Hi Humans - Dizzy here!

So, OH MY DOG! What a week we had camping! There were happy humans and food everywhere, little humans needing walks all over the park, and... OH! Swimming at the never-ending beach! I had a GREAT time, and I think Diva did too, though she was boring and spent most of her time sun-bathing or making faces at the “cold” water.

My favourite part was the beach! There were noisy birds to chase, sinking balls to find, and all kinds of friends to make! And, Mom got us a couple toys by a company called “Chuck It” that totally rock...or rather, float! It was the BEST DAY EVER!

We got home and unpacked, and Mom kept saying how she needed to give us whatever a “bath” is. She kept sniffing me.. It must have been because I smelled like the GREAT dead fish I found to roll in! Well, Mom got excited about a big sale on renspets.com, so much so that she was too busy to throw my ball.

Anyway, Mom was so excited, she let me and Diva take her for the longest walk ever! That reminds me! Have you humans heard the joke about a squirrel crossing the road? OH! It’s great. SO, There’s this big fat squirrel and he go--- What? OH! Right, about the Ren’s stuff! Well one day a human with a box showed up and Mom started pulling all kinds of cool stuff from the box... Treats! Toys! And then there were these funny-smelling bottles with a big “Q” on them...

Diva warned me about these bottles, but we quickly forgot when Mom took us for a car ride to the Guelph Ren's! Well, Mom tricked us. Turns out, that “bath” word, these bottles and a little back room of the store go together in a terrible event where I get soaked, then soapy, then soaked again, and finally dried with this scary, noisy, blowing thing. OH! How Diva and I hate baths!

I’ll admit though, while I didn’t like the whole “bath” thing, Mom’s attention afterward was GREAT! She kept saying how clean Diva and I smelled, and she got us some treats for being such GOOD girls! I keep teasing Diva about how blinding white she looks now, but of course she already knows she looks good! OH! And I look AWESOME too, and my skin isn’t as itchy either with what Mom calls my “special shampoo”! My bath bottle is called “Q Hypo” and Diva’s is “Q Bright”. Diva and I can’t wait to take Mom for a walk now and show off to the neighbours!

OH! Diva just reminded me about my joke!

Okay so... What did Mom call me while I was covered in suds?

A Shampoodle!

What an awesome event it was!!! Lakosh came in to town on Sunday night, ready-to-go, and it was a great time had by all.

He was funny and entertaining while at the same time clearly knowledgeable about “tattooing” creative designs in to dogs: his pitbull Malcolm was sufficient testimony to that:

We put together quite the effort in advance to make sure the room was set up for maximum effect. We wanted to achieve 2 things: a first-class learning experience and a worthwhile shopping experience for the attendees. We believe that we did just that. Special thanks go out to Becky from the Oakville store, and to Ricky for help in merchandising.

The room was set up to facilitate sales of Ren’s scratch-and-dent merchandise that had been taking up valuable space in the warehouse. Deals were to be had by the dozens, and groomers took advantage of some great merchandise, good-as-new, except for the odd scratch or ding.

Wahl played a significant part in adding value to attendees’ shopping experience. To begin with, they offered Ren’s some first-rate deals to pass along to our customers. Furthermore, Stephen Kay and Martin MacKenzie from Wahl were on hand to answer questions and sell Wahl product to groomers interested in trying out Lakosh’s techniques.

Each attendee was treated to a gift bag, to which both Ren’s and Wahl contributed, and individualized packets of chocolate on their seats. While the bags were a hit, it was the chocolate that brought out the smiles .

Lakosh explained that his name in French is a colloquial slang for “the best of the best.” Also, he claims that the word “Kosh” is slang for a jagged cut, which of course ties in to his tattooing motif. He clearly favours a “badass” image (his word), having begun his particular brand of tattooing at a rave in Quebec a few years back. He has developed quite the following, as attested by the 90 some-odd groomers who attended the event.

Lakosh did a fantastic job covering off Wahl product knowledge along with some of the relevant issues that need to be considered when doing creative designs in dog coats. One of the issues was whether or not to do tattooing in a fur coat versus a hair coat. Lakosh warned of the dangers of the fur not growing back if done on a fur coat.

Each attendee received a handout – compliments of Epi-pet – on the possible complications from shaving down fur-coated dogs, further reinforcing Lakosh’s message.

In all it was a great day. The response from the attendees was very positive, and several are wondering if he can come back to do his “Academie”: a 1-day hands-on seminar where groomers actually use the tools and do tattooing under Lakosh’s direction. We’re speaking with Wahl right now about how to make that happen. More to come!

Hello Humans. Miss Diva here!

Recently, Mom went out and bought a whole bunch of awesome play stuff for Dizzy and I from Ren's Pets. One of these toys was a ball thrower that really lets me race my sister for those tennis balls! We found a huge soccer field right by our house, and we take Mom there every weekend.

A couple weekends ago though, I hurt my foot on something while bolting across the field. While it wasn't truly that bad, I made SUCH a fuss about it that a worried Mom took me to the vet. The vet poked and prodded, and eventually determined that I was being a "big diva" or something (I stopped listening when the thermometer came out). Mom mentioned that now she had an owwie though.. in her wallet!

Well, because of where my owwie was (right between my toes), the vet gave mom some white, hard things to help keep any infection away. Well let me tell you Humans, those things taste AWFUL! Mom tried everything, but short of forcing them down my throat, I was not having it!

Then Mom surprised me when she came home from work with these cool treats called Greenies Pill Pockets, and I love this special treat that only I get now (Nana-na-na Dizzy!). Maybe Mom felt bad about giving me those hard yucky things so she's making up for it with these little soft treats!

They taste SO good and come in three different flavours (Chicken, Hickory Smoke and Peanut Butter like I got), so I don't even chew them! Mom tells me that they have versions of these treats for Cats in Salmon and Chicken too, and "allergy formulas", so if Dizzy is ever good enough to get these treats, there are versions for her (because mine are too yummy to share!). All are made from 100% natural ingredients, and come with some kind of taste-guarantee that persuaded Mom to buy them (100% satisfaction guarantee for parents and pets, or your money back!).

OH!, I think it is actually treat time now. Okay, Bye Humans!

Mom's Notes:

Hello fellow pet-lovers! As you have probably guessed, Diva is still getting her pills hidden in these little soft treats. They make pill-time easier, and I avoid that dejected whippet-face from having to force a pill, or searching the carpet for where she spat out the expensive little white circle each time!

Greenies Pill Pockets are the number one veterinarian-recommended choice for giving pills, but available at places like Ren's Pets Depot too (which help my poor Diva-drained wallet!). The allergy formula that Diva mentions is a Duck and Pear formula, with all pill pockets available for either tablet or capsule sized pills.

But SHHH! Don't tell Diva!

Hello Humans! It's (your favourite) Dizzy Dog!

So, Mom's started this juicing diet thing. It's a very noisy machine (louder than that horrible thing she pushes around to clean up my hair), that she throws yummy fruits into each morning. She ends up with a cup of interesting-smelling stuff rather than having all of that wonderful bacon, eggs and toast stuff Diva and I beg for. She explains it as some sort of "get healthy" phase. Perhaps in honour of her going healthier, she took sister Diva and I to Ren's Pets Depot for a look at new healthy things for us too!

They had all sorts of cool things this trip that Mom got, like an Interactive Feeder for me (because apparently I eat my food too fast), some neat ball throwers that Diva is going to LOVE, a back seat Kurgo cape thing to keep Mom's seats clean when we go to the park to play, and these healthy treats that smell just like Mom's morning fruits...

They're called Fruitables, and there are a whole bunch of all-natural flavours in two sizes, like Blueberry, Banana, Apple and Cranberry. OH! and this new flavour that I just LOVE called Crispy Bacon & Apples.. Mmmmm! I was the best girl ever to make sure the Treat Lady gave me extras!

Each crunchy little oven-baked candy is free of wheat, corn, soy and all that artificial stuff (so this means I can have them with my allergies!) and smell GREAT! The Treat Lady also  told Mom that each treat has less than 9 calories, so Diva and I will be able to maintain our drool-worthy figures!

Mom picked up a few treats for us to try, but I'm sure we can convince her to head back to Ren's soon for all the flavours!

Okay, Joke time!

What do two bananas do when they meet each other?
A Banana Shake!

Hi Everyone! It's me, Dizzy!

As most of you know, I have some pretty bad allergies. Mom always jokes that I'm allergic to everything, including myself! It's true that I can't have all the great things my sister Diva does because of all my food allergies, and the changing seasons always mess with my skin too to cause what the vet calls “the itchy-and-scratchy cycle”.. It itches, so I scratch it, and then it gets itchier because it's been irritated, so I scratch more... -Sigh-.. Humans, it sucks!

Well, recently I was itchier and scratchier than usual. It was all I could focus on! Even my ball had lost its appeal! Mom took me to the vet and through discussing everything, we all decided to change my food. After a long process of doing so (Mom took almost 2 weeks to fully convert me to this new food), I am almost completely better! It's AMAZING! We switched to yummy salmon and rice food, and added some salmon oil and omega pills to my food for added effect. YAY for Salmon! Not only that, but now my Golden hair is even more beautiful than it usually is too!

The only downfall to switching over was that my Mom would whine about my breath when I would go to kiss her! She kept teasing me about how “fishy” it smelled - blame it on those omega pills! I tried eating sticks and stuff outside or sucking on my stuffed toys and bones to fix it, but Mom didn't seem to like my breath any better from that either (go figure!). Even with those awesome antlers to chew on, Mom said my teeth were still getting rather grungy too.

The solution? PetzLife Oral Care!

Mom brought a little bottle home (she got the spray) and every day I get a couple sprays of it. We haven't been using it long, but she says my breath smells better already (and Diva will wrestle with me again!). This cool stuff is designed to “eliminate plaque, remove tartar, reverse gum disease and freshen breath immediately; all without the need for brushing” according to Mom. We're still on the beginning stages of using it, so I get more right now than I will in a couple weeks, but the idea is that it kills all that bad salmon breath bacteria so I can kiss Mom again!

So fellow friends, if your Human is making teasing comments about your stick-breath, nose out this stuff on your next trip to Ren's! It's available in a spray or a gel and will leave your breath peppermint-fresh!

So, to tie into this whole experience... Are you ready for my joke?!

Why should you avoid a dog that eats nothing but garlic?
Because his bark will be worse than his bite!

Good Morning Humans, it's Miss Diva!

My sister and I have a friendly sibling rivalry when it comes to treats. She gets all of the special, single-ingredient cookies that won't irritate her allergies and smell AMAZING, and I get a host of other cookies that taste great no matter what they contain. When we go out and about (like shopping at Ren's) I get to taste every cookie the Treat People have while Dizzy can only have the special ones. Mom makes sure its fair though, as I can't have any of Dizzy's treats either – no matter how hard I try to convince her I -need- just a taste!

So, I though I'd share with you one of MY non-Dizzy treats: Dried Chicken Jerky Strips! Mom tells me these are all-natural dried chicken breast meat that make this delicious crunchy treat for me! Depending on which brand of treat you go with, you can get great added things like Glucosamine and Condroitin (like the ones Mom buys me!).

Chicken jerky treats can also have other benefits besides being SO tasty, like helping to scrape food from my teeth as I chew (and they're certainly chewy!), and providing some important nutrients.

High in protein, these treats are only ever meant for occasional treating as too much protein in our diet can be a bad thing! That makes these treats all the more special because I don't get them very often at all, and usually only broken off pieces when I've been a really, REALLY good girl. Remember Humans, all treats should only be given in moderation and never used as a food replacement – no matter how much we beg!

My Mom's (and my) favourite type of Chicken Strips are the ones from a company called Barnsdale Farms. She particularly likes these ones because they are made in North America, and I like them for the 1lb bag size they come in!

And of course, like always, I have great timing.. As these treats are on sale this week! Mom will be picking up a couple bags for sure, though it'll take me forever to get through them!

Aww, Dizzy's whining about not having anything to add to this conversation, so I guess I'll let her add a joke:

What do you get when you cross a dog with a vegetable?
A Jack Brussel Terrier!

Helloooooo Humans! Dizzy here!

It's winter! Have you noticed?! I love the snow! Diva, not so much.. but she doesn't have as warm a coat as my long Golden fur (even with her fancy Ren's jackets on)!

Mom and her friends play ball with me outside until their ears and noses go red. It's great fun for us all, though I don't quite understand why we have to stop after only a couple hours. Most of our new backyard is snow, but the walk to the front door becomes this awesome mud puddle. Mom and Diva jump over it, but I think it's more fun to run right through it! I am all about the fun of course!

So, after all this playing, Mom made me wait outside while she went and got a towel.. Apparently I was something called “muddy and soaked” (that must mean awesome!). Mom towelled me off a lot, but my bottom half still looked like a Chocolate Labrador, so when she finally let me bound into the house I immediately got locked in the bathroom. Even whining as loud and as frantically as I could didn't bring anyone back to me for what seemed like forever!

Mom did come back though and had a whole bunch of stuff that looked strangely like the items we see during bath time at Ren's... Then she picked me up and put me into our bathtub...

Sure enough, it was bath time for me – at home! Suds and soap and a lot of attempted escapes later, Mom finally said I was clean and smelled good. I got lots more towelling, with special drying attention to all those spots that can get itchy hot spots like behind my ears, my underarms and my belly. Next, my ears and whiskers got a good trim, and then my feet. Mom calls them “slipper feet” because I slip everywhere in the house when the hair between them is too long, but now I have Show Dog feet! I THOUGHT I was almost done when Mom brought out those scary toenail trimmers and did all my toes. Nothing bad or painful has ever happened, but I'm convinced that some day, something will. Mom calls me a worrier!

The last thing Mom did was bring out this noisy thing that buzzed on my skin. Since it's getting close to that time of year where mud puddles melt from the snow, Mom said she was going to try and make later cleanups quicker with this “clipper”. She buzzed this thing down along my belly a couple times and took off a lot of the hair there – it all happened really quickly too! I now have a nice and cool shaved belly that Mom says will be much easier to keep clean!

Mom let me free then, and gave me a brand new antler from Ren's to chew on for being such a good girl! I promptly “frog dogged” my belly on our cool kitchen floor and chewed away happily while Diva looked on all jealous-like. 

So now, the best joke EVER!

Why must you be careful when it rains cats and dogs?
Because you might step in a poodle!

Mom's Notes: Dizzy was actually a very good girl during her at-home bathing session! If you'd like to get started doing your own bathing at home, check out Ren's featured sale bundle of a Wahl Pro Ion Rechargeable Clipper with free 17oz Wahl Pure n' Clean Shampoo, on from February 23 until March 1!

Hello Humans, Miss Diva here!

We've been busy these last weeks! With all the packing for the new house, Christmas dinners and New Years events with family and friends, we haven't had a chance to relax! Our Human has been the busiest, but I've been the most stressed by far... Unlike Dizzy, I don't like change. I like routine and knowing what to expect, and all these life changes have been making me so nervous! Dizzy is just excited and oblivious to what all this means, but she -IS- blonde for a reason!

My nerves are getting the best of me, and I haven't been wanting to eat at some meals. Mom's been talking to me all concerned, and trying all sorts of tricks try and help.

Yesterday though, she decided to take Dizzy and me to Ren's to try and get some suggestions. I could have told her just to stop this whole "moving" thing and take me back to the "old" house, but we love going to Ren's (so I let her take us)!

Well, it was a good thing I did! This whole month of January is filled to the brim with different deals every week! Treats, Toys, Beds, Grooming stuff, Coats, Cleaners, Bird stuff and Cat stuff to name a few! Mom got a bunch of coupons to walk around the store with, and one of the sale things she picked up were Benny Bully's Liver Chops. She talked with the wonderful Treat Lady for a long time about them (Dizzy and I got a bunch of freebie treats and pets out of it!) before we went home.

So last night at dinner in our new house, Mom gave me a piece of this Benny Bully treat in my bowl. It was SO good, and smelled amazing too! I didn't want to miss any of the crumbled pieces Mom also scattered in my bowl, so I made sure to eat every piece of kibble too. She gave me more treats in my bowl this morning when I got too distracted by my world changing to eat... and I can't resist those yummy Liver Chops! I'll always eat my meals if that stuff is in it!

Our human says we'll be going back to Ren's again this month to take advantage of more great deals. I'd love to hear what great things your humans picked up this January, so feel free to leave a comment here!

Of course, Dizzy has a joke sparked from what she's calling my "spoiled catering service".

What did the Dalmatian say after his meal?

"Ahhh.. That hit the spots!"

Hi Humans! It's Dizzy!

So, GUESS WHAT?

Diva, our Human and I are moving! Mom just bought us a new house! She tells us we are going to have a great new yard, great new neighbours, and longer walks with even better things to sniff! We're moving from the country to the city, with all new things to experience. Like, Mom's telling me that I'm going to love the neighbour's “pigeons” next door. I don't know what those are, but she makes this funny noise mimicking them whenever she tells me about it, sooo... I can't wait!

I'm totally pumped, and I've been helping Mom however I can! I'm helping her pack by bringing all my toys to her one-by-one, and helping her carry stuff when she has her arms full. I'm a great help! Diva's doing her part too by keeping the chairs warm for when our Human takes a second to relax, but Diva doesn't seem too thrilled about all this excitement yet.

Through all of this, Mom has this long list of stuff she needs to remember to pack, and things she still needs to buy. We had a good day this weekend for shopping, so Mom took Diva and I to the new Ren's Waterdown store to cross the most important stuff off the list!

So, after all the toys, treats, beds, food, grooming stuff and poop bags, Mom was excited to also pick up a bunch of Gift Cards. There's some promotion on right now about getting $5 or $15 back when you buy a bunch of cards, so Mom did just that! She says that everyone will love Ren's as much as we do, so these are easy last-minute Christmas presents for almost everyone on her Christmas list. Diva and I are excited too, because now we can share the awesome Treat People (who give us great things every time we come) with our furry cousins and neighbours!

We got home with all of this awesome stuff, but before Mom started wrapping the Gift Cards, she threw all OUR stuff (old and new) into boxes! As much as we whined and pushed those boxes around the house, Mom kept telling us that these will be our surprises for the new house, and we had to wait. Totally not fair, if you ask me, though she did let me keep a couple toys out to play with until then.

Oh! But speaking of the new home... I came up with a good joke from one of the items on Mom's 'need' list!

Ready? Okay!

When we watch a movie, how will I stop the DVD player?

I'll press the “Paws” button!

Christmas and 2013 are almost here! Hopefully you're ready to celebrate with friends and family with lots of food and time for relaxation (and unwrap all those great toys too!) because.. We know we are!

We will be home with our families a few times in the upcoming weeks (with the stores and Head Office closed), but don't worry! There's still lots of days open for you to pick up Fluffy's food and toys for Spot.

Oakville Store Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve - Open 8am-3pm
Christmas Day - CLOSED
Boxing Day - CLOSED
New Years Eve - Open 8am-3pm
New Years Day - CLOSED

Kitchener, Guelph and Waterdown Stores Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve - Open 9am-3pm
Christmas Day - CLOSED
Boxing Day - CLOSED
New Years Eve - Open 9am-3pm
New Years Day - CLOSED

Head Office, Mail Order and Warehouse Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve - Open 8am-1pm
Christmas Day - CLOSED
Boxing Day - CLOSED
New Years Eve - Open 8am-1pm
New Years Day - CLOSED

Also, don't forget renspets.com is always open, 24/7, 365 days a year!