Dr. Janet Batker
Hospital Director
I first became deeply interested in animals when our neighbor’s German Shepherd, Grenna gave birth to a large litter of puppies. I was thrilled (as were all of the children in the neighborhood) to play with them. From this experience I began to read about animals, especially horses. This focused my interest on riding; I used all of the money I earned babysitting on riding lessons! This eventually led to my membership on the Penn State Equestrian team.
One big influence in my decision to become a veterinarian was reading All Creatures Great and Small, and then watching the TV show. It seemed like being a veterinarian would be the best job in the world. Before starting vet school I groomed Standard bred, or Harness horses, for a couple of years, and then became a research assistant at Duke University Hospital. In time I became the first woman to graduate from NC State’s new College of Veterinary Medicine. Although at first I wanted to be a horse doctor, I found small animal medicine to be more challenging, so I completed an internship at the University Of Georgia College Of Veterinary Medicine and then embarked on my career, first as an associate veterinarian, then as a practice owner. I have been at Lillington Veterinary Hospital for 21 years now and I love the small town atmosphere which allows us to build relationships with families and their pets.
Education: B.S. Penn State 1976, D.V.M. NC State University 1985 Family: Two children, Max and Hope, one dog, Briscoe, three grand-dogs, Gigi, Kira and Ares, three cats, Marlowe, Cam Newton and Mary Astor. Two fish, Puff Daddy and Nemo. Honors: Gamma Sigma Delta, Phi Sigma Society, charter member The Society of Phi Zeta Accomplishments: Broadcaster for Life with Our Animals 103.1, Lillington Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, Co-author old Immunology journal articles, Publications chair NCVMA, Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Reserve Regional Champion Hobbies: Woodworking and Stained Glass, Frank Lloyd Wright and Architecture Memberships: North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Veterinary Dental Society, American Association of Feline Practitioners, TWA, NC Modernist Houses.