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BC SPCA: The imprint pets leave on your heart

This year’s BC SPCA gala held in Kelowna will focus on paw prints left on our hearts

Almost 14-year-ago Jennette Vopicka’s life changed forever while on a farm in Claresholm, Alberta.

It was there that Vopicka and her husband met two Border Collies who would become their first children and the start of their family.

“We’ve grown with them, we have grown up and made a family with them and they are part of it,” said the lawyer at Touchstone Law Group. “They are a part of our hearts and our lives.”

While one of Vopicka’s dogs has passed on, a calm and doting Abby remains at home.

Having Abby beside Vopicka these past years has made an imprint on her heart that only a pet could.

She knows Abby loves ice cream more than dog treats, is a fetching machine and will race after any ball despite her age and prefers to sleep next to mom in bed at night than on her dog mat.

The bond built between this Kelowna resident and her pet isn’t unusual and it’s the focus of this year’s BC SPCA gala - paw prints on our heart.

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The BC SPCA will be hosting its annual gala on Nov. 3 in Kelowna and will bring animal lovers together to celebrate the memories and devotion, pets bring to our lives. The gala also is an opporutnity to hear from those who work at the local shelters and understand the impact they have on the community.

Lise Dallien MacMillan is a regular gala attendee, as well as a sponsor through her and her husband Sean’s business Orthoquest Pedorthics and Rehabilitation, because of the imprint her dog Millie leaves on her heart.

“I met Millie when a family in Langley was moving away to Australia and could not take her. So, I met Millie at their house and fell in love with her instantly and she jumped in the car and came home,” said Dallien MacMillan.

She describes her mastiff as a sweet old soul who can make anyone fall in love with her the moment they meet her.

“She has a great disposition, she brings us such joy and allows us to relax and calm down and she provides peace,” explained the Kinesiologist.

Dallien MacMillan knows her dog like her best friend, she knows Millie loves anything soft to play with and that sleeping on the bed, though she isn’t supposed to, is where you’ll find her come nighttime.

RELATED: 111 cats surrendered by one person to BC SPCA

Let us know how your pet imprints your life, drop us a line and send us photos of your best friend by clicking the Contact button at the top of the Home page.

Interested in attending the 2018 BC SPCA gala in Kelowna, click here.


@Jen_zee
jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca

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Jen Zielinski

About the Author: Jen Zielinski

Graduated from the broadcast journalism program at BCIT. Also holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology from Thompson Rivers University.
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