Vet Clinic Staff

Patti, Kennel Manager and Veterinary Assistant at our Spooner office since 2001.

Patti’s background includes a BSE in education from UW-Whitewater and assisting with dog training classes.  She has a strong interest in animals which she applies to her work daily.  She takes great care of the animals at our boarding facility, making them feel comfortable while they are away from home.

Patti is wife and mother, with two daughters and 3 cats at home to care for.

Kelly, Veterinary Assistant at our Spooner office since 2008.

Kelly chose a career in the veterinary field because she enjoys helping animals, who cannot help themselves.  She excels at educating clients about standards of care and recommendations for how they can improve their pets’ quality of life.  She strives to make pet owners feel comfortable leaving their pets in our care.

She has a two year old daughter and Bandit, the cockatiel at home.  In her spare time she enjoys fishing, canoeing and painting.

 Angelina, Certified Veterinary Technician at our Hayward office since 2011.

Angelina holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Arizona University, where she majored in Zoology.  She has worked as an animal officer in Phoenix, where she rescued injured and neglected domestic animals for a humane society.  She has a strong interest in wildlife and conservation.  Her passion for excellent animal care brought her to our clinic.  She enjoys educating our clients on how to give the best care to their pets.

Angelina is mom to one daughter, and cares for 2 dogs, 2 cats, one snake and one turtle.  She loves most outdoor activities and sports.

Cassi, Customer Care Specialist since 2008, at both our Spooner and Hayward offices.

Cassi’s is a 2007 graduate of Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, holding an Associate’s Degree in Administrative Assistance.  Prior plans for veterinary school were detoured when she discovered that she and the sight of blood were incompatible!  Courses on parasitology and zoonotic diseases have helped her understand how our pets can share some diseases with us.

Cassi enjoys the variety of people she meets daily in her position.  She strives to educate pet owners about our products and services, helping them make informed choices for their pets.  Her outgoing personality and love of animals are assets to our team.

Pets at home include 4 cats, a Hermanns tortoise, 3 koi, and the most recent addition, puppy Emmi, a german shepard mix who has successfully graduated from puppy class.

Jenna, Veterinary Assistant and Kennel Attendant at our Spooner office since 2006.

Jenna’s childhood experiences on a dairy farm influenced her love for animals, and started her interest in working in the veterinary field.  She especially enjoys watching the joy of a family reunited with their pet after recovering from an illness, knowing that she helped to achieve that return to health.  One area of interest at our clinic is laboratory work, running blood tests and other diagnostic procedures.

Jenna is mother to her young daughter and shares home with two dogs, Gage and Dallas.  She spends free time with family and friends.

Erin, Veterinary Assistant and Kennel Attendant since 2009.  Erin works at both our Spooner and Hayward locations.

Her backgound includes a Veterinary Assistant degree from Penn Foster, and she is currently enrolled in the Penn Foster Veterinary Technician program.  She likes the flexibility of the online format which allows her to pursue her studies and still work full time.

Erin’s family members have been clients at the Spooner Vet Clinic since the 70’s and so working here was a logical step for her.  A strong love for helping animals and people keeps her interested in this field of work.  She enjoys what she does here and learns something new every day, which keeps  it interesting.

She shares her home life with a large variety of pets, including 3 yorkies, a lab cross, 3 cats, 2 birds, and 3 rabbits.  When she isn’t caring for them, she likes to spend free time on the lake with her family and friends.

Desta, Certified Veterinary Technician at our Hayward and Spooner offices since 2007.

Desta earned her CVT degree at Penn Foster, online while working for us as a veterinary assistant.  She came to us interested in working at a high quality practice that cares for animals as she would care for her own pets.

Her favorite aspects of her job are educating pet owners about the health care of their pets.  Working at a vet clinic means that every day brings new challenges and more pets in need of help.  That keeps the job interesting and rewarding.

Desta shares home with her husband and 5 dogs and 6 ferrets.  She spends spare time gardening, walking her dogs and horseback riding.

Shannon, Certified Veterinary Technician since 1997, at both our Spooner and Hayward clinics.

Shannon attended college at Duluth Business Universtiy.  She was drawn to this field by an interest in animals and medicine.  The doctors she had met and the technology she saw here drew her to apply here.  Her favorite aspects are the puppies we see and caring for sick animals.  Assisting with surgery and finding interesting parasites on the microscope are two things that keep her job interesting.  She enjoys working on our team and helping to keep us organized behind the scenes.

She is mom to 3 children, wife, and shares home with 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 horses, a turtle, 2 guinea pigs, and countless sheep, ducks, racing pigeons and assorted barn animals.

Sommer, receptionist at our Spooner office since 2010. 

Sommer has worked in customer service for 10 years and brings those skills to our front office area.  She enjoys working with all of the different breeds of pets we see, as well as the variety of people who come in.  She was attracted to our clinic’s high quality services and our passion for animals.

Sommer shares home with one cat and enjoys camping and shopping in her free time.

Kathy, receptionist at our Hayward office since 2008.

Kathy’s background in customer service and her love of animals brought her to our clinics.  She can be found with a pet under one arm and a phone in the other hand, as she efficiently handles our busy times.  She likes helping owners feel better especially when they are worried about their pets.  Her attention to detail makes her especially good at her job.

Kathy shares home with her husband and 3 children, and 2 Chihuahuas.  She enjoys gardening and boating when she has free time.

LIsa, Certified Veterinary Technician at our Spooner office since 1993.

Lisa holds an Associate Degree in Animal Science.  She has worked with large and small animals, and has experience with both.  She enjoys helping people care for their animals.  Surgery is one of her favorite job tasks.

Lisa shares her home with her husband and 3 children, 3 dogs, 3 cats, 7 horses and assorted sheep, goats, cows and farm birds.  In her spare time she spins and knits wool, rides horses and enjoys family time.

Lori, Lead Receptionist at both our Spooner and Hayward offices since 2001.

Lori’s educational background is in Medical Terminology from WITC.  She was drawn to this field by an interest in the medical field and a love of animals.  She enjoys the people who come in our doors, taking a special interest in making them feel welcome.  She gets special satisfaction in seeing pets recover from serious illness or surgery and go back home with their owners.

Lori shares home with her husband and daughter, and 3 dogs.  She enjoys gardening and volunteering with the Spooner-Trego Lions Club doing community projects.

Hi, my name is Cindy Sloniker and I am the Practice Manager for both offices. I have worked for this company for over 30 years. I have been part of the growth and change of this company from one, small, primarily large animal clinic with two doctors and two employees, to two, large, totally small animal, high tech clinics with three doctors and a total of 21 employees. It has been a fulfilling, constantly changing, and exciting career. Even though I graduated from UW River Falls with a degree in secondary education, my education has not been wasted. Organizational and communication skills are a plus in any job, and are big part of this one dealing with vendors, staff, and clients.

Gary, my husband of almost 38 years and I have two grown daughters, Sara and Michelle and three grandchildren, Emma ,Zak, and Maddie. In my “free” time I enjoy gardening and landscaping, reading, sewing, cooking, decorating, glass etching, mosaic tile, and my family.

We live just a few miles outside of Spooner on a small hobby farm where we raise steers and pigs. Our resident lab, “Goofy Doofie”, makes our household complete.

Ashley, receptionist and veterinary assistant at our Hayward office since 2010. 

Ashley’s background in customer service and love for animals combine to make this job a great fit for her.  She has moved from the receptionist position to also handling responsibilities in patient care and is thriving on that challenge.  Although she does not have pets now, she hopes to adopt one soon. 

In her free time Ashley likes outdoor activities and concerts.

Cassie, Groomer at our Spooner office since 2005. 

Cassie started working for us as a receptionist and a veterinary assistant, and then used her experience as a groomer to move into our groomer position.  She enjoys seeing the finished project when a pets  leave the clinic with their owners, clean and well groomed.  She does a great job helping owners take good care of their pets’ haircoats.

Cassie and her husband share their home with 4 dogs, 2 cats and 3 horses.  In her spare time she rides her horses and enjoys fishing and gardening.