Volunteer of the Month

February Volunteer of the Month:

Kathy Lachel

 Kathy Lachel and her dogs Tyya and Autumn

 

 

Learn how this Packer’s fan with a passion for travel has found her way to health and healing through her caring connection with canines. Thank you, Kathy, for your hard work, dedication and perpetual, upbeat attitude! You are a wonderful example for all of us. Congratulations on being selected as the February 2012 Volunteer of the Month! Hong long have you volunteered for Foothills Animal Shelter? I have enjoyed volunteering at the Shelter for just over a year. What volunteer positions / duties do you do at Shelter? I assist in health care doing surgery support. My time flies by cleaning and preparing surgical instruments and doing anything else that requires sterilizing for spays, neuters, dental and eye surgery. I also help by doing laundry, cleaning the surgery suite kennels and training other health care volunteers. What do you like most about volunteering at the Shelter? I didn’t think I would ever be happy working in health care of any kind, but it must be in my blood (my mom was an RN and her career spanned 50 years at the same hospital). I especially like working with Dr. Hill and the health care staff because of the teamwork.  Everyone pitches in, no matter what needs to be done.  Are you from Colorado —if not where?  I have lived in Colorado since 1977, coming from Green Bay, Wisconsin.  I grew up just down the street from Packer Stadium and, yes, I’m still a Packer Backer and Bronco fan.  My mother, sister and brother still live in Green Bay and I have a home there as well, which is also not far from the stadium.  What did you do/ do you do for a job/career?  After moving to Denver I decided to get a job in the travel business. (This way I didn’t have to drive between Denver and Green Bay and I could see the world).  I started at Frontier Airlines as a reservations agent. From there, I worked at a travel agency for 12 years before my husband persuaded me to retire and travel the world with him, not only for his business but to fly fish too!  Do you have a family and or pets? Tell us about them.  I don’t travel much these days because, unfortunately, my husband passed away 6 years ago. Shortly thereafter I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  At that time, my sister came to live with me, blending her two dogs with my four dogs.  We’ve had 5 of those pass away, but with adoptions, we still have a total of six pets ranging from 10 to 110 pounds and 3 to 14 years in age.  We currently have two labs, Cody (black) and Autumn (red fox), two Deutsch Drathaars (German Wirehairs), Tyya and Etta, a Poodle/Lhapso mix, Gypsy, and a Maltese/Pekinese mix, Stormy.  With six dogs, my sister and I, my two grown sons, daughter- in-law and three grandchildren always coming and going, there is rarely a dull moment at my house! Anything else you would like to share or have people know about you? I am closing in on my five-year anniversary of being cancer-free. I am so grateful to my family, friends and pets that got me through the tough times. In fact, the time I spend volunteering at the Shelter is my small gift to honor my canines.  So thank you, Foothills Animal Shelter, for giving me the opportunity to be of service.