The Virginia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (VSPCA) and its beloved Dot Macleod are horses of the same colour.
Aunty Dot, as she is affectionately known, is five months shy of 81 years of age. She has been part of this establishment for the past 40 years and passionately serves as a volunteer.
“I adore all animals, and it is an honour to help them. I am compassionate about the fur friends, and have always loved animals,” says Macleod.
She says she abhors animal cruelty.
“People call me a Rottweiler when it comes to hurting animals”
Dot Macleod
“People call me a Rottweiler when it comes to hurting animals,” she says.
There have definitely been many highs and lows, happy moments and many sad moments.
On the light side, one of the funniest things she recalls happening at the office was the time she got stuck in the toilet as the door was jammed.
“I had to shout at the top of my voice so they could come and get me out.”
When asked if she could adopt any animal (real or imaginary), she promptly answers a flamingo
“They are so calm and graceful. When we still lived in Allanridge, my husband and I would often sit at the park and watch the flamingoes.”
One of her quirks is her love for black Rooibos tea with two sugars, and when asked what theme song she would like to hear when she walks into the office, she answers “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban.
Macleod says her secret talent is her crocheting and knitting.
“I can sit still for hours if my hands are busy” – not that she gets much time for this pastime at work.
“I love listening to music and spending time with my two dogs.”
Her daughter, Sharon (Haddow), teasingly refers to her as a perfectionist.
“Yay! Here comes Aunty Dot and her yummy sarmies”
Dot Macleod
The VSPCA is known for its welcoming and warm environment, and its friendly office animals (dogs and cat alike). She says with a twinkle in her eye that if the office pets could talk, the cats would say: “Yay! Here comes Aunty Dot and her yummy sarmies.”
Macleod says the best advice she has ever received is to never look back in the rearview mirror.
She is dedicated to her job and is the voice and the heart of the VSPCA. She is a self-confessed work-a-holic, and says she will always find something to do.
“But if I can choose to do something that is not VSPCA, I would love a day on the beach with my feet in the sand and water.”
Thea Smit, VSPCA chairman, says she honestly does not know how they would manage without Aunty Dot.
“She has an obsession with cleaning and unpacking, and that works in favour of the SPCA,” says Smit.
