Janet Olson

Animal Advocate

Profile

Janet Olson ’92
UW major: Zoology
Career: Veterinarian and veterinary medicine cardiology resident
Avocation: President and Founder of BART

Janet Olson '92 turned a tragic event into an opportunity for saving lives and building stronger communities.

She founded a nonprofit organization, Basic Animal Rescue Training (BART), in memory of a dog that perished in a house fire in Minnesota. The burning home and dog named Bart belonged to a local firefighter. Firefighters, including Olson's husband, put out the fire and located Bart, but they did not have the skills or equipment to help him and he died. The fire department was devastated and felt helpless to assist their friend and fellow firefighter.

Developed to address this gap in emergency preparedness, BART trains and equips emergency medical services first responders so other families will not suffer a similar loss. In three years, BART has prepared more than 1,700 first responders, including the entire Minneapolis Fire Department. Olson has recruited and trained more than 100 volunteers to teach BART classes in restraint and handling, first aid and CPR for companion animals and has raised funds to provide the training and medical kits free of charge. With a grant from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, there are plans to start BART chapters in five additional states with interest coming from dozens more.

Olson's love of animals had early beginnings. She brought home a toad at age 4, the first of many animals to nurture. “At that age, I probably ended up doing more harm than good, but my intentions were pure,” she recalls. A UW-Eau Claire summer camp introduced her to veterinary medicine. Armed with a strong science background from UW-Madison, Olson earned her DVM from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, where she is currently a cardiology resident. 

A second-generation Badger, Olson is proud of her UW degree and would be honored if her two daughters continue the family tradition. “My years in Madison helped me become an independent thinker and believe in myself,” she says — qualities she's using today to improve the lives of animals and their people.

Janet's Essay

I feel honored to have been nominated for the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Forward Under Forty award.  I am very lucky to be surrounded by family and friends that believe in me as they have provided me with the balance, support and confidence to walk out on many a limb and reach for my goals. 

As a four-year-old girl, I longed to help animals, often bringing in injured, and sometimes not so injured, wild animals to nurture. Perhaps at that age, however, I ended up doing more harm than good, but my intentions were pure. The Wisconsin University System helped validate and cultivate my dream of becoming a veterinarian and accelerated my potential as I attended a weeklong summer camp on veterinary medicine at UW-Eau Claire in 1983, when I was 13 years old. I was so excited to be given the opportunity to learn about veterinary medicine at such a young age. I began to understand the true impact and mission of being a veterinarian and my interest in science and biology never wavered from that point on.

This University of Wisconsin experience motivated me to drive even harder toward my goal of becoming a veterinarian.   When applying for college, my choice was easy.  My mother was a UW-Madison graduate and the Wisconsin University System had already made a great impact on my life by believing in the power of children through offering advanced professional introductory courses for young adults.

Reflecting back on my college experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1988–1992) brings back many fond memories.  Living on campus in such a beautiful, diverse and rich social and learning environment helped me grow and become the person I am today.  My years in Madison helped me become an independent thinker and to believe in myself.  My education provided me with a broad science and liberal arts background and helped teach me how to learn, preparing me well for veterinary school. 

I am proud to be a University of Wisconsin alumna and will be very honored if my children choose to continue the family tradition of attending such an outstanding university system. 

I appreciate your recognition of my role in the BART program. I am proud to be a part of something much larger than myself.  The true passion and joy which drives me to continue with this mission is the simple knowledge that through BART I have found a way to give back to the community and the first responders that risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe. I share my knowledge for the benefit of others. I share my knowledge to help save lives. 

I would like to thank the University of Wisconsin-Madison for accepting me into their program in 1988 and for having such a tremendous impact on my life.