A WOMAN from Week St Mary is embarking on a charity walk, in aid of raising funds and awareness for the Blu Foundation, a charity for dogs living with canine epilepsy.

On Sunday, November 6, Angela O’Connor from Week St Mary, will be completing a walk, which she has organised and taken part in for three years in a row, to raise money and promote canine epilepsy, a condition that her dog, Breeze, suffers from.

November is epilepsy awareness month, and the Blu Foundation is now working towards making this an annual charity event.

The Blu Foundation is a UK based charity and support group, which was started by Victoria McGukin from Suffolk. The group’s aim is to offer support, through the use of social media, to owners of dogs living with canine epilepsy, as well as raising funds and attending events to raise awareness.

Angela’s dog, Breeze, is an Alaskan Malamute, who will be seven-years-old in February. Breeze had her first seizure just after her second birthday, and was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy soon after, meaning there is no known cause, but could possibly be inherited.

Breeze will be on medication for the rest of her life and, although this helps, she still has seizures, having recently had to stay at the veterinary practice for several days in August due to instability.

Angela said: “I’m very thankful to Penbode Veterinary Clinic that she is still with me today. It is a very distressing illness to live with, and very heartbreaking to watch her suffer these episodes. It is amazing how many people I talk to while on my walks around Bude, who also have or know of dogs that suffer with this.”

Angela’s event will be a beach walk at Widemouth Bay. The group will meet in the car park at 2.30pm on November 6, asking walkers to donate £1 to take part, enjoying a long stroll on the beach.