Memorial for "Ivory" Rehs
August 14, 2005 to May 5, 2013

My "Ivory" was born August 14, 2005 to a breeder named Sheila Norgren, Howell, Michigan under East Hills Labradors.  She was AKC registered.  Her registered name is East Hill Tuck Me in at Nite, shortened to Dreams.  We changed her name to Ivory because we already had a beautiful black lab named Ebony and thought it would be awesome to have Ebony and Ivory, like the song.
The breeder had planned to show Dreams because she was absolutely beautiful.  Her thick coat and beautiful face was something to be shared with the world.  However, apparently Dreams (Ivory) did not have the right kind of disposition to make a good show dog.  So, Sheila decided to sell her.  She called me to find out if I was still interested in a yellow Labrador.  Gary and I drove out to Howell that very weekend.  I remember watching her from our kitchen window as she would stand, or pose, as she had been trained.  I was so glad she was now ours....
I remember driving over an hour to get there and it was a cold, wintry day on December 11, 2005 to introduce ourselves to her.  The first time we saw her, we fell in love.  She was feisty and as cuddly as ever.  She sat on my lap the entire drive home.
As a puppy, she had these wrinkles in her face; some people asked what kind of a dog she was because there were so many wrinkles.  My daughter said, "Remember Mom, you don't have to feed her so much to fill in those wrinkles on her face".  I had to laugh.  We just wanted to love her and give her the best life we could.  The minute she saw Ebony, our black Lab, she was elated and pounced all around.  They became very close.

She loved to watch TV, and any TV in the house.  When another animal (especially a dog) was on the screen, she would charge the TV in a growl as if she would tear this animal apart.  It was hilarious and so entertaining.  Everyone that would be over when she did this just laughed and laughed.  The night before I took her to the vet (May 3), I changed my Guiding Eyes calendar to May from April.  There was a very large black Labrador on the photo and she sat and huffed and puffed at the photo as if she could tear it apart.  She was so funny that way.  Yet, she was the most loving and tender dog you'd ever want to be near.
She loved the water hose too.  She loved for us to squirt her with the hose and she would just run all over it.  Sometimes, I'd have to put her in the house so I could water my plants.  She swam in our pool and at first her butt would hang down under water so I'd bring her butt up and she could swim very well then.  She'd rather play with the hose than swim.  We'd shoot her with a water gun and she loved it.

She'd sit on the couch in the living room and look out the front window.  Her head would be on the back of the couch.  It was so endearing and an eye delight for anyone watching her.  She would sit and stand there on the couch while we were gone and wait for us.  To this day, we look at that window as we pull into the driveway wishing she was there waiting.  She also loved our cats, Lulu and Zag.  She would lick them clean.  Lulu and Ivy would often play and Lulu misses her to this day.  Zag has since passed away, he was 13 years old.

Ivy had some "issues" but we loved her just the same.  I had never had a dog that would eat anything and everything in sight and eat so fast.  I also quit taking her for walks because she would poop constantly.  She hated to be away from our house.  She was an anxious dog but we loved her so very much.
Ivory was such a huge part of our life.  I think about her almost every minute of every day and the tears are still coming.  We miss her terribly and only hope and pray she is playing with all the other puppies and pets in heaven.  She'll never know just how much she was loved since we were not with her when she passed.  She was only 7 1/2 years old, much too soon.  I have faith that I will be with you someday.
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There's a poem by Rudyard Kipling, that says:
"I wish someone had given Jesus a dog, as loyal and loving as mine, to sleep by his manager and gaze in his eyes and adore him for being divine.  As our Lord grew to manhood his faithful dog would have followed him all through the day.  While he preached to the crowds and made the sick well and knelt in the garden to pray.  It is sad to remember that Christ went away to face death alone and apart with no tender dog following close behind to comfort its masters heart.  And when Jesus rose on that Easter morn, how happy he would have been as his dog kissed his hand and barked it's delight for the one who died for all men.  Well, the Lord has a dog now.  I just sent him mine.  The old pal so dear to me and I smile through my tears on this first day alone, knowing they're in eternity.  Day after day, the whole day through, wherever my road inclined, four feet said "Wait, I'm coming with you!".  And he trotted along behind".