Meet Bob!

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 4 Comments

Meet Bob!

Today we did a transport for Pointer Rescue, Org (PRO). We picked up an English Pointer named Bob in South Jersey, and drove him to an airport in North Jersey for a private flight! Bob started out in Tennessee and is in transport to his foster home in Maine!

We had the pleasure of spending an hour with him in the car as we drove him to an airport in North Jersey, to meet Sam the Pilot. During our ride, Bob was an absolute angel…he played with his chew toys, enjoyed looking out the window, and snoozed on my lap for over a half-hour!

We picked up Bob from PRO volunteer, Kelsey:

Look at this face!…

Catching a snooze…

Soaking up the lovin’…

PRO volunteers Sam and Jaya offered to do a leg of this transport by AIR in Sam’s plane! (How cool is that?!) Sam and Jaya flew Bob to Connecticut, for Bob to catch his next car ride closer to his foster home.

Bob going out to the plane with Sam and Jaya:

Sam boarding the plane (look closely – Sam is lifting Bob in to the plane in this picture):

Bye Bye, Bob, Jaya, and Sam! (Video of Bob taking flight!)

Views from Bob’s flight:

…and thanks to Sam and Jaya, Bob safely landed in Connecticut:

Best wishes to Sam on the rest of his car rides to Maine…and to finding a forever home and family to start his new life with !

Unfortunately, English Pointers end up as strays, abandoned, or (if lucky) in rescue because like German Shorthaired Pointers, they are very active. The English Pointer is also bred to be a hunting dog who can work in the field ALL day long. If not properly exercised, these beautiful pups can be a bit too much for people who have not researched the breed before getting that cute little puppy they fell in love with. Sometimes pointers are given up by hunters because they don’t hunt well or are gun-shy. Pointers are extremely sweet and loving and are sure to charm their way into your heart!

Thinking of a pointer? Think rescue! the Pointer Rescue, Org (PRO) is a non-profit group of coordinators and volunteers across the United States dedicated to the rescue of purebred Pointers (sometimes called English or American Field Pointers). Contact them to inquire about Bob, Pointers in general, or to find out how you can volunteer to help this wonderful breed!

Cello Earned Her Masters!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

As you know from previous posts, Cello is very involved in dock diving. She competes in the Dock Dogs Big Air competitions, which is like the doggie version of a long jump. The handler and dog have 60 seconds to complete the jump. Each team has two jumps per “wave,” with the greater of the jumps being used for the official score for that wave. The dog’s distance is measured from the base of the dog’s tail (the point at which the base of the dog’s tail hits the water).

On March 19, we received Cellos’ Big Air Club Title Master certificate from Dock Dogs!

Cello is a member of Delmarva Dock Dogs club, an affiliate club of the National/Worldwide DockDog Organization. To earn a club title, Cello had to reach 5 consecutive jumps in the same division. The divisions are as follows:

Novice 0 – 9’11″

Junior 10′ – 14’11”

Senior 15′ – 19’11”

Master 20′ – 22’11”

Elite 23′ – 24’11”

Super Elite 25′ +

Cello has earned her Masters title, which means she has jumped 5 consecutive times in the 20′ to 22’11” range.

2014 has already been an exciting season for us, as Cello and Brian competed in their first indoor dock diving competition, where Cello also earned her new personal best distance of 22’9″ !!

We have Cello registered for quite a few events this year, and are very excited for the next event on May 3rd and 4th in Dover, DE… Dover Days Dip, hosted by Delmarva Dock Dogs. Join us by registering your dog in the event, or come out to cheer Cello on, and see just how much fun dock diving is!!

In the words of the Delmarva Dock Dogs motto…

“Run Fast, Jump Big, Have Fun!!!”

3 Yrs

It’s My Birthday, And I Can Bark If I Want To…

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 6 Comments

This Friday, March 14, Cello turned three years old! I truly cannot believe it has already been three years that we have been lucky enough to have her in our life.

I’d say Cello had a pretty good birthday! …See if you agree!

I put together a “Basket of Birds for the Birthday Bird Dog,” which she discovered, and helped herself to her birthday goodies (after the “OK” command of course)!

Cello’s Aunt Casey stopped by and dropped off a nice birthday card, and a birthday gift! …Thanks Aunt Casey and Cousin James!

My very cool shirt from Casey and James…perfect!

Then, Cello had a birthday treat of fresh rotisserie chicken, green beans, and carrots…

And THEN, her Daddy took her on a shopping spree to PetSmart to pick out her own birthday treats….

I think overall, this birthday gal had a GREAT day!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Cello…we love you!!!

Me and My Shadow

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Well, it’s been a while…a LONG while since we could say it actually felt GOOD to be outside! This winter has been brutal (and that’s putting it lightly). South Jersey has had over 18 days of snow, with snowfall totaling over 75 inches so far (and more snow in the forecast for this week!). If it wasn’t snowing, or there wasn’t snow and/or ice on the ground, it was uncomfortably cold (got down to -4 degrees one day!). The lake we live on has been frozen most of the winter, and the streets are full of BIG potholes and cracks. These types of conditions do NOT make a GSP happy! Cello did not go to the park – or walk – or run WAY too many days this winter. We’ve gotten creative with indoor physical activities like hide-and-seek, our version of the doggie stair-master (throwing a ball up-and-over our balcony so Cello has to run up-the-stairs/down-the-stairs to retrieve her ball)…as well as mentally stimulating indoor activities like practicing basic commands and “tricks.” But nothing is as wonderful as outdoor runs and walks that exhaust a GSP (a tired GSP is a good GSP!!)

Today and yesterday finally felt warm! (I never thought I would hear myself say that temperatures in the high 30’s felt warm!!!) …so Brian, Cello, and I enjoyed a 4-mile walk each day this weekend in the “warm” 39 degree weather. It was great to see runners, bikers, and other walkers out and about. Everyone was commenting on how warm it felt, and how good it was to be outside. I still was bundled up in a big winter coat and hat…but it felt so good to be out in the fresh air and in the sun – with roads you could actually walk on without worrying about slipping on ice or snow!

It will get up to 60 degrees by Tuesday – quite a tease considering by Thursday it will be 30 and possibly snowing AGAIN 🙁 …Needless to say, we are very, VERY anxious for winter to be OVER.

10 more days, 8 hours, 29 minutes until the official First Day of Spring 2014

103 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes until the official First Day of Summer 2014

…but who’s counting ?!?! 😉

Bass Pro Shops, Harrisburg, PA

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Cello’s first trip inside Bass Pro Shops!

Cello was greeted with treats and pets as soon as we walked in !

Inside Bass Pro Shops

Cello had fun watching the bass swim by in the huge fish tank!

And while we shopped for a new hoodie, Cello got lots of lovin’ from another Bass Pro Shops employee!

The Pennsylvania Capitol: Harrisburg’s Capitol Complex

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

We had never been to Harrisburg, so after Cello’s dock diving waves on Saturday, we took her to the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA.

Brian and Cello took a walk up to the top of the stairs…

(Even though they weren’t supposed to …being rebels as usual…!)

The city was very clean and looked like a great place to visit. If we had time, I would have liked to have explored the area a bit more.

The Capitol building was beautiful!

La Quinta Inn and Suites, Harrisburg/Hershey Location, Harrisburg, PA

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Cello’s First Hotel Stay!

Cello participated in a dock-diving contest this past weekend. What was planned as a camping trip in our travel trailer, wound up as a hotel stay due to yet another nasty snow storm that was predicted to hit both PA and NJ Sunday-into-Monday. After a search of dog-friendly hotels in the area, we narrowed our choices down to three. Two hotels were more “high-end”, and the third, was more middle-of-the-road, but also recently built. So, we went with the newest built hotel, and “reluctantly” booked a room at La Quinta Inn and Suites Harrisburg/Hershey, in Harrisburg, PA.

I say “reluctantly” because Brian and I hadn’t stayed in a hotel since the weekend we got engaged in Boston, MA, in 2006!! After our engagement, we began staying in bed and breakfasts for all our trips. We continued choosing bed and breakfasts until 2009, when we bought our dream home (a log cabin on a lake) that wasn’t quite in dream-home condition. So, we gave up traveling to begin renovating our cabin. In 2011, we gave tent camping a shot…a last-minute decision trip that wound up being the start of a new love for us. We tent camped with Cello until August of 2012, and then upgraded to “Glamping” and bought a Jayco travel trailer to continue our camping adventures. Since we bought our travel trailer in October of 2012, our thought has been “if we can’t camp there, we don’t go there.” …UNTIL it meant “scratching” a dock diving event that we had already signed Cello up for.

Leading up to this hotel stay, I was very, VERY nervous – about not sleeping in our own bed, about Cello and how she would react… about all aspects of our upcoming hotel stay!…and I have to say, I was quite pleased…with EVERYthing. The hotel was just recently built, so it was very clean – still very new looking and smelling, and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful, pleasant, and dog-friendly. Each time we entered the hotel, Cello was greeted by the front desk staff with hugs, kisses, and dog treats!

Cello took her first ride in an elevator and wasn’t scared at all!

When we got to our room, Cello made herself right at home, and was SO well-behaved during our entire stay!

Cello was a diva and did not pack lightly…here are is Cello’s spot on the bathroom counter for all her toiletries 🙂

And here are some pictures of the hotel and our room…

Front Desk

Lobby

Breakfast Area

Our Room

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience – although we did all still miss camping in our travel trailer!

Winter Meltdown, Hosted by Keystone DockDogs in Harrisburg, PA

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 5 Comments

This past weekend Cello participated in The National Pet Expo (hosted by Keystone DockDogs) Winter Meltdown event at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. We were a bit nervous, as Cello has not gotten her full exercise regimen to meet the daily requirements of a German Shorthaired Pointer due to this brutal winter we’ve had in Southern NJ. We were also a bit anxious because Cello had never competed in an indoor event before. We planned for a camping trip to Harrisburg – however once again, a major snow storm was predicted to PA and NJ Sunday-into-Monday…so we decided to get a hotel room instead (Cello’s first hotel stay!).

On the first day, just as we expected, Cello did not jump her best, but still managed to win 2 medals with jumps of 20′ 8″ and 20′ 11.”

On the second day, Cello jumped even worse, and was so tired, she was falling asleep sitting up! This was WAY more activity and excitement than she has had this entire winter! She did not earn any medals on the 2nd day, but somehow found her way into the Masters Division Big Air Finals!

She jumped with all her might, and soared her furthest ever!!!! A leap of 22 feet, 9 inches got her a 2nd place in the finals! She even beat out other dogs who had been jumping further than her all weekend! Cello won a bucket full of prizes including dog treats and dog toys, $50 cash prize, and a big 2nd Place ribbon. It was a great surprise to end this fun-filled weekend!!