MIKE AND DOTTY COLLETT ANIMAL CARE GRANT PROGRAM
Mike and Dotty Collett, who were married for 54 happy years, shared a love of animals, big and small. Throughout their lives they had pets of all shapes and sizes.
The Mike and Dotty Collett Animal Care Grant Program supports local organizations that provide animal care in NVCF’s service area, which includes Butte, Glenn, Tehama, Colusa and Plumas counties.
Mike and Dotty Collett Animal Care Grant Program
This grant program was established to support programs and projects that provide direct services to animals related to improving animals' quality of life, such as food, shelter, medical care and so forth.
Grant applications will be accepted from Aug. 24 until Sept. 30, 2026.
Mike (Earl) Collett was born in Happy Camp in Siskiyou County and lived in Pittville until moving to Chico. Mike served in the military during World War II and was a foreman for PG&E for more than 30 years. Dotty (Dorothy) Hescock Collett was born in Chico and lived in the same house for 85 years. She worked as a school teacher at Chico Junior High and was a radioman in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Together they enjoyed camping, dune buggy trailblazing throughout Butte and Plumas Counties, water skiing and fishing. Throughout their lifetime they had pets of all shapes and sizes, including a tarantula, a 4-foot-long iguana, lizards, snakes and even a skunk. Of course, they also rescued countless dogs and cats. They were all special but a few stood out.
Quigley, a beautiful Siamese cat, was one. Mike taught Quigley how to shake hands, high five, smooch and play “which hand is it in.” Quigley and Dotty enjoyed walks every evening.
Chief, the Doberman pinscher, was another special pet. He was so smart that Dotty would give him a sack lunch that he would carry out to Mike who would be working in the orchard. Chief would answer the telephone and hold it until he could hand it to someone. Chief could pick out which canned food was his and could tell when it was dinnertime. He would also act as a waterski spotter when Mike and Dotty were on the lake. He would don a hat and sunglasses and sit in the passenger seat until the skier fell, then he would alert the boat driver with a bark.