What we realized about 2005 was that the winery was a lonely place without our canine support system. Changes had to be made and so we put out the word and the search began. In January, we expanded the family in a four-legged fashion and it bears saying that there is more joy in our day-to-day world here at Château Morrisette.

As you may recall, the winter newsletter announced the retirement of my beloved dog, Nicholas. Long-standing as our master and chief of meeting and greeting, or just
front door sunning, Nicholas decided to hang up his collar and frolic in retired bliss at home. The hunt was on for his successor! We received phone calls, letters, and e-mails pointing us in various canine directions. And one day, a picture in an e-mail spoke straight to my heart.

Lucky was spending his final hours at a shelter in Albemarle, North Carolina. The Pet Advocacy League of Stanley County had hosted Lucky for his allotted time and they wanted to save him, but they didn’t have a place to put him. They thought they’d found the perfect answer when a couple of guys expressed interest in being Lucky’s foster parents. So, off he went to his temporary home. But, what happened next was unfortunate indeed! Lucky was stolen! The rumor was that he had been sold to a band of hunters in South Carolina. A rescue effort was mounted and Lucky was fi nally found in the rural town of Chesterfield chained to a tree. It was then that Lucky’s luck changed. He passed from one sweet foster home to another and ended up with Nancy, who is a Kennel Club newsletter reader. She read our article and sent Lucky’s picture and story in our direction. The next thing I knew, I was picking up Lucky in Greensboro, North Carolina, and a new face appeared on our daily scene.

Enter the story of Jake. Our fearless German Shepherd, a/k/a Dumpster Dog, ate my car! More specifically, he mutilated my BMW’s interior while I was away at a church meeting. We quickly found out that Jake doesn’t like to be alone. One of our employees in the Tasting Room offered her home to Jake, a more remote location where there are dogs and cats and horses and Jake will never be left alone. Of course, he still reports to work on a weekly basis, and right now he and Lucky are doing a lot of territory marking. The ending for Jake is a good one because he seems quite content in his new home and he is still a part of our gang.

As George Bailey would say, it’s a wonderful life with a ZuZu in the family. ZuZu (Petals) is Château Morrisette’s newest addition. A bounty of giggles, kisses and other puppy love activity accompanied the arrival of our girl. Potty training and the mastering of the stairs has been top on the to-do list. ZuZu has learned to ring a bell to let Bob Burgin, V.P, know she is ready to go outside. She has finally grown enough to be comfortable with the larger dogs, and she and Lucky cause quite a rumble in the upstairs offices. Somehow my office has become the official playroom.

It is wonderful to have our human space invaded so completely. We are once again in the midst of jingling collars and head-nudging visits. It’s the year of the dogs at Château Morrisette and we cannot wait for them to meet all of you!

ZuZu and Lucky with Bob Burgin and David Morrisette.