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!

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!

Hamsters are a great low maintenance furry pet to get any pet lover started with responsibilities. These are easy enough to manage for the younger children as well.

A few things you should know before getting one of these pets.

• They have poor sight, are only near sighted and are colour blind, this makes getting around in new area's tough to do. Toys for outside the cage that are able to completely contain your furry friend are best.
• They store food in their cheeks much like the chipmunk.
• It is best to keep these types of animals separate from one another since they are solitary creatures and housing them together can cause chronic stress issues.
• They do not have a very long life and tend to only live 2-4 years. So be prepared to explain to little one's about this.

Now that you've purchased (or rescued) your pet, make sure you pick up a proper cage as they can escape cages that were not meant to house them. We recommend either the Ware Critter Universe or the Ware Home Sweet Home Hamster Cage. Oxbow's Timothy Line, the Timothy Tunnel specifically, is a great addition to have, too!

You will also require bedding, like Carefresh Natural Pet Bedding. It's easy to clean and to dispose of. It is also flushable in small quantities!

They should have fresh water and be fed daily.

Keep your pets happy and they will be happy additions to your family.

What the heck was that noise?

I leaned over my bed to see what that odd, ruffling-fluffing sound was, never having heard it before. It was dark, so after grabbing my cell phone for minor illumination, I peered down at my beloved Border Collie/GSD, who was nestled comfortably in her bed. Low and behold, she had crumpled her blanket between her paws and was kneading it like dough. What most intrigued me was the fact she wasn't ripping it apart like a toy, she was suckling it.

*_* <--- That, friends, was my bewildered face.

I've had three dogs in my life and it wasn't until adopting my dear Leia that I witnessed the behavioural phenomenon of "object-sucking". I wondered if it was related to the same behaviour found in human children, blanket/thumb/finger sucking for comfort related reasons. I wasn't really sure of this, until I saw her doing it again later the next day around the time she takes an afternoon snooze.

What I hadn't seen in the dark was the expression coming out of her adorable face - it was timid and tired looking. Her eyes were almost half closed as if she was falling asleep and her furry expression was one of pure calm. That had to be it, I thought. It had to be a self-comforting mechanism.

She had quite a bit of anxiety when I first took her home and I knew little about her previous life. I was worried this might be a behaviour indicative of stress or some illness, so I took to the web. There wasn't much concrete evidence available to explain the behaviour, but what little information I did find, the consensus seemed to be that dogs do this to help them relax and eventually fall asleep. They also all seem to paw or "kneed" the blanket, as if they once did when suckling from their mother.

Do your dogs do this, too? Let me share what I discovered:

The more gentle your dog is, there is increased likelihood that this habit may develop

Dogs that are extremely loving and sweet-natured, those who seem to be more dependent on their owners companionship/those who show distress when parted from them, are more likely to exhibit this behaviour. This made much sense for my sweet Leia - of all my dogs, she is the most gentle-natured and least temperamental. She was also surrendered, and thus forced to leave the family that reared her before I became her lucky owner.

The habit doesn't go away in adulthood. It will last throughout their life.

Though this habit can begin in puppyhood, there doesn't seem to be any detriment to it continuing in adulthood. However, some owners make the mistake of thinking by removing the object, the habit will cease. This is not the case. Your dog will simply find another object suitable enough for his/her liking and continue on. Removing it may also needlessly cause anxiety in your pet, thus furthering the need for them to replace it (and ultimately, the dependency).

Scent of the object seems to play a role

I noticed Leia had chosen fabrics and blankets that I would use more than her own blankets, which suggests that cuddling with something that smells of her "pack leader" was more comforting than her own scent, but there is only anecdotal information to support this theory. I was concerned that if I washed them, she might not wish to use them anymore or that it would cause her stress, but she seemed to be fine and continued using them after I would launder whatever item was of interest.

Does your dog suck on objects? If so, we wanna hear about it and we'll feature you in our Part II blog!

If you think your dog is suffering from acute anxiety and they're not self-soothing, check out HomeoPet's Anxiety and Separation Relief Solution.

Eastern Painted Turtle

Last month, I chatted quite a bit about the Red Ear Slider as a great alternative pet. They live a long time, they're relatively self-sufficient and they're absolutely breath-taking! Like conventional pets, turtles can also be found outside of pet stores. So, when you are looking for a turtle for the family, have you considered a rescue? We all think of animal rescues dealing with just the furry pets, but there are animal rescues set up all over the place for all types of animals.

One website I'd reccomend for finding rescues all over North America is redearslider.com
They have great information about this particular species of turtle in general, but also an entire page dedicated to different organizations that will take them in.

If you're on the other end of the spectrum, and need to surrender your turtle, a rescue again is a great alternative. Yes, you could release your turtle into the wild, but please consider the following before doing so:

Is your pet "alien" to the area (that is, not a native species)? What kind of survival can be expected for them? In Southern Ontario, we get winter and obviously, most of our aquarium pets can't stand up to the cold temperatures that we have.

Also, you should ask if your pet is an "invasive" species, like the Red Ear Slider. If so, how might their release affect your local eco-system? For example, the Red Ear Slider is an adaptable species, bu because of it's adaptability, it has taken over many of our lakes and gone-so-far as to endanger our local Painted Turtle population.

Whether you're looking for a furry or non-furry addition to your family, or needing to surrender your pet, a rescues is always a good idea. While many of them are over-run, it only makes more sense to adopt from them. Every pet deserves a second chance at a forever home, so why not give your local humane society or turtle rescue a try!

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!

All the Ren's stores, including our head office, are a hop-skip & a jump from Toronto, so we were definitely excited to get word of all the celebrities heading into T.O for the International Film Festival.

For a little fun, we want to share our top 5 famous dogs. Sound off below if you agree or disagree with our list!

1. Ryan Reynolds & Baxter

We stand on guard for thee, and that means supporting Canadians no matter where they are in the world, which helps us justify pick our first person on the list. Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds is frequently seen walking his Collie/Golden mix Baxter. Reynolds went the adoption way, and found Baxter at a shelter. "I whispered to him, 'Hey, let's get the hell out of here.' And he jumped up, like he spoke English fluently. He came with me, he jumped in the car, and we've been best buddies ever since."
Awww, cute, Canadian and a dog lover? What's not to like about this guy?

2. Queen Elizabeth II & her Corgi's/Dorgi's

Keeping the Canadian thing going, it's time we tip our hats to the Commonwealth. The Queen is famous for her Corgi's & Dorgis, Willow, Holly, Candy and Vulcan. These illustrious (and undoubtably, very well treated animals) travel with Her Majesty to each of her residences. Sadly, one of Her Majesty's corgi's passed away two weeks ago and we can only sympathize with the loss of such a beloved friend.

3. Wolverine Hugh Jackman & Dali

We might be committing a cardinal sin by purposefully confusing wolverines and actual wolves (we know, we know, wolverines aren't even canines), but this one was too cute to pass up. Hugh Jackman seems to go everywhere with his almost 2 year old French Bulldog Dali. What's with the unique name, you might ask? Jackman's son, Oscar, has a favourite artist, who happens to be Salvador Dali. The family thought the dog had a striking resemblance to the artist because of the way his mouth curls (the moustache). Quite the cultured inspiration, yes?

4. Anne Hathaway & Esmerelda

Anne may have just played a feline superhero in A Dark Knight Rises, but she's definitely a friend to canines offscreen. She and her beautiful chocolate lab are often photographed taking walks together. Little information exists about where the actress got Essie, but we do know that Anne just loves her to pieces, so-much-so that she included her dog in her engagement party last fall.

5. Jenna Mourey with Kermit & Marbles)

Okay we admit. Jenna isn't a Hollywood star, but she's a huge YouTube star and as far as we're concerned, that counts in our book. Her adorable Mr. Marbles (Chihuahua) and Kermit (Italian Greyhound) co-host almost every single show that Jenna produces each week. They can often be found roaming around behind or beside her, sleeping comfortably in her shirt or dancing (no, seriously). Kermit has multiple nicknames like "Kermie-Worm", "Silver Unicorn" & "Warhorse".

Want to treat your pet like a famous celebrity? Go ahead, spoil them a bit with a Bowser Bed and a bag of pig ear treats - we won't tell.

Photo Credit: Stephanie S. - Summer 2012 Photo Contest

Basic training for puppies can be overwhelming, and here at Ren's Pets we see a lot of new fur-parents in those early stages.

Puppies have a care-free, enthusiastic way of doing everything, but before long that becomes a problem. Your favourite boots are chewed, they're chasing anything that moves, and just plain ol' getting into any kind of trouble they can. So let's think...what do puppies need to know, and what do you need to do to get them there?

Rule#1 is to never let your puppy do anything you wouldn't let a grown up dog do. In other words, don't let them get away with stuff just because they are a puppy. Sure, it's cute n' adorable now, but just wait until it gets older, stronger, and more confident! You don't want to be mean to the little dude, but they do need boundaries.

For example, your puppy might run up to you when you get home and jump up giving you the happiest goofy grin with his entire body wagging at you. He's recognizing you and is happy to see you which is great! But, do you really want him jumping up on you? Sure it's cute now but what happens when he's double or triple his size? What if you ever want to have visitors over ever again? Will they appreciate it?

Photo Credit: Jeffrey C.T - Summer 2012 Photo Contest

Best thing to do is if you don't want the puppy to jump up when it's older, don't let it jump up now. These things are easier to stop now than fix later! Make sure the little tike has lots of OTHER things to do and things to chew on that are ok rather than for him to go looking for trouble. If they do start gettin' into mischief make sure you make it clear that whatever it is is NOT what puppies should do, and provide alternatives. You also have to make sure that they can't find trouble when you can't watch them. Better to prevent their devil horns from growing rather than leaving them to their own devices! Also, don't be afraid to start em' young. Most puppies learn very quickly right when you bring them home.

Why wait to start basic training until puppy classes start? You can make your life easier and start them on the road to being a good dog citizen right from the get go with basic commands like "sit|, "lay down", "don't touch that", "come over here", walking on a leash without pulling, and "stay". Remember they have about 5 seconds of attention span, so only do a couple repetitions at a time, but practice a bunch of times through the day in different places around. You'll need lots of treats in your pockets almost all the time to be able to reward those good moments when they happen. Make sure they are small so the puppy doesn't get too full from snacks and spoils their dinner!

It's no easy feat to turn a squirmy fuzzy ball of cute into an ideal family member, so better off to start with good basics and not let problems get out of hand.

Grab your backpacks, your pencils and your dog bowl - it's back to school time already! This time of year has a lot of, hmmm, finances put into it, so let Ren's help you out this month with a chance to win a $100 Gift Card!

From September 4th to September 30th, submit your "school" inspired photos of your pet. Dog, cat, gerbil, hamster, snake - whatever it is, if it's your pet in a back-to-school inspired theme, then we want to see it!

Be creative! A dog at a desk? Hilarious. A cat with glasses reading a book? Gut-wrenching. We encourage you to invite your friends to LIKE us on Facebook since judging will be peer-based as with our previous Summer Photo Contest.

A contest specific album will be created and LIKES will only be counted on the photos within the contest album. Once transfered, your photo will be found in this album where everyone else can leave a like to vote for their favourite. The photo with the most likes wins!

Good luck to everyone! Check back here on or before October 5th to see the winner!

CONTEST RULES

Enter a photo for a chance to win a $100 Gift Card usable in-store or online at renspets.com
Contest runs September 4th to September 30th, 2012.
Submissions will only be accepted online.
Photos entered into the contest may or may not be used in Ren's print and/or web materials. Indicate on your submission if you do not grant permissions for Ren's to use your photo.
Upload photo to our Facebook wall or email kris@renspets.com with your entry.
Please allow 24-48 business hours to see your photo transfered into the Contest Album. Sorry, Canadian entrants only.
No retail stores will accept submissions.
Limit 1 photo per contestant, please.
Like Votes will only be counted within the Official Photo Album.
Winner will be notified via phone or e-mail on or before October 5th, 2012.
The winner will be required to answer a Skill Testing Question.