Karla has been working in the veterinary field since 2006. She discovered her passion for veterinary medicine when she was a junior at USF, majoring in History. Since then, she has worked as a veterinary nurse and enjoys teaching clients about caring for their pets. She has a special place in her heart for our geriatric patients. She has 5 cats, and a husband, who’s just as crazy about their kitties as she is! She collects comic books, and has been doing so since she was 5 years old. She loves designing, building and sewing costumes for comic book conventions.
Michelle graduated from Hillsborough Community College in 2015 with an Associate degree in Veterinary Science. She became a Certified Veterinary Technician that same year. She has worked with animals for over 10 years and her special interest is in behavior. She practices many fear free techniques to help alleviate patient anxiety while visiting Family Animal Hospital. Michelle loves bulldogs, and has one named Stan who sleeps 26 hours a day. She also has 2 cats and a Pekingese who is adorable and lovable, and fun fact, Michelle hates cupcakes.
Jen has been working in the veterinary field for 35 years. She hails from New Jersey where she worked at a cat only hospital for 12 years. She has her Certified Veterinary Technician degree, and in 2014 earned her Veterinary Practice Manager certification. Jen manages most of the business side of Family Animal Hospital but still enjoys being a vet tech, especially when kitties are involved! Jen is married with 2 children, a new grandbaby, and has 3 cats and 2 Boston Terriers.
Cierra has been an animal lover her whole life and works closely with Second Chance Friends as a foster house for dogs, especially the ones with behavioral issues (which means she’s a saint!) She’s worked with animals for over 10 years and has a wide animal background, from boarding facilities to grooming salons and pet stores. She was previously a certified dog trainer. She owns 4 dogs, a rabbit, snake, and a tarantula so it’s safe to say she like animals of all kinds!
Crystal has been working in the veterinary field for the past 7 years. She enjoys scaling and polishing teeth and loves dental days! She also does all of our Facebook posts and loves taking pictures of our patients. She has a Husky, 4 cats, 1 bearded dragon, and 2 guinea pigs. She loves Disney, Disney, and Disney! She is our comic relief at FAH and enjoys puns.
Julie started working in the veterinary field in high school, even completing vet assistant courses before she graduated. We were incredibly lucky to have her as an assistant while she was attending pre-vet courses at USF, and now she is in her first year of veterinary school! While she doesn’t work with us regularly anymore, we are always happy to have her come back while she’s in town!
Meg is originally from Japan and has been living in the states for 13 years. She has always been an animal lover and has a special love for cats! She earned her Certified Veterinary Assistant certificate in 2016 and has spent many hours volunteering at animal shelters. She has a cat named Madrid who is the reason she went into the veterinary field. Meg loves adventure and being outdoors. She loves hiking and exploring the waterways on her standup paddleboard. She plays ukulele and is quite the artist as well!
Lexi earned her Certified Veterinary Assistant certificate while completing high school. She is currently at USF getting her pre-vet degree with her eyes set on vet school! She is a fantastic assistant and is going to make an awesome veterinarian! Lexi has a German Shepherd named Ari and spends most of her free time studying. When she has a rare day off she loves being at the beach.
Sarah has been our main receptionist since early 2021 and has been an awesome addition to our family. She has years of customer service and reception experience and we got to be her introduction to the exciting world of veterinary medicine! She loves working with animals and helping pet owners every day. She has a small zoo of her own, including Daisy the shih-tzu, Callie the snuggly pittie, 2 cats and 11 pekin ducks.