For those of you who have come to SageCliffe and stayed at Cave B Inn, undoubtedly you met (and were met by, with rambunctiously-wagging tail) Cuvee, The SageCliffe Dog. Cuvee, named after one of the winery’s most compelling wines (2004 Cuvee du Soleil) is our gregarious two and a half year old black lab. A solo canine, running to the beat of her own generous paws, owned by no one but claimed by all, Cuvee is a maverick canine with a heart of gold.
Have you ever wondered who makes sure Cuvee is fed? Who takes her to the vet and makes sure her shots are up to date? Or where she goes when it’s very, very cold outside? These are some questions which have been posed by you–our guests, and they show just how bonded Cave B Inn guests become to Cuvee during their stay. She simply has a way about her. But to the answers: The Inn staff are primarily responsible for feeding Cuvee. The area by the Inn front desk is Cuvee Central Headquarters, with her food, water, dogbed and treats. It’s the place where Cuvee crashes after running miles around the property, and it’s where she curls up on cold, cold days, to fall asleep to the sound of the Front Desk Staff answering the phone and chatting with guests.
As far as medical care, this is a shared responsibility by various SageCliffe staff. In fact, at one staff meeting, the in-between-agenda-items topic of conversation was who was bringing Cuvee to the vet next. Cuvee is a true example of “it takes a village.” In this case, it takes the entire SageCliffe staff!
Cave B Inn guest Megan Perry sent us these artful shots of Cuvee leading a hike to the river.
And it takes the guests, too…because no dog’s happiness is complete without a job to do, and Cuvee takes hers very, very seriously. Her jobs? Property Greeter. Property Guide. Dog Snuggle Stand-In. Positive Dog Relations Representative. If Cuvee wore hats, apparently she’d be wearing four of them.
Able to get along with just about every dog that comes to the property (and, as a truly dog-friendly destination, there are many of them), able to sense the arrival of a guest even before they can be seen by the front desk staff, and uncannily able to chaperone various guests–apparently simultaneously–around the property, Cuvee has taken “Property Dog” to a whole new, completely unprecedented, level. And we’re sure she takes as her reward those (frequent!) requests by Inn guests for Cuvee to spend the night in their cliffehouse or room. She seems to understand that these humans have been separated from their dogs and are suffering terribly from dog-withdrawal. She is happy to be an overnight stand-in; laying on the rug before the fire, making you step over her as you move about the room, awakening you with a whine to start the day already….you know; just like you have at home. This is Cuvee’s mission. Come to SageCliffe and visit Cuvee–she’ll be the black dog bounding down the vineyard path to greet you: it’ll make her day, and we’re pretty sure it’ll make your stay, too.
Hi all, Cuvee here! Sorry I haven’t had time to keep my blog up to date; I’ve been one busy pup! Weddings, meetings and events, OH MY! Yes, it’s been a busy last few months with the pool open and weddings on-property. I’ve become very popular and have made plenty of new four legged friends. John Mark has his Segway up and running so of COURSE I’m chasing him down and racing alongside him. It’s warm, it’s summer, it’s concert season and it’s almost time to release our new RED WINES! Make sure to check out the website for those dates. If you’re in the area checking out a concert make sure to swing by the restaurant (Tendrils). What a better way to start off your concert day than by filling up and mentally preparing yourself to walk through a crowd of thousands!Finally, I’d like to tell every one of you who sneak me food from the kitchen: You guys rock! And I love Chef Shauna’s ribs…Mmmmm.
