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!

This time of year...

December 3rd was National Roof Over Your Head Day. It was a day to appreciate the things we have, starting with the roof and home keeping us protected and warm. On a bit of a sad note, animals in shelters and humane societies do not have this important thing to be thankful for... yet. During this Holiday season, it is a time when what we want and need is most prevalent in our thoughts and hearts. Many of the animals at our shelters want their forever home, but in the meantime, still need food, water, beds, toys and treats.

If you're feeling the need to give back and help out in some way other then adoption or fostering (because I know I can't adopt every grey-faced tail-wagging soul that I see at the shelter either), each Ren's store has some solutions!

Each of our 4 stores has paired with a local humane society or animal shelter to help make it Christmas for the animals too! Using tags like the above on products to identify much-needed Wishlist items, or donation bins at the front of every store, you can easily make any much-appreciated contribution. Anything from a can of cat food to a Bowsers bed will go a long way in making this Christmas a little brighter for the volunteers, staff and pets of our local shelters!

Many special thanks go out to the Waterdown Angel's Restaurant who pooled donation money together to help create amazing dog and cat gift baskets. If your company or group would like to do something similar, please contact your local Ren's Store Manager!

Monetary donations can also be made through the always-present counter boxes by each Ren's store cashier.

Firetrucks and Parades and Santa! Oh My!

We here at Ren's have been busy little elves with a number of events this last month! We want to thank all of you who came out showing support, and we'd love to see and share any pictures you might have taken!

November 10^th - Our Oakville store was honoured with a visit from the Oakville Firefighters, who have been (and still are!) selling their 2013 calendars. All proceeds go to support the Dogs Guides, Oakville Hospital Foundation, Ian Anderson house and OPFFA sponsorships. Each month of the calendar features a (drool-worthy!) firefighter and a future Guide Dog puppy for added “aw”-value.

Firefighters were at our store most of the day signing autographs, posing for photos, and selling their wonderful calendars. Ren's also offered Hard Core Firehose toys on sale, with $1 from each sale going right to the calendar's supporting foundations. Together with Ren's, the Oakville Firefighters were able to raise $700 that day, and brought a number of smiles to both staff and customers!

If you missed out on buying a calendar, you can still buy one (or a few) online at http://www.oakvillepffa.ca/calendar/index.php/2012-03-06-18-32-36

Photo credit to Lindsey Ryder

November 17^th, 24^th and 25^th – The Ren's Hummer was all decked out for the Kitchener, Flamborough (Waterdown) and Puslinch (Aberfoyle) Santa Parades. With dog's walking alongside sporting fancy Christmas collars or our new SafetyGlo leashes and collars, it was great to get out and support our communities. Special thanks to everyone who came out and walked with us or watched us drive by!

Check out our Facebook page for over 50 parade photos!

If you'd like to pick up your own Christmas or nighttime collars, see

http://www.renspets.com/holiday-pet-bell-collar.html or http://www.renspets.com/dogs/collars-harnesses-leashes.html?brand=5853

November 24^th to December 9^th – Santa has been taking time out of his busy countdown-to-Christmas plans to visit each of our stores for our annual Pet Pictures with Santa.

All proceeds go to each store's partner Humane Society, with Santa's last stop being our Waterdown Store on December 9^th. Don't miss this last chance at great fur-family photos, and we can't wait to see more wagging tails and smiling faces whispering their Christmas lists to Santa!

November 29^th to December 5^th – There's still time left to save on our massive in-store and online Retail Sale! With sales in every area of our store and site, don't miss out! Come visit us at any one of our four stores for the full selection, or check out our online sampling at http://www.renspets.com/specials/tis-the-season-for-saving.html

Again, if you have any photos or videos from any of these events that you'd like to share, you can post them to our Facebook page or email them to us at erika@renspets.com!

I wanted to take some time to highlight a really new & exciting program we're launching soon, both in our retail stores and online at renspets.com.

Our #1 goal at Ren's is to provide our customers with the best service possible - it's why we make sure our staff are the most knowledgable in the industry and why we still provide carry-out service at all of our stores. However, early this year we realized something important was missing - a loyalty program meant to reward our customers for shopping with us.

That being said, we're extremely proud to announce Ren's Rewards, launching this month!

Shop, Earn & Save with Ren's Rewards by earning points on all your purchases, including food! We've also incorporated our Frequent Buyer program into Ren's Rewards so you can still enjoy a free bag of food with every 10 or 12 purchased (varies by brand). Existing customers on our Frequent Buyer program with a valid email address will be automatically signed up when the program launches and all of your existing purchase counts will carry over.

We're also making it easier than ever to check your Frequent Buyer status and points balance from anywhere with an internet connection. Simply login to your account at renspets.com to see all your past purchases, Frequent Buyer counts and points balance.

Can't do the drive out to one of our stores?

No problem! We're introducing a new Quick Reorder function on renspets.com where you can quickly and easily place an order for any past products you've purchased in-store or online and have it shipped out to you at no charge (some exceptions do apply*).

Stay tuned for more information as we roll out this program to all of our stores over the coming weeks!

Free shipping information: Valid on orders over $60. Excludes remote areas and oversize products. See our shipping & returns page for more information.

Hear that, residents of Waterdown, Hamilton and, dare we say, Niagara region? Ren's Pets heeded your suggestions for the location of a new store and, voila - here we are!

We opened our Waterdown depot (har har) on September 7th, 2012 at 100 Dundas Road East in the Walmart plaza, just a hop, skip and a jump away from Clappisons Corners.

"We're so excited to open this new location," says our V.P of Sales and Operations, Scott Arsenault. "Ren's has grown exponentially in the last few years, and we're taking it to the next level. We listened to our customers and chose scenic Waterdown for our next store".

Both long-term and new customers of Ren's knows that we offer something special that sets us apart from our biggest competitors - We're 100% homegrown. We've sprouted from humble beginnings as a feed mill in Oakville, opening in 1974, to Canada's largest independent pet retailer. With the addition of Waterdown, our company has grown to well over 100 employees, 4 stores, an impressive head office in Guelph and a truly phenomenal ecommerce business that spans the Atlantic to the Pacific. It's something owner Colin Job dreamed of. "Everyone has a legacy", says Colin, son of founders Ren and Sharon. "I'm proud to continue what my father started in 1974. My goal is to continue that legacy by offering the best prices and best selection, guaranteed".

The new location is a bit different than the other 3 stores, as it's found in a plaza building. But customers can expect exactly what they're used to - 6,500 square foot facility with every type of food, toy and treat imaginable, as well as our usual display of groomer and breeder necessities.

"It's funny," continues Colin, "the bigger we get, the smaller we act. Carry-outs and other old-fashioned perks add a touch of class to the experience our customers have when they shop with us".

So, come check our new location out! We'll greet you with a smile, give your pet a treat (should you bring them) and shower you with the upper class service you deserve. But really, did you expect anything else? Of course not, you know us & we know you!

We're Ren's - no one can copy our culture.

Stay tuned - we'll have details for our Grand Opening in the coming weeks!

They say the best things in life are free. Information is free. So could we deduce that information one of the best things in life? Well, when it comes to wondering if there's food in your teeth, if your skirt is caught in the back of your underwear (ladies) or pet care, then yes, information is truly one of the best things in life.

At Ren's, we're dedicated to giving our customers a great experience. Namely best prices and best selection, but we know there's more to your purchase than that - you want to know why you're buying something, what you're buying & how it will help/change/affect your pet. You may want to know why certain dog breeds act differently than others or how to handle the loss of your beloved four-legged-friend.

Perhaps you just want a little entertainment in your pet-product research.

We'd love to help you with all of that. We want to be your Information Kiosk on all things pet related. An Information Den, if you will...

Beginning this week, Ren's presence online will change. We've brought together some of the most well-informed & highly experienced staff to help you make the best choices for you and your pet.

Whether you want to know about treats, toys, waste management, leashes, grooming - the whole 9 yards, we'll cover it. So, make sure you subscribe or check back frequently.

You won't wanna miss a minute of this.

Our high-energy in-house marketing team hit the road in Oakville yesterday, pumping up local businesses for the huge spring retail sale that started today. Armed with toys, treats and other goodies, the pack spread out up and down Trafalgar, spreading joy and cheer wherever they landed.

Our Spring Sale is one that CAN NOT be missed! Prices have plummeted to "lowest in the country" status on anything and everything you can think of. Customers will find over 5 pages specifically featuring mind-blowing deals on cat and dog food alone! Greenies, Furminator, Petsafe, NaturVet, Acana, Royal Canin and Wellness are just a handful of brands you'll see during this 7 Day Sale.

These deals are IN-STORE ONLY at any of the three retail locations in Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Oakville. The earlier you come in the better, since deals are while supplies last!

The Spring Sale runs from April 12th to April 18th. Please note the flyer is only visible to Ontario residents. You can view the sale flyer before going to the store on Facebook or on our website!

It was all dogs, models, prizes and clothes at St. George's Banquet Hall in Waterloo for the KW Humane Society Fashion Show fundraiser on Sunday. Adorable pooches met adorable models and adorable fashions on the catwalk for the 2+ hour long event.

Prior to the show, guests, some 250+, mixed and mingled while browsing the silent auction items and shopping from local vendors.

We snuck back-stage to take a peak at the dogs getting primped and prettied for the big show and we couldn't help but get swept away with all the glitz and glamour!...and fur.

Pups strutted their stuff in both elegant and practical coats, life vests and bandana's. Once the canine's wagged away, guests enjoyed women's fashions ranging from feminine day-wear to stunning evening dresses and flirty lingerie.

The guys weren't left out, though! Both edgy and classic styles were showcased. But, the highlight of the show were the adorable little-ones in their trendy designs.

A huge shout-out to the KW Humane Society for presenting this spectacular event for the 6th year in a row. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to helping the shelter's orphaned animals. Keep up all the great work!

We're celebrating an early spring with a great contest! Enter your adorable, wacky and creative photo's in our Easter 2012 Photo Contest. Submit 1 original photo of your pet in Easter-themed costumes (bunny-ears, eggs, little chicks, etc) and be entered to win one $50 Gift Card to use in-store or online!

GOOD LUCK!

Contest Rules

Contest runs March 19th-April 3rd, 2012.
Submissions will only be accepted online.
No retail stores will accept submissions.
Limit 1 photo per contestant, please. Sorry, Canadian entrants only.
Winner will be notified via phone or e-mail on April 5th, 2012.
All entrants will be required to answer a Skill Testing Question.

Submission Options

Please send all email entries, subject titled "Easter 2012 Photo Contest" to kris@renspets.com
You may also post your image or private message us with your entry on Facebook.