Meet our September Volunteer of the Month, Jan Arnold! Jan has been a volunteer with the Kentucky Humane Society’s S.N.I.P. Clinic for over ten years. Each week, she dedicates her time and energy to animals in the community as they undergo their spay/neuter surgeries. 

Jan is retired from the Frito-Lay food company. Her work with animals started with Alley Cat Advocates, helping the organization trap feral cats in the community and work to get them fixed. In 2010, she began helping at our S.N.I.P. Clinic’s smaller spay/neuter programs called “Neuter-Thons” and “Beat the Heat.” She believed in the message of spay/neuter and began dedicating her time to the clinic as a volunteer.

While volunteering, Jan does a variety of duties. Her priority is helping animals on the “beach,” which is a recovery area for animals post spay/neuter. She ensures that the animals are waking up properly from anesthesia by watching their breathing patterns, administering medicine to the animals, and removing their medial tubes. Aside from working on the “beach,” Jan also assists with laundry, opening syringes and anything else the staff needs.

Her advice to new volunteers is to “just go for it, but start a little at a time. Two to three hours is the perfect amount of time to get started at S.N.I.P.” She advises that there are a variety of tasks that do not involve animal handling. “People can help with opening syringes and laundry, all while we teach you the basics of monitoring the beach,” Jan says.

When not volunteering, Jan can be found at home caring for 18 feral cats around her property. “Yes, they do all have names,” Jan tells us. Living in her home are four dogs, two Chihuahua mixes, a Miniature Poodle and Shih Tzu. Jan also lives on ten acres, where she enjoys yardwork and keeping up with her property.

Thank you to Raising Cane’s for their sponsorship of the volunteer program!