Donna

Donna is our cheerful full-time receptionist whose love for animals and other pet owners makes her a natural fit for Animal Hospital at Auburn Hills.

“Knowing how close animals are to my heart, it’s easy for me to know exactly what I would do for a career,” she said. “Working with animals in a veterinary hospital is a real natural for me because I get the privilege of interacting with clients just like me who love and take good care of their pets.”

The life-long Wichitan is particularly fond of the Dachshund breed and has a “sassy but oh-so-sweet red Dachie named Clarabelle.” She and her husband also have a fun-loving Beagle mix named Christi who they rescued from the Kansas Humane Society as a puppy 13 years ago and “is still going strong and lives for her daily walk in the park.”

Donna said she has always been interested in animals and fondly remembers her outings with the family pet as a 3-year-old.

“My earliest memory is wheeling my tricycle down the sidewalk in front of my home with a large orange tomcat – Ol’ Tom – nestled in a basket on the front of the handlebars,” she said.

Donna has been married to Kelly for 26 years and they have two grown sons who now live in New York after serving in the United States Navy.

In her spare time, besides caring for Clarabelle and Christi, Donna likes to work with stained glass and mosaic tile work, eating out with friends and gardening. She is also a member of the Best Friends Animal Society in Angel Canyon, Colo.

Heidi
Heidi is our friendly part-time veterinary technician. Her life-long passion for working with animals and meeting others with the same interests led her to the path of veterinary medicine and to Animal Hospital at Auburn Hills.

“I realized that I owed it to my pets to become as knowledgeable and equipped as possible to provide them with the care they deserved,” she said. “The more I became involved in this process and enjoyed it, the more it became apparent that I would join the veterinary medical field in a capacity that allowed me to assist other pet owners.”

Heidi and her husband, Lucas, keep busy with their eight dogs, three cats, four horses and a standard donkey. Their dogs include a Pug named Annabelle who competes in agility, a Pomeranian/Poodle Mix named Sophia, a black Lab named Chloe who competes in agility, a Husky named Nahani, a Border Collie Mix named Cubby, a black tri Australian Shepherd named Trina who shows mainly in conformation, a blue merle Australian Shepherd named Stitch who is Trina’s littermate and competes in agility and conformation, and a black tri Australian Shepherd named Potter.

They have a gray cat named Morena, an orange tabby named Alexander, and a tortoise shell cat named Kenai. Their pasture includes a bay Morgan mare named Tina, a bay tobiano Paint mare named Annie, a bay Quarter Horse mare named Nala, a palomino Quarter Horse filly named Tipsy, and a gray standard donkey gelding named Eeyore.

“Like many of our clients, I feel that my pets are an important part of our family,” she said. “We are very fortunate to be in a country and period of time where veterinary medicine has made so many advancements.”

Heidi is a member of the Wichita Dog Training Club, the Australian Shepherd Club of America, the North American Dog Agility Council, the International Association for Animal Massage & Bodywork, the American Morgan Horse Association, the American Quarter Horse Association, and the American Paint Horse Association. She is certified as a Small Animal Massage Practitioner and is working toward receiving her Registered Veterinary Technician license.

“Having pets myself, I understand how hard it can feel to be responsible for making decisions on behalf of our pets,” Heidi said. “I hope that communicating what options are available and explaining the medical benefits can lessen this hardship.”