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Dr. Arlene Gardsbane, DVM/cva- Practice ownerDr. Gardsbane has been practicing veterinary medicine since 1987. Her hometown is Shreveport, Louisiana and she obtained her veterinary degree from Louisiana State University. Upon graduation, she moved to Maryland and worked in a small animal practice in Catonsville. After several years, she moved to Florida, gained management skills, returned to Maryland, and then worked in a practice near Andrews Airforce Base as well as in an emergency hospital, where she further developed her abilities through work experience. Finally, in 1997 Dr. Gardsbane established her own practice in the Aspen Hill area. In addition to caring for your pet companions, she also spends her time on Goodwill Missions and collecting pet food for donations. Moreover, she has been a part of Vets to Liberia and is continually involved with the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand as well as the Laikipia Rabies Campaign in Kenya.
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tory gallagher - office managerTory grew up only a few blocks away from the Animal Place. She has been working here since 1999, and took on the responsibility of office manager in January 2005. Living now in Damascus with her husband, children and pets - Tory still makes the drive down - rain, shine or snow! She has proven to be a skillful leader, dedicated team member, caring friend and the glue that holds us all together.
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Jennifer munoz - office supervisorJennifer graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in 2005 and attended the University of Maryland, College Park for three years. She finished her education at University of Maryland University College, earning her Bachelor's degree in Investigative Forensics. Jennifer and her daughter, Evelin, love spending time with their pets. She joined our team in August of 2006 and has grown to become an essential member. Starting out by working in our kennel area, Jen later developed customer service skills with our front desk team and then learned the duties and responsibilities of a veterinary assistant. She is now our office supervisor and helps to manage our social media networks and website, while also assisting with client and patient care. She is definitely a jack of all trades and we are lucky to have her.
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connie horrocks - veterinary assistantConnie started her journey in pet healthcare in 1993 at an animal shelter. She then continued developing her skills and transitioned to Best Friends Animal Hospital in 1997. Having acquired skills in many different areas of domestic animal healthcare - she started working here in August 2003. Connie is now our head surgical technician - assisting not only in general surgery, but also in our dental cleaning and many more major procedures. Connie resides in Olney with her husband and cats. She is our residential "cat lady", whom we call family.
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cordero curry - veterinary assistantBorn and raised in Free Port, Bahamas – Cordero has always had an interest in the well-being of animals. He attended St. Georges High School and graduated in 2010. Upon taking a few college courses, he started working at Free Port Veterinary Hospital. After 5 years of developing his skills as a veterinary technician, he decided to make the big move and come to Maryland. In 2015, Cordero traveled from home and decided to start a new chapter in his life – here in Silver Spring! In October of 2016, he became part of our team of veterinary technicians and has quickly found his niche in our family. He also works overnights at the Pet ER in Columbia! On his time off (however slim that may be) Cordero enjoys working out and reading educational books! His love for animals shines through in all he does and his charismatic personality is contagious.
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kelsey thompson - front desk staffKelsey is a local Rockville girl who started her journey in working with animals shortly after graduating high school. She attended Rockville High School and graduated in 2011 and then became part of the Sniffer’s Doggie Retreat team from 2012 - 2017. Starting out as a receptionist, she quickly developed her pet care skills and became an animal care specialist at Sniffer’s. In her free time, she likes to read and shop, while also spending time with her pets: Tallulah and Jack. Looking to expand her knowledge in pet care, Kelsey joined our team of front desk staff in January of 2017. Her sweet personality and patience is reflected in all that she does.
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sarah buckner - front desk staffSarah is a true creative soul with a passion for animal care. She grew up in the DC/Silver Spring area and graduated from Albert Einstein High School in 2008. Upon graduating, she attended Coppin State University and obtained her BA in Global Studies. She then continued her education and graduated from GW with a Master's Degree in New Media Photo Journalism. In addition to working with us, she also pet sits privately. When she is not in class, studying or working - Sarah enjoys spending time with her 7 pets : 2 mastiffs, 3 cats and 2 bearded dragons! She also enjoys creative writing, reading and tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible! Sarah joined our front desk team in January 2017 and since then, her outgoing personality and love for animals makes her a perfect match to our team.
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rene blehr - kennel assistantRene has loved animals since she was a little girl and always treats our patients as if they were her own. She has a DSH cat named Isis. Rene has been a part of our family since November of 2005. When she is not here caring for our furry patients, she enjoys working out, nature walks and reading. She is a huge help and an important part of our team.
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