02/16/2026
🐾 | Laurie and the Power of Unstoppable Connection 🐾
Today, we want to introduce you to one of our Associates, Laurie. She was a 2024 semi-finalist for the Mars, Incorporated Make The Difference (MTD) Awards, a global recognition program that sees thousands of Associates nominated for their work across businesses, regions, and segments.
Laurie’s journey to the awards (and with animals) began at home in Quebec with her pugs, Boris and Dennis. While Boris is your classic "couch potato" pug, Dennis is a high-energy, "unstoppable" force. As Laurie puts it, they taught her a vital lesson for the veterinary world: "you never know what you will get".
In her professional world, Laurie encountered a different kind of challenge: the archaic and inefficient industry standard of General Practice veterinarians waiting on hold for extended periods to reach a specialist. While many accepted this as "just the way things are", Laurie saw an opportunity to build a better bridge.
She set out to develop a new chat platform for referrals, determined to remove the call barriers between the General Practice doctors and the specialized care their patients deserve.
When her boss suggested submitting her project for the (MTD) Awards, she realized "wow we work at a company where we're being rewarded for using our brains. Not all companies are like that", and in 2024, Laurie's project was selected and she went on to be named one of only five semi-finalists in the Veterinary division in Canada!
Coming from a background in smaller clinics, Laurie was used to working with limited resources but says "when you see a program like this, you see the benefits. It helps pets, it helps our people, and you feel connected". She was also genuinely surprised to find that at VCA Canada, you "aren't just a number or a small fish in the ocean. You are part of something bigger. These resources we now have acces to help provide higher-quality medicine, be a better employee, and connect more with your colleagues".
As Laurie says, being recognized for her creativity and problem-solving has changed her perspective on her career: "It makes you want to go to work and feel more like Dennis does — unstoppable".