DENVER -- July 9, 2009

Did you have a nice 4th of July? I did, even though I had to wear a silly hat. I don't know why you humans think it's so amusing to put hats on dogs. I can assure you that WE'RE NOT LAUGHING.

Anyhow, I was at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival at the Cru Vin Dogs tent. Cru Vin Dogs was selected again to be the Festival's Official Winery. But what does that have to do with me, you ask? WELL, Cru Vin Dogs donates a portion of its revenue to CCI, among other canine charities. Now how wonderful is that? Pretty darned wonderful, I can tell you. We LOVE Cru Vin Dogs.

To quote their Website, "We exist to combine our passions—friendship, wine, art, and our love of dogs and worthy causes—into a wine brand with a purpose. Wine that gives back. Wine that makes a difference...Because of our lifelong love of our canine friends, we support worthy causes that involve dogs. In addition to monetary support, we hope to raise public awareness and understanding of the causes these wines support, perhaps encouraging more people to become involved in their efforts."

So, that's why I was at the tent, along with other CCI dogs, puppy raisers, CCI graduate teams and dedicated volunteers. We were there to answer questions about CCI and Cru Vin Dogs. OK, I lie: the dogs were there to get petted and admired; the humans were there to answer questions. I was so excited to hear that a FAN of my DogBlog stopped by to say hello! I HAVE A FAN! Unfortunately she stopped by before I was there, so I didn't get to give her a big slurpy kiss, but here's a shout out to my FAN!

Besides stopping to say hello to the CCI dogs, lots of people came to the tent to taste the wines. Marianne says the Cru Vin wines are yummy; I'll take her word on this - I'd rather have a Frosty Paws treat. But even though I don't care for wine, I LOVE the labels on the bottles. Each release features an original drawing of a different dog by Colorado Artist Jay P. Snellgrove. I know I should like the drawing of the black Labrador puppy best, but my favorite is the Bloodhound on the chardonnay. Jay has a wonderful Bloodhound named Sophie who was at the tent with us. I thought Marianne was going to try to steal her! Marianne and Vanessa made Sophie pose for a picture wearing the silly hat, but she tolerated it with way more grace than I did. Brother.

My other favorite label features Lucky, a CCI graduate dog. Lucky lives here in Colorado with his partner, Randi Price, who works at Children's Hospital. I haven't met Lucky yet, but Marianne tells me he's a wonderful boy. He's actually my half-brother! Our dad is Baumann, who has an even bigger head than I do. You can read more about Lucky and Randi here.

I hope you had a great holiday and that you were kind to your dogs by leaving them home in a nice cool house with a fan and a bowl of water. And the next time you're looking for a yummy wine, buy a bottle from Cru Vin Dogs and know that you're also supporting some wonderful canine charities. Click here for a list of retail locations.

Chow for now!

Ross

Questions or comments for Ross? Send him an e-mail!

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to CCI for details.