Janae discovered her passion for animal welfare and high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter work when she found a job in 2005 at the major animal shelter in Rapid City, South Dakota. She worked there for the next seven years and during that time went back to school to get her AAS degree in Veterinary Technology. She also worked with a local nonprofit group doing MASH-style spay/neuter clinics on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in western South Dakota. When Janae found a technician position posted on this website, she was so impressed with the organization, she immediately applied. Several Minnesota blizzards and nine-hour car trips later, she was thrilled to join the team.
Janae grew up with a variety of small critters and cats and a dog. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, which she obtained before she started working with animals. During her time at the shelter, Janae knew quite a few cats and dogs that would come in with injuries to legs where the best option for the animal was amputation of the affected limb. It’s amazing to her how well and how fast these animals recovered. Janae has a cat named Wobbles, a short-haired buff tiger tabby, who has a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia, which causes him to “wobble” and fall over frequently. But he’s the friendliest cat ever [citation]