Meet the Staff | SOS of Ohio, Low Cost Spay and Neuter Services, Greater Columbus Area

Veterinarians

Dr. Melanie deHaan, DVM

Dr. deHaan is the founder and Medical Director of SOS of Ohio. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2006. Dr. deHaan was the founder and president of the The Ohio State University’s Shelter Medicine Club, a co-chair of the Community Service Committee, and received the American Veterinary Medical Association’s award for Outstanding Senior Service her graduating year. Dr. deHaan is a member of the OVMA, AVMA, and Association of Shelter Veterinarians. She does relief work for private practices across the city, but her special interest is Shelter Medicine with a focus on high-volume spay and neuter surgery.

Dr. Taylor Yurick, DVM

Dr. Yurick is a graduate from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary medicine who has a strong passion for animal welfare and behavior. Dr Yurick is a Fear Free Certified veterinarian specializing in low stress handling techniques. She has spoken at well renowned conferences on numerous behavioral topics and has been awarded recognition by her alma mater for Excellence in Behavior.
Dr. Yurick spends her free time volunteering for multiple local animal welfare organizations and enjoys tending to her own four legged family including 3 dogs and 2 cats (all rescues of course). When asked why she chose SOS of Ohio as her place of employment she said, “Helping those who need help most is the reason I became a veterinarian.”

Dr. Jessica Shelby, DVM

Dr. Shelby joined SOS in April 2018. She has 10 years previous experience working in shelters and spay neuter clinics in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas. Dr. Shelby earned a doctorate of veterinary medicine from The Ohio State University in 2008 and a Master of Public Health also from The Ohio State University in 2017, after which she completed a Public Health residency. She has a passion for surgery and the preservation of the human-animal bond.

Dr. Shelby enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids and is a huge lover of pugs. In her free time she enjoys camping and gardening.

Staff

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Tyler Miller, Director of Operations

Tyler is originally from New Jersey where she volunteered and interned at a variety of non-profit animal organizations. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2009 and joined the SOS team in 2012. Tyler has worked a variety of positions at SOS and is currently the Director of Operations. She is a sucker for calico cats and has one of her own named Peaches. During her free time, Tyler enjoys spending time with her friends, going to concerts, and skateboarding.

Lauren Cleary, Vet Assistant

Lauren originates from New Jersey, but moved to Ohio in 2009. Lauren worked for a private practice in Mount Vernon for over 4 years. Having been active in the local rescue community since 2012, Lauren is passionate about reducing the homeless pet population, making her a great fit for SOS; she joined our team in 2017. While Lauren spends the majority of her free time helping animals in need, she also loves spending time with her boyfriend and listening to music.

Aly Seele, SNYP-IT Coordinator

Aly came to us two years ago and has grown from receptionist to our full time SNYP-IT Coordinator. She is another one of our great Fear Free Certified shelter staff members and is passionate in her support of our shelter diversion programs. She currently resides in north Columbus with her fiance, 2 dogs, 3 cats and an adopted rat!

Hannah Fritts-Davis, Vet Assistant

Hannah moved to Columbus from North Carolina in 2019 and has been working at SOS of Ohio since! She is applying to The Ohio State University’s veterinary school and her husband is currently studying Optometry there. Hannah is interested in practicing mobile veterinary medicine in her future as a way to provide high quality care to animals and their owners who may not otherwise be able to access care at a traditional clinic.

Wendy Weagle, Vet Assistant

Wendy Weagle joined our team in 2017, after having previously worked at several private practices. Her favorite part of working for SOS of Ohio is getting to help the underserved feral cat population. During her free time, Wendy participates in competitive trail roller skating. Wendy resides in Columbus with her wife, three miniature yappy dogs, and four misfit cats.

Taylor Dawes, Vet Assistant

Taylor is a veterinary assistant and joined our team in 2019. She is passionate about nature and animals, particularly wildlife. Taylor has two cats, Artemis and Charlie, and a horse named LuLu! Her favorite part of working for SOS is petting cats and snuggling all the animals that come to us.

Rosie Wildman, Vet Assistant

Rosie is a recent graduate of The Ohio State University, having majored in Animal Science. She came to us during the Summer of 2019 as an intern and did such a wonderful job that we were eager to make her a full-time team member. Rosie has worked for us both as a receptionist and a veterinary assistant. She has two lovely rescue pups named Max and Casey. Rosie has wanted to be a veterinarian from a very young age as she is passionate about animal welfare and conservation. Throughout her childhood Rosie’s family rescued and cared for numerous dogs and stray cats.

Naya Holdren, Vet Assistant

Naya joined us in the fall of 2019 as a kennel assistant and has quickly learned additional roles to be able to help the veterinarians in surgery. Naya volunteered to work with animals throughout high school and developed a passion for providing care to the animals that need it most, making her a perfect fit for our team! She has two cats, Worthington and Thumbelina, and 5 pet rats! Naya has a lot of unique hobbies, including belly dancing, and her positive attitude always shines through everything she does.

Keyona Spann, RVT

Keyona is a registered veterinary technician who joined our team in 2018, bringing with her over 9 years of experience in emergency, wildlife, general practice, and shelter medicine! Keyona has 2 dogs, 4 cats, 2 turtles and a hamster, though cats are her favorite!

Jill Turney, RVT

Jill is a registered veterinary technician with over 10 years of experience. She loves both emergency and critical care medicine. Jill has a pug named Applesauce and a shih tzu named Lollipop. During her free time, Jill enjoys watching bad 80’s horror movies.