C:
Glendrovers Oh La La Reny
July 1998 - December 2008
'The Official Greeter'
It all started with a magazine article about a guy who had bought a beautiful home in the South of France, hired an extraordinary decorator to furnish it, and then bought a couple of dogs from a local breeder for company. I innocently bought the magazine for the beautiful picture of the guy's home on the cover, how could I have ever known that this magazine would change my life forever, literally.
At the time, I was single and living in a high-rise apartment, my own little pied-a-tier, I thought. My only responsibilities were paying my rent on time, showing up at work on time, and making sure that I never missed an evening out with my girlfriends - life was grand. I was responsible only for myself and very happy. And, my parents were happy because when I called it was just to say hi, not because I needed anything (money).
I had heard it said (again with the 80's psycho-babble mythology) that when you are the happiest in life is when you will meet your mate. Most men (at least the emotionally stable ones) will actually be attracted to a happy, confident, independent women. I get the whole dark, moody and mysterious thing could be intriguing to a guy at first, but come on ladies - dark, moody, and mysterious never ends in happily-ever-after. That's not babble, that's the truth.
So, my mate and I decided to take the next three relationship steps all at once - find a house, move in together, and get a dog. He wanted a Jack Russell Terrier, and I wanted my little piece of the magazine article - the French dog. Indicative of how well my husband and I would resolve family issues in the future - we got the French dog.
I (I mean we) named the dog after one of my best friends - R.and called her Reny. My husband jokes that it was easier to buy our house than to buy the dog, and the 'for-sale-by- breeder' contract was almost as thick as our for-sale-by-owner house contract. Reny was flown to Houston via puppy cargo. Like any adoptive parents, all I had to go on was a month old well handled photo. After a lengthy phone interview (interrogation), the breeder had sent me several photos of the litter with notes attached that she thought might be helpful to me in choosing a puppy. The notes were thoughtful but completely unnecessary because I could tell at a glance which puppy was my one-and-only true love. I called the breeder immediately - I wanted the little girl that was always crawling out of the box in every picture. I could tell from the photos that she was curious, intelligent, funny and looked as though she was up for an adventure. Little did I know that I would pick the Briard version of myself.
It was at that precise moment of contentment, that my life took a turn. The oil and gas company that I worked for was closing it's Houston office and I was being laid off. Laid off is just a more politically correct way to say - let go or fired. After 11 years of working in the oil and gas industry, I suddenly didn't know if that was what I wanted to do anymore. My sweet husband (who has only ever worked for himself) assured me that it would be O.K. and I would figure it out.
So much about Indulge happened by accident, but the part about choosing 'something-to-do' in my life that I would 'look forward to' everyday was no accident - that was created. And, the part about getting to bring my dog with me to work everyday, that was also created. Briards are French Sheep Dogs, meaning, they are a working class dog. Briards are task oriented and happiest when they are busy (but, aren't we all?). Every morning for 10 1/2 years, Reny would gobble up her breakfast and then go stand next to the door to let me know that she was ready to go 'to work.' On Sundays, the house's entire routine would change (meaning, I didn't take a shower) and for Reny that meant - it would be that boring day that we did nothing but sit around the house and do laundry.
Over the years, Indulge became associated as 'that store with that dog.' I would be out running errands and people would stop me and ask, "Aren't you that girl, with that store, with that dog!" I noticed people would bring their friends in to see the store, and remark, "My favorite thing here is the dog. Wait until you see the dog!" Mothers would bribe their children with one last errand, "I'll be quick. It's at that store with that dog you love!" Another funny thing that I noticed over the years was how many customers knew Reny's name, and then would turn to me and motion, "Miss, could you help me." Hmmm, it was obvious to all, Reny was the celebrity in the house.
Every time we hired a new girl or extra help for Christmas, the 'newbie' was told, "There are three things you need to know to work here: Her name is Reny. She is a Briard. And yes, she weighs a lot."
Reny's official job title was 'The Greeter.' And, she was one-hell-of-a-greeter. Reny slept by that front door for hours on end, forcing customers on teetering high heels to maneuver over her in their knee length pencil skirts (told you she was funny). One day Reny awoke from her slumber and bounded toward one of our customers. The other customer standing at the counter, paying for her 'pretties' exclaimed, "Oh my God, that dog has never even looked twice at me. How much do you have to spend in here to get that type of reaction!" I hoped she was joking. And speaking of teetering heels and pencil length skirts, Reny, after years of observation, somehow acquired a true sense of fashion. One summer day, a sweet lady dressed in blue bermuda shorts and a coordinating blue and white striped shirt opened the front door to Indulge. Reny jumped up and started barking at her. The casually dressed customer stood in horror, "Why is she barking at me? I've been here lots of times and she's never barked at me before?!" J., our sweet manager at the time, apologized and explained, while grabbing Reny's collar, "I'm so sorry. I don't know why she's barking at you. The only person she ever barks at is the mail lady." Damage control! The customer almost burst into tears, justifying "I knew I shouldn't have worn this outfit! The dog thinks I look postal!!! I'm going to go home and change before I go anywhere else. Wait until I tell my family, grrr."
Over the years, Reny did get to know the customers and they certainly grew to love her. And like I said, it was Reny's greatest joy and her job to come to Indulge everyday and greet the customers. At 10 1/2 years of age, Reny was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer. Completely asymptomatic the doctors said. There were no external signs of cancer and Reny actually felt fine. But, she was going to die in 30 days. We got second, and third opinions, and all the doctors and teams of specialists that we saw all concurred - 30 days. I asked the specialist how I would know when it was time? He told us to write down Reny's 10 favorite things to do (a sort of doggie bucket list) and to call him when she stopped doing 8 of them.
I never told anyone that Reny was dying. My husband and I kept it to ourselves. I didn't want anyone to treat her any differently. I wanted everyone to be happy to see her each day and for Reny to think that today was going to be the best dog-day ever. We arranged for Reny to go home early from the store everyday under the guise that the store was too busy over the Christmas Holidays for her to be there all day.
And just as the doctors and all the specialists had predicted, Reny died on the 30th day. She had worked a half a day at the store, and died peacefully at home later that evening. As full of sorrow and despair as I was over my beloved friend dying, I also realized the gift of being told that I had those thirty days to share with Reny. Like a child's Christmas advent calendar, I got to surprise Reny everyday for 30 days with how much I loved her. How many times in life will you ever be given the opportunity to tell someone how much you love them for 30 days in a row?! Losing someone you love makes you realize how important it is to show the ones you love (2 legged or 4 legged) how much you love them, each and every day.
When my brother, who has a wife, two children, and a Briard, passed along his condolences at Reny's death, he naively commented that perhaps I was a little too attached to the dog. What my brother didn't realize was that unless I went out for dinner that night or was on a trip, I spent each and every moment of my life for 10 1/2 years with Reny, and we still loved each other. I would imagine that regardless how much my husband and I love each other, we would not survive such an intense time-spent relationship. Somehow, Reny and I never tired of each other's company. She was perhaps my better half - always sweet, patient, thoughtful, funny, happy to greet, and, as predicted, always up for an adventure.
I used to spend a certain amount of money each month on Reny's grooming and pet insurance. When she passed away, I contacted the local SPCA to set up a monthly donation in Reny's name. I wish that I could do more to help all the shelter dogs find loving homes, but, at this time, a financial donation is all I can manage. The SPCA is filled to the brink with pets that need loving homes. Perhaps, it's not the right time for you to adopt, but surely you could manage a small donation made in a loved one's (2 legged or 4 legged) name. And, wouldn't that feel like a small gift to yourself that you did something really special for someone (like a dog or cat). The donation could be your special secret that you keep to yourself (anonymous), or you could tell some friends, and all go in together and make a donation. Every dollar counts, so a group of dollars would count even more!
In Memory of Reny: The worst day I ever had was always made better by an understanding nod from her. Briard translation - Get over it and let's go play tennis ball!!! But, before we go, fix my hair clippie, a girl's gotta look good :}
P.S. The best thing about computers is that you can't see the tears on the pages.
P.S.S. Please don't say anything to me in the store about Reny dying because I will simply burst into tears. PLEASE, just make a donation to a pet charity of your choice in the name of your loved one (2 legged or 4 legged) who is either alive or just a fond childhood memory.
And, P.S.S. - As you can imagine while I am writing this blog, tears are streaming down my face with sweet memories of my beloved dog and best friend, Reny. When unexpectedly my cat appears, meowing. I look down at her in disbelief, thinking - Is this kitty compassion? Does she truly understand my grief? I didn't think her dark, moody, and mysterious ways lent themselves to show compassion. She continued to mew and gestured toward me to follow her . . . . straight to her empty food bowl, with her tushi up in the air waiting, meowing to be fed, and for her tushi to be scratched. My cat's true love, obviously is not necessarily me per say, but her tushi being scratched while snacking out of an over filled bowl of dried kitty food. Grrr.
Animal friendly organizations in Houston that would need financial contributions:
HSPCA (Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is
Houston's oldest and largest Animal Protection Organization and shelter. This non-profit charity, funded primarily by donations, reaches out to more than 100,000 animals
annually and is fully committed to their mission "to promote commitment to
and respect for all animals and to free them from suffering, abuse and
exploitation". In addition to providing shelter and care to animals, the HSPCA also has an adoption program, an animal clinic, 24-hour animal rescue, and pet loss support groups- to name a few. To get involved, call 713-869-SPCA (7722) or visit their website at www.houstonspca.org today!
AniMeals on Wheels is a Houston program which delivers food for pets of seniors who receive Meals on Wheels. The program began because seniors receiving Meals on Wheels were sharing their limited resources and, in some cases, their much needed home-delivered meal with their pet. AniMeals on Wheels survives on donations and is delivered entirely by volunteers (including my friend Angeline who delivers every month.) Please, help feed these companions by donating, both dog and cat (wet or dry) pet food. For questions about the program, donation, or volunteer information please contact Denise Atkerson at 713-533-4922 or visit their website at www.imgh.org.
CAP (Citizens for Animal Protection) is a Houston-based non-profit organization that has been dedicated to the service and protection of local animals for almost forty years. CAP
" provides shelter, adoption, foster care, rescue and other valuable services to animals in need in the Houston area. CAP also provides humane education and community outreach programs to encourage love and respect for all animals". To learn more about CAP, or to get involved, call 281-497-0591 or visit their website at www.cap4pets.org.
Heard the expression "herding cats"? Let me tell you, it's no easier to herd herding dogs!
Five Herding Dogs, Two Inept Handlers
Fifteen minutes, and several phrases that we cannot print, later...
I'd like to introduce Reny's Houston Family:Collette (niece), Raphael (son), Olivier (betrothed), Ricochet (naughty daughter), and Spotswood a.k.a. Spotsy (daughter).
