Our Staff

• Dr. Jeffrey J Smith , DVM

  
  

  Dr. Smith grew up hoping he could be a veterinarian one day.  He had a keen interest in animals and made a hobby out of using live traps to catch and release native animals for many years as a boy.  Jeff longed to have a horse, but was only able to ride on special occasions like birthdays and scouting pack trips.  Boy Scouts was another favorite of his, and allowed him to learn a good deal about animals through merit badges like Rabbit Raising and Animal Husbandry on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout.    During high school and college, the  future Dr. Smith worked summers as a cowboy on ranches in Wyoming.  While in school he worked as a tutor, farm hand on a dairy, and as kennel worker in a veterinary clinic.  One thing that many people do not know about Dr. Smith is that he has practiced karate for over twenty years and is currently a third degree blackbelt with the Japanese Karate Federation.   Dr. Smith graduated from Cornell University in 1986.  He completed an internship in Thousand Oaks, California in 1987, and stayed on for another year as an associate.  Before opening MAH in 1991, he worked in a small animal clinic, in an equine practice, and in an emergency clinic.   In 1990 Dr. Smith came to Middletown with the goal of building a veterinary hospital that the community could be proud of.  Little by little he cleaned up the property, added staff and equipment, and built-up the reputation of the hospital.  The mission of the hospital is simple:  Provide the best possible care to each patient and client.   Dr. Smith places a high value on continuing education and medical technology in order to offer the best care available.  His biggest challenge on a day to day basis is to keep the small business running smoothly--- unfortunately that sometimes means cutting into his time as a veterinarian!

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• Brie L Taylor , DVM

  
  

  Dr. Brie Taylor was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, with loving and supportive parents, family, and friends. She and her two brothers had many pets growing up which helped cultivate her love of animals and her dream to become a veterinarian. After receiving a B.S. in Biology from Oregon State University in 2002, she again attended Oregon State University where she obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. She started here at Middletown Animal Hospital in July 2007 and has loved being apart of their veterinary team working on a variety of animals. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, three cats, Toledo, Gracie, and Morris, and Golden Retriever Kodi.  She also loves to explore the outdoors and the diverse natural beauty California has to offer.

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• Mrs. Sheri L Smith , BS

  
  

  Sheri has been involved with running the business office since July of 2001. She assists in the day to day functions of the hospital and feed store, staff management, payroll, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and staff scheduling.   She previously worked as an insurance underwriter since 1989 in Santa Rosa. She is devoted to her two boys, her 4 horses and her CCI (Canine Companion for Independence) dogs, Cerise and Jamie.

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• Margaret Russ

  
  

  Margaret joined our technician team October of 2006 and fit right in.  She is very compassionate and easy to get along with. Margaret knew she wanted to be a veterinary technician and was awarded an animal science career certificate from Santa Rosa Junior College December of 2004. The thing she likes the best about this job is working with people while being around animals.  She previously worked at Lake County Animal Control but found it to be too depressing.  She has also worked as a livestock clerk at the California State Fair and Exposition each summer. Margaret is currently engaged to be married and enjoys spending free time with her fiance and animals. Her favorite past-time is horse back riding and motorcycle riding.  She has 2 horses and 3 dogs.

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• Holly McGill

  
  

  Holly is a  veterinary technician who joined our staff March 2006 after previously working at Pet Care in Santa Rosa for four years. She loves caring for each of the variety of pets that come into the clinic and enjoys working along side the doctors in medical treatments and surgeries. Holly is also in charge of medical safety at the hospital and updates the staff on a new topic each month at our staff meetings. See more about Holly under the Grooming Section.    Holly has two grown children and enjoys spending time with her 4 dogs.

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• Stacey Prather

  
  

  Stacey joined our technician staff April of 2008 with a background in working with children and an interest in science.  She is currently pursuing a degree in Associate of Science in Natural Resources at Mendocino College.  Stacey is very easy going and fun to be with.  She is very patient with the animals and loves working with all types.   Her other interests include rock "n" roll, football, Nascar, and any sporting activity.  One of her favorite hobbies is working on her Toyota Land Cruiser.  She is hoping to customize it with disc brakes and air lockers.   Stacey was born and raised on a ranch in Loch Lomand.  She lives at home with her family and dog.

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• Ilene Mundinger

  
  

  Ilene joins the vet tech team at MAH May 2008.  Her bubbly personality is an asset when dealing with the animals.  Ilene received her EMT certificate June 2008 in hopes of exploring a fire fighting career.  She enjoys helping animals or people.   Ilene moved to Middletown in 2007 and resides with her boyfriend, her dog Pebbles, and her 3-legged rabbit.  Her hobbies include jogging, surfing, modeling, horseback riding, snowboarding, and swimming.

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• Laura Goepfert

  
  

  A full-time receptionist at Middletown Animal Hospital, Laura joined our team April of 2003 and immediately fit right in.  Her charming personality and professional mannerism is an asset to our staff and the clients always compliment her.  Previously a Certified Nursing Assistant at Meadowood Nursing Home for a year and a half, Laura now enjoys interacting with animal patients at MAH.  The thing she likes most is the variety of patients and seeing something new every day. Laura grew up in Clearlake Oaks and now lives with her husband and 4 children in Clearlake.  She has a beautiful cat named Sneeze that she adopted from the clinic.  She also has a red Pit Bull named Pete and a blue Pit Bull named Justice. Laura and her family enjoy motorcycle riding and camping in their free time.

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• Teresa Axthelm

  
  

  Teresa joined our team at Middletown Animal Hospital September of 2005 as a full-time receptionist.  Teresa is very personable and her specialty is making sure the clients are always happy.  She worked at Kathy Fowler Chevrolet for 5 years as Office Manager and for Esposti and Manly Auto Centers prior to that.  She also worked  for a veterinary hospital in Healdsburg for 4 years where she assisted doctors with patients, helped in the kennels, and helped clients as a Receptionist.  Teresa has a can-do attitude and is not afraid to try anything.  Teresa grew up in Healdsburg where she went to high school and was involved in 4H and FFA.  She became a rabbit leader and bred rabbits as a hobby.  She lived in Cloverdale for 10 years.  Teresa now resides in Cobb with her son and Burnese Mountain dog named Brook.

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• Jennie Muelrath

  
  

  Jennie joins Middletown Animal Hospital as a receptionist June 2008.   She has extensive prior experience at medical offices in Santa Rosa including a private practice, Primary Care Associates, Eleven-Eleven Radiology.  She also studied anatomy and medical terminology at Santa Rosa Junior College.  Originally from Santa Rosa, Jennie moved to Hidden Valley Lake with her husband and two boys in 2005 and loves it here.  Jennie's sons raise a pig for 4-H.

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• Christopher Thompson

  
  

  Chris joins our Feed Store and Boarding kennel staff June of 2007.  He takes care of the boarding dogs and horses, as well as general upkeep of the premises.  Chris is in charge of ordering pet foods and merchandise as well as unloading deliveries of feed with the forklift and assisting customers with their hay purchases.   Chris lives in Hidden Valley with his family.

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• Connor and Trevor Smith

  
  

  Connor and Trevor are the sons of Dr. and Mrs. Smith.  They help around the clinic by picking up trash, dog-do, and debris.  Both boys also enjoy walking smaller dogs and feeding the goats and horses.

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• Holly McGill

  
  

  Holly recently took over for Robin who retired after 12 years of grooming for Middletown Animal Hospital.  Holly has  been a technician at the clinic since 2006 but has always had an interest in grooming animals to look their best.  She enjoys seeing the "Before" and "After" and so will you!    Holly is very patient and gentle with every animal that she works on.  Whether a bath or a full trim, she helps your pet look and feel better with her grooming expertise.  Services include  clips, bathing, ear cleaning, nail trims, and expressing anal glands.  Her devoted customers are truely impressed with the results and keep coming back repeatedly. 
   
  See more about Holly under Veterinary Technician.

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• Kris Calkins

  
  Kris is in charge of maintenance of the 5 acres at Middletown Animal Hospital June of 2008.  This is no small task as the property encompasses the animal hospital, feed store, boarding kennel, hospital stalls/stocks, hay barn, and residence.  Also included is the 7 fenced pastures and round pen.  We make sure that the hospital and grounds are in top condition so Kris keeps busy year round. 

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