People

This woman has two three-legged dogs

By Kurtis Kolt /

The BC SPCA is set to adopt its one-millionth animal this month. To commemorate the event, we’re profiling some of the adopters and adoptees.

Randene Neill may be best-known for three things: she’s the anchor of Global TV’s weekend news, the star of a much-viewed animal segment gone-wrong on YouTube, and the doggy mom of two three-legged dogs.“Everyone knows them at the park,” says Neill. Eileen, the Great Pyrennese cross came first. She’s named after the BC SPCA’s Senior Animal Protection Officer, Eileen Drever, a regular on Global TV. “I named her Eileen after who we got her from but also because she has three legs so she leans. She came on adopt-a-pet when I was still doing the noon show and she had just been hit by a car.”The dog needed fostering, but Neill and her husband quickly fell in love and that was that. “She’s an amazing dog, and she loves every creature on the planet. She loves cows, she loves squirrels, she loves cats.” Three years later Drever approached Neill again, this time with a puppy that would likely require an amputation and was also in need of fostering (something Neill calls basically “impossible” to do). Sure enough, Homer, the bulldog cross, was there to stay.Neill says her pups seem oblivious that they’re each one leg short. Homer even joins Neill on her weekly 10 km runs, keeping pace. “They have zero clue. We do get extra attention always and the dogs even milk it. They get away with a lot of stuff. But they come first in our house. Our days are centered around those two.”Eileen and Homer are not the first rescue animals Neill has adopted. Billy, her first dog, also came from the BC SPCA, as did Fred, a tough older cat from Chilliwack. The two fought, well, like cats and dogs, so Fred had to be rehomed with her grandmother’s friend, who still has him today.“When you rescue animals, mixed breeds and mutts, when you rescue them, they live longer, they’re healthier, they have fewer problems,” says Neill. “And they know what it’s like to get a second chance.”If you’re #oneinamillion who have adopted an animal from the BC SPCA over the past 60 years, you’re invited to post a photo to their Facebook page.

Neill’s first dog Billy was a rescue from the BC SPCA.

Neill with her current dogs: Eileen, the Great Pyrennese cross, and Homer, the bulldog cross.