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59 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,N ovem ber 22,2018 insidehalton.com 1200 Speers Rd., Unit 12, Oakville, Ont. L6L 2X4 (905) 845 - 1408 | Fax (905) 845 - 5931 | ricky@rickywong.ca Ricky Wong CPA, CA, MBA, B. Eng Ricky WongRicky W DIAMONDDIDIDIDIDIAMAMAMAMAMONONDIAMONDONDIAMONDONONONONONDDD DIAMONDDIDIDIDIDIAMAMAMAMAMONONONONONONONDDD Voted BestAccountant by Oakville Beaver Readers for 11 ConsecutiveYears For more information please check our website www.rickywong.ca •Accounting •Auditing • Taxation DISABILITY BENEFITS DENIED/TERMINATED? WE PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO RECEIVE DISABILITY BENEFITS CONTACT US FOR A FREE CASE EVALUATION 905.337.9568 4-1464 CORNWALL RD., OAKVILLE There will be some extra happy faces when the months of June andfaces when the months of June andf August arrive on the Pet Valu 2019 calendar. That's because Greg and Julie Davis of Oakville, and Diane Rooke- Harris of Burlington have their pets featured in those months.featured in those months.f Each year, Pet Valu runs a calen- dar contest, bringing in some 50,000 entries from pet owners across Can- ada. The calendars are available at each Pet Valu location; a voluntary donation is all it takes to get one, and all money raised goes to support Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides based in Oakville. The full-colour calendar fea- tures 15 adorable Canadian pets, in- cluding dogs, cats, a ferret, chame- leon and even a pot-bellied pig. The Davis family has both their pets featured: Otis Beans Redding, their beloved shih-poo and GeeCee, their feline friend - a tabby mix - and they couldn't be happier. "We didn't expect to be doing any of this stuff," laughed Greg, who said the dog is three-and-a-half years old.years old.y They had two bichons prior and lost both within a year. They went to look at some puppies and unbe- knownst to her husband and son, Casson Speziale, she'd already put some money down on a new puppy. "Honest to God, he's one of the cutest things I'd seen," Greg said. The couple decided their son should name the dog, which in Julie's words was a bit worrisome, since hewords was a bit worrisome, since hew was into rap music at the time, andwas into rap music at the time, andw he was 15. She wasn't sure what he would come up with, but they endedwould come up with, but they endedw up being pleasantly surprised.up being pleasantly surprised.u "We sat down with him and he said he wanted to name him Otis, af- ter Otis Redding," she said, adding they thought the name was perfect, especially because they were sitting on the dock of the bay, at an Orillia cottage that they rent each summer. So, the name stuck - officially Otis Beans Redding, complete with his own Instagram account @otis- beansredding. Their cat has a story of its own. GeeCee, short for Good Cat, found them. Both Julie and Greg are aller- gic to cats, but one day, the cat justgic to cats, but one day, the cat justg showed up in their backyard. "I ignored her, then she came back the next day. I talked to her and gave her this one particular whistle, and she came trotting over out of the trees," Julie said. Eventually, a storm made the cat seek shelter under their gazebo. Later, Greg thought he'd open their patio door and see if she would come inside; she did, and the rest is histo- ry. After ensuring she wasn't some- one else's pet through the Oakville and Milton Humane Society, Gee- Cee became their pet. Now she's an indoor cat and a huge cuddler who likes to chat away at her humans.at her humans.a As such, she also has her own In- stagram account: @cathasadog. Meanwhile, Rooke-Harris shares her south Burlington home with three cats and her two-year-old pet ambilobe panther chameleon Maro Loco. Maro Loco is featured for the month of August.for the month of August.f She named him after his roots in Madagascar, a place she had the privilege to visit in 2005. When a friend of hers who was aWhen a friend of hers who was aW breeder asked if she would like to own the chameleon, she jumped at the chance. Rooke-Harris said Maro Loco is friendly and enjoys drinking his water out of a syringe. She feeds him crickets dusted with minerals and vitamin D, every second day; sometimes he gets mealworms. Def- initely photogenic, Maro Loco has had his picture taken many times by Rooke-Harris who said he'sby Rooke-Harris who said he'sb "great for posing." He has the company of three cats as well, who "aren't that interested in him," but he's fascinated by them. Alison Preiss, marketing man- ager, social media and campaigns at Pet Valu, said judges had a very tough job. "There's something about people wanting their pets in the calendarwanting their pets in the calendarw and we love that. It's definitely the contest that our customers ask for each year. "It's tough, (judging) but it's fun," said Preiss. "It's mind-blowing how cute these pets are from across the country." She said each store receives about 500 copies of the calendar, andabout 500 copies of the calendar, anda it makes it Pet Valu's biggest fund-it makes it Pet Valu's biggest fund-i raiser for Dog Guides. "Dog Guides is such a fantastic cause, we get to see the difference that they are making in people's lives," she added. Calendars are available now at all Pet Valu locations. LOCAL PET OWNERS AMONG THOSE CHOSEN FOR PET VALU CALENDAR Top, GeeCee and Otis the dog, owned by Greg and Julie Davis of Oakville as well as Maro Loco, bottom, a two-year-old pet Ambilobe Panther Chameleon living in Burlington, owned by Diane Rooke-Harris were featured in the Pet Valu 2019 calendar. They were selected from 50,000 entries across the country. Greg Davis/photo JULIE SLACK jslack@metroland.com NEWS Diane Rooke-Harris/photo