THE NEW BARKER 41 www.TheNewBarker.com In a remote area of eastern Hillsborough County, near the phosphate mines, a big crane operator noticed a stray dog limping around the property.When he approached, the dog ran away. A few days later, he saw the dog laying near the edge of a body of water known to have alligators.Her eyes were closed and her left front leg was partially gone with about eight inches of bone sticking out from the wound. Her jaw appeared broken. Hillsborough CountyAnimal Services (HCAS) was called and the officer who arrived on the scene thought the dog was dead.“Poor girl,”Officer Roger Parker said out loud.Upon hearing his voice, the German Shepherd mix opened her eyes, lifted herself up and limped over to him. She was transported to HCAS, but with no resources to operate on a stray dog in her condition, it was determined that humane euthanasia would be the best solution. A volunteer saw something special in the dog and telephoned a friend for help. At his friend’s request, Bob Reina visited with the dog, who had since been named Bindi by shelter staff, after the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.“In spite of a broken jaw, Bindi was licking my face,” said Reina, recalling his first meeting with her. He offered to cover the cost of her surgery, and recovery, including heartworm treatment.Reina became a regular visitor during Bindi’s recovery and noticed the other dogs at the shelter, sprawled on concrete slabs in their kennels. That inspired the former Hillsborough County Sheriff Deputy to purchase and donate 400 beds to HCAS. That was all a little more than 10 years ago. Bindi became part of Bob’s family of a dozen other adopted dogs and cats.There were the three Basset Hounds, Presley, Blue Bell and Stormy; Sport and Shadow were Lab mixes,and five cats:Scrappy,Mystery, Chance, Madison and Lucky. Bindi and Shadow instantly bonded.“It was as if they were two long lost soul mates, finally reunited,” recalls Bob.The two remained inseparable until Shadow's death from brain cancer two years ago. Bindi continues to go to work with Bob at Talk Fusion, a technology company with headquarters in Brandon,Florida.“She recognizes all of the delivery people and the mailman, and alerts us when they’re outside,” said Bob. “Everyone brings her treats. Even the replacement delivery drivers know to bring her treats,” laughed Bob. Alongside Bindi, Bob and his wife Kristie and their young son Tyler share their home with Mini, a Miniature Pincher with one eye and Panzer, a German Shepherd Dog.“Mini is the boss over Panzer,” said Bob. “To see the bond between Tyler and Panzer is pretty incredible.” Where some men might crave for accoutrements of a man cave, Bob finds solace in a space within his home he calls the Pet Quiet Room. It’s a room devoted to all of Bob’s dogs and cats who have passed.Tastefully decorated with a couch upholstered in dog-themed fabric, dog-themed throw pillows, dog art on the walls and books about dogs on the bookshelves, it’s actually a warm, happy room. What makes the room special are the individual framed portraits of every single cat and dog Bob has ever lived with. Each photo has a simple dedication and an imprint of the pet’s paw.“When I sit in this room, it helps calm and ground me,” said Bob. His success as the founder and CEO of Talk Fusion has enabled Bob to fulfill one of his ambitions of helping animals in desperate circumstances. The company’s most notable product, now used in more than 140 countries around the world, is video marketing for email.Launched in 2004,it was the world’s first all- in-one video marketing platform. Animal welfare is a cause that has always been close to Bob’s heart. “When it comes to the well-being of animals, Bob’s generosity seems to have no bounds,” said colleague and friend, Darryl Shaw, CEO of BluePearl Veterinary Partners. “On many occasions, Bob would overhear another family express their inability to afford lifesaving care for their pet. Bob would silently take care of the bill himself,” said Shaw. During the time he sat on the board of directors of the Humane Society ofTampa Bay, Bob donated $1 million dollars to fund the shelter’s veterinary services facility. Dedicated to two of Bob’s late,beloved dogs Thunder and Shadow,the goal of theTalk Fusion Animal Health Clinic was to provide low-cost full service animal health care to those in the community who could not otherwise afford it.The name of the facility has since changed, as has the original goal. Reina is also a supporter of the SPCA Florida in Lakeland, where he has donated money to pay for new vans and to build a new Feral Cat Patio. He has provided funds to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department to purchase dogs for their K9 unit, and continues to be a supporter of Hillsborough County Animal Services. “There are a lot of great causes around the world to support. I happen to have an affinity for pets,”said Bob.Inspiring others to reach their full potential in the hopes that they will want to give back is part of theTalk Fusion corporate culture as well.Through the company and its Independent Associates, Talk Fusion has helped causes big and small all over the world. “Poverty is not a birthright,” Bob told us.“Each person, given the right vehicle,has the opportunity to better themselves.We hope through their success they give back to society.” While Talk Fusion has succeeded in bringing the world together by forever changing the way people communicate, Bob would like to see better communications between what shel- ters are doing and the public. Summing up a solution to the pet overpopulation problem we have in Florida, Bob said, “I think that if there were better marketing and more awareness put into place {at shelters and schools}, we could better educate people. Through education comes revolution.” Summing up his love for dogs, Bob said,“There are a lot of lessons people can take away from dogs.They give us – one hun- dred percent – unconditional love.They don’t judge us, they don’t care how much money we have.They just want our love.” Bindi and Bob Reina. U