So sad to see Dennis's life cut short. Back in 2001 on my second trip to Moundhouse, I had the pleasure of being invited to lunch by Dennis. Mdm. Suzette, Air Force Amy, Donice (former bunny), several other bunnies, myself, Dennis and one of Dennis's friends went to a nice restaurant in/near Reno. I had met AFA once before, but had not met Dennis or Mdm. Suzette until that visit. I had been in many brothels here in Oregon in the 70's and early 80's and not once did I meet anyone other than the ladies, but clearly there were reasons for that. Dennis did not come across like a pimp. He said it was his job to promote the Bunnyranch and it was the ladies jobs to sell their services. He spoke a lot about growing up and learning to respect women and oft mentioned his (domineering) mother. Having been raised in a Jewish family, I was quite familiar with strong females and related to his stories well. He seemed almost overly polite for a guy well on his way to multi millionaire status (at the time The Moonlite Bunnyranch was his only brothel), he owned no restaurants to my knowledge (certainly not NV50) and his only other ventures in Nevada were side businesses to support the Bunnyranch. He clearly loved his job and enjoyed being a promoter in chief. He spoke about how important it was to liberate the LPINs from the draconian work conditions (lockdown) that existed throughout the industry and proud that these better conditions were working well for him at the Bunnyranch and he hoped that might spread throughout the other brothel owners. The very first film shoot for the initial Cathouse documentary was on the drawing boards, and he was excited about it but shared few details at that time. He offered up several times that as a former customer of the trade, he felt as an owner he knew both sides of the transaction quite well. He spoke about the difficulty of a clientele that was super diverse ranging from high roller politicians, media stars and athletes to blue collar hard working guys, public service workers and vacationers seeking a good time that was safe. This was before the Bunnyranch makeover but even back then there was a high profiler entrance in the back somewhere. Dennis knew the value of customer service very well, too. Mdm. Suzette gave me a BR embroidered logo terry cloth robe with my handle on it* and I gave her a myrtle wood letter opener. Dennis gave me a BR hat and Amy gave me a BR T shirt. The next morning, Amy took me to the ranch kitchen area (don't know if it still exists in the same place) and we made something to eat. Well stocked for the ladies and guests, no doubt. I felt like I was in an episode of Bonanza at The Ponderosa. Where was Hop Sing? I made a few more trips to the ranch a few years later. By then Dennis had bought Miss Kitty's (now the Love Ranch North) and Cathouse was well on its way to main stream success. Dennis, Amy, a few other ladies and myself went over to Miss Kitty's for a big parlor shindig. I didn't get the same kind of opportunity to talk at length with Dennis, but he was busy trying to take care of a lot of questions from the staff and customer's there. Clearly he was well on his way to expanding his empire. You all pretty much know how that worked out. Dennis was clearly a one of a kind guy. LPIN will survive but there will never be another brothel owner like Dennis Hof. R.I.P. Andy aka Oregon_guy *My s.o. told me to get rid of it (when she discovered it) so I said sure and later stuffed it into a cardboard box and stashed it in the basement.
Thank you Oregon_guy for taking the time to write such kind words. Everyone really appreciates your kind and fond memories. Thank you!
