improving and enriching our lives. In honor of this very important role they play, I'd like to share, yet another wonderful dog lover's email that I think will make just about anyone smile.

Once again, I can't take credit, I am just a messenger! Blessings to all for the New Year!

Here it is:
((I believe it’s credited to: Kay Resler, “Retired and Enjoying Life to the Max!!!!”))
It's called, "If Dogs Could Talk"

"Look . . . I was thirsty man, deal with it . "
__________________________________________________________________

"Touch de duck... I keel you."
______________________________________________________

'Weeeeeee!!! Look at me I'm Yoda!
__________________________________________________________________

"You want a piece of me? Bring it....!"
__________________________________________________________________

"Kid . . . you're askin' the wrong guy."
___________________________________________________________________

'I don't get it. Where's the milk?!'
__________________________________________________________________

'Wasssup!!'
______________________________________________________________

'Bread! You're seriously giving me bread . . . ?'
___________________________________________________________________

[sniff . . sniff] . . . . "Oh, this part of the movie always makes me cry"
_______________________________________________________________

"This stupid bird's about to get a snot bath."
______________________________________________________________

'Therrrz no way that was . . . [hiccup!] . . . juzzt milk . . . [hiccup] !'
_______________________________________________________________

"I . . . hate . . you."
______________________________________________________________

"Hi!!! I'm Teddy, a wild little Gemini . . . . aaaaaannnd, I, like,
you know, long walks on the beach.
Aaaannnd I just LOVE me some tennis balls. Byyeeee!!!!"
_________________________________________________________

'I'm not....[yawn]...tired, ok? I'm...just..... a little...sllleee..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz'
________________________________________________________

'BUT I DON'T WANNA GO...!!!! AAAAaaaaaahahhhahh'
______________________________________________________

"It was only a little pee, why the 30 minute timeout?"
______________________________________________

"Rrrrr.... I'm a Tiger. Rrrrrrr"
___________________________________

"So Dad left when he found out about Mom and the Panda."

______________________

THE END.

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Technical Difficulties

Hi Readers! I'm so sorry to have responded to your emails so late, I thought I had enabled forwarding to my main email but it seems I was mistaken and I have been neglecting my inbox!
So, my apologies and I shall try to maintain more effectively in 2009! I promise!

CRU VIN DOGS on THE TODAY SHOW!!!

Big news! Cru Vin Dogs Wines have been chosen by the Today Show on NBC for their "Gifts That Give Back" segment, airing on Monday, December 15th, 2008! Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb will be hosting, and the piece is to air during the "Fourth Hour" of the show. It will be on from10-11 AM Eastern Standard Time, 11AM-12PM in the Denver area. We'll be watching and we hope you will be too! Happy Holidays!!!

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Pig-Uppy

Ok animal lovers, this one is just too good not to share. I got this email from a family member and it is incredibly cute, again, I have no idea who wrote it or took the pictures, and cannot take credit for it, but it's special enough that it needs to be shared. I do hope it brightens your days!

"Dachshund & Pink the Pig

This Dachshund is fostering this little guy for another mom who couldn't take care of him. He had his eyes closed, but now they are open. He is just a little bigger than her other pups. She loves this little guy as much as the other puppies and she is nursing him back to health. He is the cleanest pig-uppy ever because she licks him all the time.
HIS NAME IS PINK....

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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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