Our Someone 2 Know began helping homeless cats and dogs more than a decade ago, now Jill Vacchina Dobbs devotes her life to saving theirs.
"Laughter is one of the many perks we get from our pets," says Dobbs. The executive director of the SPCA of Northern Nevada is determined to clarify the many misconceptions about animals in shelters.
"25% of shelter animals are purebreds, so we're always trying to get that education out into the community,” explains Dobbs
Jill herself experienced something 14 years ago that changed the way she thinks about pets; "And I went to go pick up this dog who's actually a gift from my dad and was horrified by the backyard breeding conditions that I witnessed.”
Then, Jill’s family vet told her millions of adoptable cats and dogs are euthanized every year in the U.S., and her shock grew into a passion to make a change.
"I'm a lawyer by training, and so, I decided to leave private practice and run a non-profit.”
For the last two years, Dobbs has been the executive director of the SPCA of Northern Nevada --- and loves that she can bring her pup Gracie to work every day; "I take pet ownership very seriously. I like to foster, so I'm often a revolving door, especially babies coming in and out."
And the furry attention has helped Jill deal with something very unexpected.
"I was diagnosed a few months ago with stage 3 breast cancer," Jill tells us.
Dobbs is still working while undergoing treatment and says her pets are her saving grace; "They're there on the bad days. Their fur sops up the tears better than any tissue I've found."
Jill admits it has been overwhelming but says she's learned to appreciate quiet time with her young son.
"And it's been a good lesson for me to pull back and scale down to the necessities.”
Jill also has big plans for the SPCA of Northern Nevada...on top of the list; providing low-cost services to more people and pets.
For more info on SPCA of Northern Nevada, click https://spcanevada.org/
