Natural Bridge, Natural Bridge, Va

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

The Natural Bridge is located in Natural Bridge (Rockbridge County), Virginia. It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in the United States, and is included in several “Natural Wonders of the World” lists, designated a National Historic Landmark, a Virginia National Landmark, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Natural Bridge was amazing to see. We enjoyed sitting down for a while and taking in all it’s beauty.

Brian got lots of kisses from Cello at the Natural Bridge!

Rockbridge Vineyard, Raphine, Va

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Rockbridge Vineyard sits on a hill at 2,000 ft in elevation in Raphine, Va. The wine maker has worked in wineries in Germany, California, and Virginia, before buying the land to have his own vineyard. The tasting room is actually inside the barn!

The wines here have won many medals including Best in Show in the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition, Best in Show in Town Point Competition, and has also won the Virginia’s Governor’s Cup twice.

We did the white wine tasting list – and each one was delicious.

Cello is waiting patiently for an oyster cracker – or maybe her own glass of wine? She is the “legal” human-age of 21 now 😉

After the wine tasting, we enjoyed a glass of wine before heading out to our next adventure!

This tasting room had a neat concept for the ceiling too…

Wade’s Mill, Raphine, Va

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Wade’s Mill is a working flour mill built in the 1700’s. The mill was built by Captain Joseph Kennedy, an early settler of the Shenandoah Valley. The Kennedy family owned the mill for about 100 years before it was bought by James Wade, whose family operated the mill for the next 4 generations.

Cello and Brian outside of Wade’s Mill:

Wade’s Mill is now officially registered as a historic place:

Wade’s Mill is one of the few remaining flour mills that actually still produces flour exclusively on mill stones. While we were there, the current owner was milling!

The bottom of the mill has a store where you can buy all the goods milled at Wade’s Mill. We bought some polenta, grits, and pesto bread…YUM!

This mill provides flour, grits, polenta, etc for the local restaurants.

Byers Street Bistro, Staunton, Va

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Byers Street Bistro was the perfect place to grab a bite to eat while exploring Staunton, Va!

They were super dog friendly (even brought water bowls out for the pups!), and the food was absolutely amazing!

Cello, Brian, Brandi and Guinness entering Byers Street Bistro:

I had the fried green tomato appetizer and shrimp and grits (couldn’t resist some good southern menu choices that we can’t get up here in Southern NJ!)

Cello and Guinness enjoyed themselves and were very well-behaved:

Redbeard Brewing Company, Staunton, VA

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

How could Cello resist stopping at a brewing company named after her Daddy 😉 With Brian being a “ginger”… we couldn’t resist stopping at Redbeard Brewing Company , located in the historic Wharf district of Staunton, Va. It is Staunton’s first downtown brewery, and they specialize in “small batches of big beers.”

Here is Cello with her Papa Redbeard 😉

Ox-Eye Vineyards, Staunton, Va

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Ox-Eye Vineyards is located in the historic Wharf District of Staunton, Va. The Vineyard was named after the Ox-Eye flower that grows in abundance on the owners’ farm.

The tasting room is in a building that was originally built in 1904 and used as an office for a local coal and lumber business. The building also served as a scale house for horse drawn coal wagons. The loaded wagons would pull up under the building’s archway to be weighed by the Fairbanks scale.

Barren Ridge Vineyards, Fishersville, VA

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

While camping in Staunton, Va, we visited Barren Ridge Vineyards right after we did some

“spelunking” at Natural Chimneys in Mt. Solon, Va.

Barren Ridge Vineyards is located in Fishersville, Va on a former apple orchard. The winery makes 14 different wines, many of them award-winning. The tasting room is a converted 1890’s apple barn. The owners preserved the original structure of the barn, and it’s wooden beams. The ceiling in the tasting room is constructed of the original barn’s wood…it was really neat!

We enjoyed doing their wine tasting, and being able to have Cello in the tasting room with us:

The tasting room was really nice:

Our friends Brandi and Stan, and their dog, Guinness, also enjoyed the wine tasting:

After the tasting, we enjoyed a glass of wine overlooking the vineyard:

Natural Chimneys, Mt. Solon, VA

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

During our Easter camping trip, we were lucky enough to have visited Virginia’s Natural Chimneys. Natural Chimney Park is located in Mt. Solon, in Augusta County, Virginia, along the North River. There is a campground located at the park with a pool, playground, and hiking trails. Natural Chimneys Park is also home to one of the largest jousting tournaments in the Eastern United States. The tournament has been held annually the third Saturday in August, since 1821!

It’s pretty amazing that the Shenandoah Valley was once the floor of an inland sea! The “chimneys” formed from limestone that began to accumulate under the sea during the Paleozoic Era (some 500 million years ago!!) … the seven “chimneys” that stand at Natural Chimneys Park in Mt. Solon, Virginia tower an amazing 120 ft, and have caves within them. While visiting the chimneys, Cello had her first spelunking expedition!

Jenny and Cello at Natural Chimneys:

Let’s go spelunking!

Brian and Cello entering the cave!

Friends Brandi, and her daughter, Payton, entering the cave:

Thank goodness for iPhones, and camera flashes…it was DARK in there!!

Jenny and Cello taking a rest after our first-ever cave exploration:

It was amazing to learn the history of this incredible natural formation. The chimneys and the cave we were in is something I will definitely never forget!

The historic town of Staunton, Va

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Looking at the AAA magazine one evening, an article caught my eye about a small town in Virginia ranked one of the best small towns in the United States… Staunton, Va. We decided that this would be a great place to camp for our annual Easter camping trip.

Staunton is a unique and quaint town made up of 5 historic districts. There is great architecture and unique shops and eateries to enjoy.

Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA, Staunton, VA

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Looking at the AAA magazine one evening, an article caught my eye about a small town in Virginia ranked one of the top 20 small towns in the United States…Staunton, VA. After doing some research, and having never stayed at a KOA before, we decided to give Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA a try for our annual Easter camping trip. Not only was Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA in close proximity to the town of Staunton, it is also located between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountain ranges on the site of a former walnut plantation…pretty awesome!

Our campsite was right on the lake, and was spacious and clean.

Around the campground…

We are the third camper in from the left.

The campground had a fenced-in dog run, so of course we broke out the “Chuck-It,” and let Cello run like the wind!

The sunsets we saw from our campsite were amazing!

We got to see and do some really incredible in and around Staunton, which you will see in upcoming posts!

Flagstone Patio

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 8 Comments

Ever since the first time we looked at our dream cabin, we said the flagstone patio needed to be repaired and re-done. Almost every stone was loose, and just about every time someone stepped on the walkway or patio, it was near disastrous. I’m really surprised (and thankful!!) that no one had every fallen or twisted an ankle. Although we vowed to do all the work to our cabin ourselves, there are few things we decided may be beyond us – and the patio was one of them. Luckily, we met some nice guys who had done some work at our neighbors house, and booked them to do the patio…five years almost to the date of our settlement, the patio is completed!

When we bought our historic log home, we decided that we would do our best to keep everything we could original, and use every bit of original material that we could as we renovated the cabin. We loved the flagstone, but we did not like that it was broken, uneven, and very unsafe to walk on. We wanted to be sure to use the original flagstone pieces.

Before

During…

Each stone was picked up, and then reset. Then each piece had to be wiped with an acid to remove the concrete haze from the stone so that the pretty colors of the flagstone could shine through.

After:

As this brutal winter is now behind us, and we look forward to nice weather, we can now (safely!) enjoy walking and sitting on our patio as we enjoy the view of the lake!

2019 Update: Patio, Take 2!

The 2014 flagstone patio project did not hold up well, and our patio went back to being unsafe to walk on. Although we loved the flagstone, we decided it would be best to replace it with something more suitable for our pack of pups!

86B6E02A-F257-4E81-B7C5-31908010A752

397B5CDE-05F3-4DAB-B789-B1ECFA822A5B

Clarabelle’s Journey

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Meet Clarabelle!

Clarabelle was Cello’s house guest for 5 days while she was in between foster homes. Clarabelle was rescued from a high-kill shelter in North Carolina, and is a (approx) 9 month old Hound-mix. She is a sweet southern belle with ice-blue eyes (no filter on those baby-blues – they are truly THAT blue!).

She is spayed, up to date on shots, and has been to the vet this week. We took her to the vet while she was with us because I suspected that she had ear infections (she did)…and while we were at the vet, it was discovered that she has an umbilical hernia – which is common – and is not harmful to her at the moment, but would have to be watched for possible repair.

In the Jeep on the way to the vet, enjoying a bully stick:

She is a very happy and affectionate dog despite her unfortunate past. After being abandoned in a kill-shelter, Clarabelle was then unfortunately placed in a foster home that was found to be not adequate. That’s when we took her for a few days, so that she would be out of yet another unfortunate environment. She came to us with a broken harness, un-bathed, and I immediately could “smell” ear infections (if you’ve ever had a dog with a bad ear infection, you know what I mean!!) It was also suspected that Clara was made to stay in a crate for long hours at her first foster home.

We went to a local pet store and bought Clara a new harness and martingale collar asap.

We made sure to provide her with lots of running and play time so that she could release some of her pent-up energy!

Clarabelle after much running decided it was time to rest!

Clara was SO good during her clean-up and let me bathe her, clean her ears and teeth, and brush her after her bath. It was great to see her all cleaned-up and smelling good!

She was so sweet… she “hugged” me gently with her paws and nuzzled in for kisses for as long as I would let her. All she wanted to do was to be around people and dogs, and be petted, kissed, and loved – and OUT of her crate. As far as we had seen, she had shown no aggression toward people, children, or other dogs. She had seen my cat, Loki, from afar/through a gate – and just stood there watching – no barking or aggression – just curiously watched. We did not truly introduce her to Loki, so I can’t verify if she is completely cat-friendly.

Clarabelle loved playing soccer in our yard!

Clara has an amazing jumping ability, and can easily jump over gates and fences and onto tables and counter tops. A high, physical fence is necessary, as she can easily jump a 4ft+ fence.

Originally, we were only supposed to have Clara for a night or two. During her move to us, her next lined-up foster home fell through. She wound up being with us for 5 days. Although she immediately stole our hearts, we knew our home was not the right fit for Clara to be fostered. Cello was NOT happy with Clara’s puppy behaviors, and was acting-out. Clara also continuously tried to jump our 4ft fence. We did our best in our short time with Clara to love and care for her. We were happy to have gotten her out of her unfortunate situation, and to have been able to provide Clara with a temporary stay in a gentle, loving, and caring environment. Clara’s has moved to another foster home, and is still looking for a long-term foster, or better yet – a forever home!

Here is a FB link with her pictures

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.475897742511328.1073741935.201807263253712&type=3

Also, pictures and video of her can be viewed on New Life Rescue’s FB page https://www.facebook.com/NewLifeAnimalRescue

New Life Animal Rescue’s website http://www.newlifeanimalrescue.org/ … as well as on Cello’s FB page, and Cello’s Instagram and Twitter pages (all easily accessed here on Cello’s Corner).

Help Clarabelle’s Journey end, and give her a forever-home! …To find out more details on Clara, to volunteer to foster her, or to apply for adoption, please visit New Life Animal Rescue’s website http://www.newlifeanimalrescue.org/ or email them at newlifeanimalrescue@gmail.com.

Tommy D’s Limoncello

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 6 Comments

Tommy DiRenzo

For those of you who have been following Cello’s Corner from the start, you know that Cello is short for Limoncello…and that Cello’s full name is “Tommy D’s Limoncello.” Jenny’s Grandfather, Tommy DiRenzo, was famous for his homemade Limoncello, made with his “secret recipe.”

For those of you who may not be familiar with what Limoncello is, I hope this post gives you a good explanation…

When Brian and I give someone a gift-bottle of my Pop Pop Tommy’s Limoncello, we always attach a little folded card to the bottle that explains what Limoncello is, and includes a picture of my Pop Pop Tommy and Jenny, a watermark picture of our cabin, where the Limoncello is made, and of course, Brian’s favorite puppy-picture of Miss Cello! The card explains the history of Limoncello, as well as the background behind our Limoncello recipe.

Front of our card:

Inside of our card:

Back of the label:

There are many different recipes for Limoncello – – even a cream-version. We think homemade Limoncello (especially Pop Pop Tommy’s recipe!!) is better than bottled versions bought at the liquor store that we have tried. Summer is right around the corner…and Limoncello is wonderfully refreshing on a nice summer day! …Google search a recipe or two and give it a try!

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!!

Results:

Saturday:

21’8″ third place masters medal
20’8″

21’11” second place masters medal
19’6″

Sunday:

18’3″
20’9″ no medals

20’1″
17’9″ no medals

FINALS RESULTS:

21’0″
22’9″ NEW PERSONAL BEST !

and 2nd Place in Big Air Masters Finals!

We are so proud of Limoncello!

Bird Dog of the Day

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Cello was chosen as the featured “Bird Dog of the Day” on Instagram!

Each day, one puppy and one adult bird dog picture is featured on this very popular account…and today Cello won “adult of the day!” Yay Cello!!

Check out Bird Dog of the Day on Instagram…and “like” Cello’s picture!

Please visit Cello’s Instagram for more great photos of Cello and her adventures!

English Pointer Transport

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

Last Sunday, Brian and I drove out to Allentown, PA, to pick up one of 2 English Pointers pulled from a high-kill shelter in Kansas. The rescue in their area was full and had no foster homes available, so the German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue of NJ volunteered to help out. The female English Pointer, Amira, was being picked up by her foster parents. This is Amira: Amira However, Max, the male pointer, need to be transported closer to his foster dad in Southern NJ – so that’s where Brian and I helped out. Meet Max… isn’t he stunning?!?

Max was a very excitable boy, and was alert for most of his 2 hour ride to Southern NJ.

After some nice ear rubs, Max finally felt comfortable “giving in” and taking a nap!

Brian and I took Max to our house, where his foster dad was picking him up. Max’s foster dad wound up staying at our house for a good 2.5 hours while Max and Cello played their hearts out – bot inside the house and in the snow outside in the yard! I regret not taking pictures during that time to share…but I was too overwhelmed with joy watching the two play so well together, and thinking about how this wonderful dog, once discarded, is about to begin the best part of his life!

Cello was worn out from all of Max’s energy and slept like a baby that night!

It took many volunteers to transport these two English Pointer pups from Kansas to New Jersey… Thanks to everyone who helped these two cuties on their way to a better life and a forever home! If you are interested in Max or Amira, please email the German Shorthaired Rescue of New Jersey at GSPrescueNJ@hotmail.com .

UPDATE: MARCH 2014: BOTH MAX AND AMIRA HAVE BEEN ADOPTED!

Thinking of a GSP but don’t live near NJ? Think rescue! The National GSP Rescue lists regional GSP rescue groups across the United States and Canada. If you are interested in adoption, volunteering, or would like information on how to surrender your dog to rescue (Please do not surrender GSPs to a shelter or abandon them!!!!), please contact the group that covers your state or region. If there is no contact listed for your state, you can email the National GSP Rescue at rescue@gspca.org . A GSP rescue will help match you up with the perfect GSP for your family!

Valentine’s Day Grain-Free Peanut Butter-Honey Hearts

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

ANOTHER snow day here in Southern NJ… perfect day for baking dog treats!

Cello waits and watches patiently as these yummy-smelling Valentines Day treats bake in Cello’s Cucina!

Peanut Butter-Honey Hearts

Ingredients:

2 cups organic buckwheat flour
1 1/2 cups organic almond flour
1/3 cup organic, natural peanut butter (no salt or sugar added)
- Be sure that the peanut butter you use doesn’t contain xylitol)
1 TB organic honey
1 1/4 cups hot water
Additional flour for rolling (or parchment paper)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F
Mix dry ingredients together.
Mix in the peanut butter, honey, and hot water.
Knead the dough well.
Roll out the dough into 1/4″ thickness and cut into shapes with dog cookie cutters.
Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them cool overnight. (I just took mine out at 40 minutes and cooled them on a wire rack – see notes below).

If your dog likes less-crunchy treats, you cool them completely on a wire rack, then serve them to your four-legged child!

These treats come out pretty crunchy even if you don’t keep them in the oven over night…so if your pup prefers softer treats, you can try reducing the cook-time, and cooling the treats on a wire rack.

Yield: Will depend on the size cookie cutter you use.

Storing: These tasty treats can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 weeks or n the freezer for up to 6 months.

Tips: The dough for these treats can be pretty sticky to work with at first, especially while kneading. You can dust your work place and rolling-pin with some extra buckwheat flour, or (my favorite) you can line your work place with parchment paper, then place another piece of parchment paper over the dough while rolling it out. Also, keep a dish of extra buckwheat flour next to you and “dip” the cookie cutter in the flour each time before making the cut-outs.

Snow, Snow, Go Away!! January Updates…

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 4 Comments

The month of January has been brutal all the way around.

First and foremost, I want to take the time to share our sympathy for our dock diving friends, Annie and Matt, who lost their beloved GSP, Bailey, suddenly on January 30th. Bailey was only 7 years old. You can view Bailey’s memorial page here. We are deeply saddened and will continue to keep Bailey, Annie, and Matt in our thoughts and Prayers. Annie has given Brian and I so much appreciated advice and help with dock diving. We looked forward to seeing Bailey at dock diving events, as she too, was a small GSP like Cello, and so very sweet. Bailey inspired us to buy Cello’s dock diving coat by Trover…and Cello’s Corner would not exist if it wasn’t for us meeting Bailey. Annie’s blog, The Little GSP, inspired me to start this site to share Cello’s Adventures with the world. We were lucky to have met Annie, Matt, and sweet Bailey…and Bailey was fortunate and blessed to have such loving, caring parents.

Our good friends, and parents of one of Cello’s boyfriends and dock diving-bud, Nemo also had an unfortunate incident. Nemo’s dad had fallen and injured himself, and Nemo’s mom travels a lot for work, …so they had asked us to care for Nemo for a short time. Despite Nemo’s dad’s unfortunate event, Nemo and Cello had a blast together. Nemo’s stay made for Cello’s first official sleep over. We had Nemo at our house for about a week, and enjoyed every second of our time with him. Nemo’s dad has since recovered, and Nemo is back home.

The love birds’ sleep-over!

January has also been rough in the weather department. We have had snow-covered ground for pretty much the entire month! It’s currently snowing again – and we are due to get a hefty snow storm again in just a few more days. Temps have been either freezing, or below freezing, and the lake is frozen. Cello has made the best of both the snow, and indoor playtime, but enough is enough! We had only 2 days that were above freezing AND no snow on the ground – so we made sure to get Cello to the dog park on those two days!

Fun in the Snow