Arlene Jiménez has had a passion for helping others since childhood. Over the years, that vocation found its home in veterinary medicine, where she dedicates her days to caring for her four-legged patients and the families who love them.
One of those families was that of a woman facing the loss of her sick dog. The animal had belonged to someone very important to her who had already passed away. Losing it meant facing another absence.
Jiménez accompanied the woman during the dog's treatment and later, when it was time to say goodbye. Some time later, the client gave her a painting as a thank you. Upon receiving it, the veterinarian was deeply moved.
“I cried when I received it,” Jiménez recalled during an interview with Enlace Latino NC .
The Puerto Rican woman shared this experience when talking about a part of her profession that she considers important: accompanying not only animals, but also their owners when they face difficult decisions.
Today he tours Raleigh and nearby communities with Faithful Paws Mobile Veterinary Services, the mobile clinic that opened in 2025 after more than 16 years working in traditional consulting rooms.
Their goal is to bring veterinary care closer to those who have difficulty transporting their pets. In their first year, they also found Latino families looking for a space where they could explain their concerns and understand diagnoses and treatments in Spanish.
“I look for you because you speak Spanish,” some customers tell him, according to his account.
A consultation with time to listen
Jiménez's clinic operates out of a vehicle equipped to treat dogs and cats. The veterinarian arrives at the client's home, parks in front of the house, and receives the animal along with its owner.
Jiménez explains that one of the reasons he chose this work model was the possibility of dedicating more time to each family.
“I take my time, I don’t rush things,” he explained.
For years she worked in clinics where she had to see patients amidst a constant stream of appointments. Now she strives to organize consultations so that she can listen to the owners' concerns, review their medical history, and explain the available options.
She explains that some dogs and cats get stressed during car rides or when arriving at a clinic with unfamiliar sounds and smells. With her mobile service, the trip is reduced to just a few steps from their front door.
Sometimes, it is not even necessary for the animal to get into the vehicle.
Jiménez also enters homes when attending to people with reduced mobility or pets with mobility difficulties. Being in the home allows him to observe aspects of the environment that may be relevant to a consultation.
If a cat is having trouble using its litter box, for example, you can check where it is located and talk to the family about possible changes.
“Sometimes I’m also willing to go into the house because I have patients who can’t. Mobility is very limited,” she explained.
📌 Ada Alvarado: the Salvadoran woman who has made dog grooming her true calling
Language is also part of the care
On one side of the mobile clinic, a message appears: “We speak Spanish!”
Jiménez says that some Latino families seek her out after taking their animals to other clinics, where they received explanations in English that they did not fully understand.
Sometimes, owners don't know exactly what illness their pet has, why it needs a certain medication, or what the next steps in treatment are.
The situation can create doubts when the animal is sick and the family has to make medical decisions.
“When I explain everything that is happening to them, they feel calmer,” he said.
Jiménez makes an effort to explain the test results, review previous treatments, and answer each person's questions. She also discusses the available alternatives when a family cannot afford all the recommended tests.
“I am not here to judge them, I am here to inform,” he stated.
As he explained, his intention is for the owners to understand why a treatment is being proposed and to be able to discuss their options before making a decision.
That contact can continue after the appointment, when clients write to clarify doubts.
From Puerto Rico to North Carolina
Jiménez's vocation began long before he had his own clinic.
She was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She remembers saying from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian and that she never changed her mind.
In his family, helping others was part of everyday life.
His father was a doctor and his mother assisted him. Jiménez remembers seeing family members, friends, and members of his community thank them for the help they offered.
Her parents also took her to do volunteer work in nursing homes. From the age of seven or eight, she says, she helped fold clothes, clean, or feed people who could no longer do it for themselves.
“Since childhood, we were taught that part of giving and being volunteers,” she recalled.
When she finished high school, at age 17, she moved to Iowa to study Animal Science at Iowa State University.
The change was difficult.
He went from a Caribbean island to a state with harsh winters, a different culture, and an environment where English predominated.
Jiménez recalls arriving with a group of Puerto Rican students. According to her account, several did not return to Iowa after the first Christmas break, but she was determined to continue.
She graduated from Iowa State in 2004 and then entered the School of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University (NC State), where she earned her degree in 2009.
After graduating, she completed a 13-month internship at the Coral Springs Animal Hospital in Florida.
During that time, she considered specializing in veterinary dermatology. However, she decided to continue in general medicine because she enjoyed treating different conditions and accompanying animals throughout their lives.
From feeling alone to paving the way for other Latinos
When Jiménez arrived at NC State's veterinary school, he was surprised to find so few Latino students.
She had left Puerto Rico to fulfill her professional dream, but she remembers feeling alone as a Spanish-speaking Latina student.
She decided to approach the person in charge of recruiting students from minority groups to ask why there was so little representation of Latino students.
As she recalls, she was told that the school was not making recruitment efforts in Puerto Rico because it did not have staff who spoke Spanish to communicate with students and translate informational materials.
Jimenez offered to help.
She learned to conduct recruitment activities, collaborated in the translation of materials, and began to bring information about the veterinary career to students in Puerto Rico.
She wanted other young people to be able to imagine themselves studying a profession that she herself had had to leave the island to pursue.
"If I could get into veterinary school, so can you," was the message she was trying to convey.
According to her, some of the students she mentored later entered the school and continued with recruitment activities.
In May 2026, Jiménez returned to NC State for a graduation ceremony. This time, the situation was different.
According to her account, there were more than eight Puerto Rican students in that graduating class. Seeing them there was significant for her, as she had begun her studies feeling practically alone.
“It was very nice,” she recalled.
Jiménez said that some students acknowledged his participation in the recruitment efforts.
“It was about contributing my little bit,” he said.
For her, that meeting was an opportunity to see how other young Puerto Ricans had arrived at a school where, years before, she had barely found students with whom she shared language and origin.
A clinic on wheels and many hats
After more than 16 years in traditional clinics, Jiménez had been thinking about doing something different for some time.
She remembered the elderly people who called seeking help for their pets and who couldn't get to a clinic. She wanted to reach out to them, though for years she didn't know how.
In 2025, he decided to leave his job and open Faithful Paws Mobile Veterinary Services.
The change also meant taking on tasks that I previously shared with other employees.
In a traditional clinic, she had receptionists, assistants, and staff responsible for organizing files, calls, and procedures. Now she has to take on virtually all of those responsibilities herself.
“I’m a receptionist, I’m a nurse, I’m the one who gives the orders,” she said, laughing.
At first, organizing appointments, answering messages, seeing patients, and keeping medical records up to date proved complicated.
She doesn't yet have the resources to hire assistants. However, she says that the gradual growth of the business has allowed her to learn to better manage her time.
Their clinic offers preventative care, vaccines, laboratory tests, microchip implantation, consultations for non-urgent illnesses, and treatment of dermatological problems, among other services.
It does not perform surgeries or diagnostic imaging studies that require specialized equipment. It also does not handle emergencies. When an animal needs these procedures, it refers it to others. veterinary centers.
Jiménez acknowledges that managing the business on his own presents a challenge, although he values the possibility of maintaining direct contact with the families he serves.
To accompany when it is no longer possible to cure
Among the experiences Jiménez remembers from his first year with the mobile clinic are visits to families whose animals They are nearing the end of their lives.
The veterinarian offers quality of life assessments and guidance when a disease has progressed to a point where treatment can no longer adequately alleviate suffering.
In those circumstances, he explains that his responsibility also consists of helping owners understand the options and make difficult decisions.
When you perform euthanasia, you can do it at home or in your vehicle. The family can be with the animal and take all the time they need.
The veterinarian recalls farewells attended by several members of the same family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. She explained that gathering so many people to accompany a pet is usually more difficult in a veterinary clinic. By performing the procedure at home, the family can be present and say goodbye in a familiar environment.
The veterinarian admits that goodbyes affect her too. Throughout her career, she has cared for animals from puppies to their final days, and has gotten to know their owners well.
“Inside, it shakes me to my core. It makes me sad,” she confessed.
As the mobile clinic celebrates its first year, Jiménez hopes to reach more families, especially those in the Latino community of Raleigh and surrounding areas.
“I would love to continue growing within the Latino community. I would love to be able to reach more people,” she concluded.
Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.
