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Krystle
Practice Manager
Krystle grew up on multiple acres in Bathurst, New Brunswick, where she developed a fascination with nature and wildlife early on. She can’t remember a time when there wasn’t a pet around her childhood home. For Krystle, coupling her innate customer service skills with her lifelong love for animals makes perfect sense—she gets to help both pets and those who care for them as Main West Animal Hospital’s Practice Manager!
After many years spent managing a private boating club, Krystle decided to look for work that felt more fulfilling and rewarding. That’s when she discovered an open position here at Main West Animal Hospital—she’s been a member of the clinic team since 2016 and hasn’t looked back since.
Brittany
Clinic Supervisor
Growing up on a chicken farm in Stevensville, Brittany has been surrounded by animals since birth. Not only did her family raise poultry, but they also had pets of a wide variety of species, from hamsters and hedgehogs, to cats, dogs, and even a deer. As Brittany got older, her passion for animal care continued to grow and she knew she wanted to work with them professionally one day. As the Clinic Supervisor here at Main West Animal Hospital, Brittany is fulfilling her lifelong goal and loving every second!
While in high school, Brittany completed her co-op placement here at Main West Animal Hospital and was ultimately offered a job. She worked as a receptionist here from 2006 until 2015, when she left for a few years to work at a different clinic. In 2023, Brittany returned to Main West, where it all began. Professionally, she has a special interest in dog training techniques. She also enjoys discussions about breeding, having bred working line German Shepherds for eight years.
Caryn
Client Care Advocate
Caryn’s passion for animal care was passed down from her grandfather, who always taught his children and grandchildren to protect all living things, big or small. Serving in the veterinary field gives Caryn the knowledge on how to make pets’ lives extraordinary—she’s proud to serve as a member of Main West Animal Hospital’s talented care team!
Caryn is originally from Jordan, Ontario and started her animal-care journey as a co-op placement Veterinary Assistant. It wasn’t long before she developed into a full-time Veterinary Assistant and receptionist. Caryn also worked for many years at a pet food store and a local pet shop.
Christina
Client Care Advocate
Christina has always been a people person, and her inclination toward pets comes naturally. What better way to pair her love of animals with her nurturing instinct, she thought, than by helping pet owners in a veterinary clinic? Christina serves as one of Main West Animal Hospital’s Client Care Advocates.
Christina is from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and moved to Ontario in 2000. She previously worked as an Educational Assistant in the human healthcare field, caring for special-needs patients. In 2015, she made the decision to switch careers; that’s when she started looking for jobs in the veterinary world.
Jessica
Client Care Advocate
Jessica knew that she was meant to help animals ever since she was a little girl. She’s always had a soft spot in her heart for them, and her passion simply never let up. Caring for the earth’s creatures is Jessica’s true calling! She’s a member of Balfour Animal Hospital’s talented front-desk team and has plans for becoming a veterinarian herself in the future.
Jenn
Registered Veterinary Technician
Jenn is from the Niagara Region, growing up right here in Welland. Jenn always liked being able to make a difference in the lives of animals. She knew early on that she wanted to what nurses do for people, but for pets—what better way to do that than as a Registered Veterinary Technician!
Jenn’s veterinary journey started in 2001, when she began working at Main West Animal Hospital part-time. She continued working there over summers and on breaks from school while she attended St. Clair College in Windsor. After graduating in 2002 with her Veterinary Technician’s degree, she came on full-time at the clinic
Amanda
Registered Veterinary Technician
Amanda cannot remember a time when she didn’t want to work with animals—it’s been her dream since she was very young, growing up in Sarnia, Ontario. She’s thrilled to work alongside her skilled and compassionate fellow team members to better the lives of pets here at Main West Animal Hospital!
Amanda joined the clinic family in November of 2014. As a Registered Veterinary Technician, she particularly enjoys placing catheters, drawing blood, assisting in surgery, and educating pet parents on their animal companions’ complex behavior patterns and dietary needs.
Lauren
Registered Veterinary Technician
Lauren grew up as an only child, and the family pets were her constant companions. Even at a young age, she knew that she would love to help as many of the earth’s creatures as she possibly could. For Lauren, no other choice of career made sense! She’s a Registered Veterinary Technician with the Main West Animal Hospital family.
Originally from St. Catharines, Lauren began her veterinary journey at a pet clinic there when she was only 16 years old. Next, she headed to Technician school at Medaille College in Buffalo to earn her degree in veterinary technology. Lauren returned to the practice in St. Catherines as a Registered Veterinary Technician and would help pets there for the next 11 years!
Chrishon
Veterinary Technician
They say the third time’s the charm, and it certainly seems that way for Chrishon. When COVID brought an unexpected layoff, she decided it was ‘now or never,’ and went back to school for the third time to pursue a career working with animals. As one of our veterinary technicians, Chrishon feels she has finally found her calling!
Caring for animals is more than just a job for Chrishon. Throughout her lifetime, she has spent countless hours volunteering her time and serves as a board member of the Niagara SPCA. Even her dog is a volunteer, participating in the St. John Ambulance, Therapy Tails and Reading Rocks programs.
Gabby
Veterinary Assistant
Gabby has always wanted to do everything in her power to better the lives of animals. She volunteered with a therapeutic horse service, walked dogs for the local Humane Society, and cared for many pets of her own, as well as for friends’ and family members’ companions. For Gabby, a career in the world of pet care simply made sense! She’s a proud member of Main West Animal Hospital’s Veterinary Assistant team.
Gabby grew up in Milton, Ontario and moved to Niagara in 2008. She went back to school in 2017 at Seneca College to study veterinary technology, and graduated in 2018 with her Veterinary Assistant’s certification. That same year, she joined the team here at Main West Animal Hospital—Gabby hasn’t looked back since.
Carter
Veterinary Assistant
Carter has been an animal-lover her whole life. The moment she adopted her childhood Husky, Dingo, she knew that she wanted to be involved in pet care in some way. Now, Carter gets to make a difference in the lives of not only animals, but their loving owners as well, as a member of the Main West Animal Hospital team!
Carter grew up in Northern Alberta and launched her veterinary journey by volunteering at the SPCA there. It wasn’t long before she’d been hired on as an employee. After moving to Niagara with her boyfriend, she joined the Main West Animal Hospital family a short time later in the fall of 2020. Carter couldn’t be happier with her choice! Her favourite part of every shift is getting to meet new pet parents, and she especially likes helping shy or nervous pets to feel more comfortable.
Hailey
Veterinary Assistant
Hailey was born and raised on a small family farm in Fonthill, Ontario. For her, caring for animals has been a part of life since day one. A career in the world of pet care simply made sense! Hailey is proud to serve as a member of the clinic’s Veterinary Assistant team while she studies animal biology in college.
Hailey was only in the 11th grade when she applied for a cooperative career placement here at Main West Animal Hospital. It wasn’t long after starting that she was asked if she’d like a summer job—Hailey gladly accepted, and she’s been a part of the hospital family ever since. Currently, she studies animal biology at the University of Guelph and hopes to be accepted into the Ontario Veterinary College in the future.
Candy
Veterinary Assistant
I am a Veterinary Assistant. During the pandemic I decided to reassess my career and started to study to become a Veterinary Assist.
I started at Main West Animal Hospital in Dec 2021. Thanks to Main West Animal Hospital in believing in me and allowing me the opportunity to fulfill my lifelong passion to work with animals. It’s never too late to start a new career no matter how old you are!!!
Keri
Veterinary Assistant
For as long as she can remember, Keri has had a deep-seeded passion for helping animals. As a young child, she found an injured bird on the back porch. With the help of her mom, Keri nursed that little bird back to health before releasing her back into the wild. Then there was the time she befriended a stray cat at the age of 4. These experiences shaped Keri’s desire to one day work with animals professionally.
Before joining the Main West Animal Hospital team, Keri had been working in administration. She started feeling that pull toward the veterinary field and decided to officially change careers. Keri started with us in June of 2021 as a Veterinary Assistant. Professionally, Keri has a particular interest in x-ray technology. She finds being able to see what’s going on inside a patient’s body absolutely fascinating.
Raven
Veterinary Assistant
Growing up, Raven always knew that she loved animals. It wasn’t until her dog gave birth to a litter of seven puppies and she was able to be involved in their care that she decided she wanted to one day work with them as a career. As a veterinary assistant here at Main West Animal Hospital, Raven gets to do her favorite thing every day: help pets enjoy happier, healthier lives.
Faith
Veterinary Assistant
Bio coming soon.
Jaymee
Registered Veterinary Technician
Jaymee grew up in Mount Hope, ON, on a property with lots of land to explore. As a child, Jaymee spent most of her free time outdoors, training her dogs and playing with the farm kittens nearby. As she grew older, she began thinking about the type of career she might want to pursue. When she learned about the role of veterinary technician, which would allow her to work with animals and help people, she knew she’d found the perfect match!
Sara
Client Care Representative
Sarah has always had an interest in animal health. She was inspired to pursue a career in veterinary medicine after enjoying the many precious years she had growing up with her family dog. Toward the end of her dog’s life, the veterinarian guided her family and showed them so much compassion throughout the process. Sara was deeply touched by what a profound impact a veterinary team can have on the lives of pet owners, and knew she wanted to one day do the same for others.
In 2018, Sara began her journey as a receptionist and assistant at a practice in Toronto. After working there for three years, and loving every second of it, she decided to move back to her hometown of Niagara Falls. Knowing she wanted to continue her career in the veterinary world, Sara officially joined the Main West Animal Hospital team in May of 2021 and says it’s the best decision she’s ever made.
Chelsea
Customer Service Representative
Chelsea spent a year living far up north, in a community where animal care was not a priority and veterinary services were hours away. There, stray dogs and cats would roam in packs, their conditions deteriorating. The experience made Chelsea realize that in order to truly help, she would need to invest herself fully into the animal care field. Today, as part of the Main West Animal Hospital team, she is thrilled to be able to apply her passion for both animals and their owners.
Chelsea’s career began as a zookeeper, during which time she cared for a wide variety of species, from farm stock to small mammals, like chinchillas, skunks, foxes, rabbits and meerkats. She also worked with birds of prey, like owls and eagles, as well as some pretty neat reptiles, including tortoise, skinks and monitors. Along with this, she has combined her extensive experience in customer service to be the best Client Care Representative that she can be!
Andi
Laboratory Technician
After graduating from school trained as a human laboratory technician, Andi found out that one of her classmates was working for a veterinarian. She hadn’t known this was an option, but quickly realized it would be the perfect career choice for her!
Born in Buffalo, New York as the oldest of three sisters, Andi was originally hired at Main West Animal Hospital in 1984 as a receptionist and kennel assistant. Eventually, she was trained through a correspondence course with a lab. She even attended the University of Guelph for a short period, trained as a technician in their labs. Now she performs almost all of Main West Animal Hospital’s lab work in-house!
Evelyn
Accountant
Evelyn has always enjoyed working with numbers, and she’s a pet owner herself. When the opportunity came about for her to couple her passion for arithmetic with her love for the earth’s creatures, the choice was simple!
Originally from Toronto, Evelyn moved to St. Catharines several years ago, where she began working at a computer school. Shortly after the school closed, she joined the team here at Main West Animal Hospital and Heartland Niagara Animal Hospital. Evelyn has been here ever since!
Joanne
Animal Health Technician
When she was 14 years old, Joanne saw a man on the side of the road beside a cow that was lying on the ground. As she went over to see what was going on, she realized the cow was birthing a calf! The man asked Joanne to comfort the mother cow, and minutes later the calf was born. From that moment on, Joanne knew what she wanted to be when she grew up.
Joanne grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario. She graduated from St. Clair College in 1987 with a diploma in in Animal Health Technology. She started at Main West in 1988, covering for a fellow employee on maternity leave. When she returned after six months, Joanne was kept on as a full-time employee.
Mia
Veterinary Assistant
Like most of her colleagues, Mia knew from a very young age that she wanted to work with animals. When she was a child, she was always rescuing animals from her family’s backyard pool. One day, she saw a chipmunk swimming for its life. She scooped it out, expecting it to bite her out of fear, but instead, it climbed to her shoulder and sniffed her before calmly walking away. That moment solidified Mia’s passion for helping animals and her lifelong goal of working in the veterinary industry!
Justina
Veterinary Assistant
When Justina was a young child, her family’s cat had a litter of kittens before they could get her spayed. When she was unable to deliver one of the kittens, the neighbor, who had worked on a farm and had experience delivering animals, stepped in to help, ultimately saving the mother cat’s life. Witnessing this event left an indelible mark on Justina and sparked a lifelong passion for animals.
Prior to joining the Main West team, Justina had spent some time in retail and marketing at a local pet store. While she loved the job, she felt herself wanting to do more, so when she stumbled upon the job opening on LinkedIn, she decided to throw her hat in the ring. Justina was hired just as the pandemic hit, but that didn’t stop her. She came aboard as a veterinary assistant and hasn’t looked back since!
Heather
Veterinary Assistant
Heather has always had a passion for helping others – whether people or animals. After years of begging, her parents finally relented and let her get a dog, and that passion has only continued to grow. Being a pet parent herself, Heather feels that she is better equipped to help other owners and their pets. In her role as veterinary assistant, she loves making connections and sharing laughs over wagging tails!
Heather joined the Main West Animal Hospital team in April of 2022. She is currently attending Brock University’s medical science program, and recently completed a research project focusing on vector-borne diseases, such as those transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes, which can infect humans and animals. Professionally, Heather has a special interest in pet nutrition and is currently finishing her nutritional certification course through Royal Canin.
When she’s not busy working or studying, Heather enjoys spending time with her dog, Reggie, as well as her boyfriend, family, and friends. She and Reggie share many of the same interests, including exercising, eating well, and staying fit. Fresh veggies from the garden are always a treat – that is, when Reggie doesn’t get their first and help himself!
Jackie
Veterinary Assistant
When Jackie was in preschool, she begged her mother to let her get a puppy. Finally, at the age of nine, her mother gave in and brought home a wheaten terrier whom the family named ‘Frisbee’. Frisbee suffered from allergies and stomach issues, and Jackie remembers many trips to the vet and how fascinated she was with animal medicine. It came as no surprise that she would one day end up pursuing a career working with animals. Now, she can’t imagine doing anything else!
Jackie’s journey began with her other passion – horses. She received a diploma in equine care and management and went on to groom professionally for Olympic and Pan-Am game equestrian riders. After receiving her level 8 rider designation and coaching license with Equestrian Canada, Jackie became a full-time horse trainer and competed professionally for two years. A serious accident would ultimately change Jackie’s career trajectory, and she decided to focus on small animal care.
Jenna
Veterinary Technician
Jenna has known she wanted to work in veterinary medicine for as long as she can remember. As a young child, she dreamed of working with animals. Her interest in medicine and innate desire to help others made the decision that much easier. As one of the veterinary technicians here at Main West Animal Hospital, Jenna feels lucky to be able to meet so many amazing animals and is grateful that their parents trust her to care for their beloved family members.
23,458
Sloppy Kisses
19,389
Bellies Rubbed
27,193
Treats Given
