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Animal Care Hospital
Call us today! 319-378-9000
Call us today! 319-378-9000

1146 Blairs Ferry Rd NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

Our Careteam

Your pet’s emotional and physical well-being is prioritized with every visit. We put patients first!

Brenda

Brenda

Veterinary Technician

Brenda has fond memories of time spent on her grandparents’ farm while she was growing up—she bottle-fed calves with her grandmother and helped her grandfather tend to the barn cats. Her early experiences left a permanent impression, and her passion for animal care never wavered. Brenda is proud to have served the Cedar Rapids area for more than 11 years as one of Animal Care Hospital’s veterinary technicians.

Brenda is originally from Anamosa, Iowa and attended Kirkwood Community College to study veterinary technology. She completed a summer internship for her schooling right here at Animal Care Hospital, and was happy to accept a job offer in 2005. Brenda says there hasn’t had a dull moment here at the clinic since!

In her time away from work, Brenda likes to read, study history, and crochet. She and her husband now share their home with a kitten and hope to find it a playmate sometime soon.

Kieri

Kieri

Veterinary Technician

Kieri grew up with the family pets, and always wanted to do everything she could to help them live happier, healthier lives. That passion simply never left, so for Kieri, a career spent helping animals as a member of the veterinary profession made perfect sense. She’s proud to serve as a member of the veterinary assistant team here at Animal Care Hospital.

Originally from Marengo, Iowa, Kieri launched her animal-care journey in 2017 when she signed on at a grooming salon. She worked hard to perfect her craft and learned invaluable skills that continue to serve her well. Kieri remained at the salon for several years before deciding to take the leap into veterinary care—that’s when she joined Animal Care Hospital, and the rest is history.

Around the office, Kieri enjoys comforting animals and interacting one-on-one with their owners. For her, being able to make a difference for an entire family is what it’s all about.

Away from work, Kieri is an avid music fan (she’s seen Maroon 5 multiple times!) and dotes on her laid-back dog, Wendy.

Hannah

Hannah

Registered Veterinary Technician

Hannah grew up in the small town of Oran, Iowa where agriculture was all around her. Growing up she had dogs, cats, and rabbits as part of her family. When she started 4-H and FFA, you could find her showing dairy cattle and her rabbits at the local county fairs. From this she knew she wanted to find her way into the veterinary field.

She decided to go to Kirkwood to attend their Veterinary Technology program. After the move she saw a job opening at Animal Care Hospital and knew she had to apply. She started working at the clinic in September of 2020 and worked while attending college. She graduated from Kirkwood in May of 2022 and soon after passed her national and state boards becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician and even adopted her training dog from the program, a German Shepherd mix named River and took in a stray cat she named Walter.

Now she is working full time in the clinic and putting her school knowledge to use. She enjoys monitoring anesthesia for surgeries, performing dental cleanings and giving all the animals that come in lots of love. When not at work she enjoys going out on hikes with her dog or relaxing at home taking a nice nap with her pets.

Jordan

Jordan

Veterinary Technician

Jordan has had pets in her life as long as she can remember. When she has the chance to make a difference in the life of an animal, she takes it—that’s why she decided to join the world of veterinary medicine. Jordan brings her own pets here to the hospital, so becoming a member of the clinic team simply made sense.

Jordan is originally from Austin, Texas and moved to Iowa with her family when she was just a year old. As a client of Animal Care Hospital, Jordan was happy to join the team officially in August of 2020 working as a veterinary assistant and hopes to attend school in the future to become a licensed veterinary technician.

Outside of work, Jordan enjoys painting, crocheting, and spending time with her friends, family, and pets. She and her family have two cats and four dogs—Frank, Honey the Black Lab, a terrier called Dottie, and Lady the Corgi.

Chris

Chris

Head Veterinary Technician

Chris was raised on a farm west of Springville, Iowa, where a love of nature and science blossomed early on. His involvement in the 4-H program and the Future Farmers of America organization only deepened his passion for animals—veterinary medicine was the obvious career choice.

Chris began working for Animal Care Hospital as kennel worker and assistant in 1996, completing his veterinary technology degree in 2000. That same year, he also took over inventory-management duties, and in 2006, he accepted a promotion to Head Veterinary Technician.

Chris excels in pet dental cleaning—there are few things more satisfying for him than seeing a clean, happy mouth heading out the door after an appointment. He also has a special affinity for senior pet care.

Outside of work, Chris enjoys spending quality time in nature hiking, hunting, biking, and kayaking. He has one pet of his own at home: Ink Blot, a senior cat who is always at the front door to meet him when he arrives home.

Laura

Laura

Receptionist

Laura comes from a family of animal-lovers and has always wanted to give something back to the earth’s creatures. In pursuit of that goal, she hopes to eventually work in animal rescue and spread awareness about misunderstood breeds. For now, Laura is thrilled to be gaining invaluable experience in the veterinary profession staffing the front desk as one of Animal Care Hospital’s talented receptionists.

Laura is an Iowa native and attended Kirkwood Community College while also working as a kennel crewmember. Later, she volunteered at the Iowa Farm Sanctuary before joining the team at Animal Care Hospital in September of 2020. Laura really is looking forward to meeting area pets and their owners. 

Outside of animal care, Laura’s interests include cooking and baking, catching up on her favorite television shows, and spending time outdoors.  She also enjoys Broadway productions and operas as well as spending time with her boyfriend and caring for her dogs—Athena Jane, who is very rambunctious but also loves to cuddle up on the couch, and Diesel, who often acts as though he was raised by cats.

Rachel

Rachel

Receptionist

Rachel began her animal-care journey at a doggie daycare facility after working in the service industry for several years. Realizing that she had found her true passion, she pursued a Veterinary Assistant’s degree from Kirkwood Community College and worked at an emergency veterinary clinic for a year. Eventually, Rachel came across an opportunity at Animal Care Hospital where she started as a receptionist and worked her way up to become a Team Coordinator.

Recently, Rachel was promoted to a new role as a result of her exceptional client and pet care skills. She is particularly interested in surgical work and enjoys chatting with clients to hear their fun pet stories. In her free time, Rachel likes to play the piano, snowboard in the winter, and spend quality time with her family and their three cats, India, Bear, and Cupcake.

Moriah

Moriah

Veterinary Receptionist

Moriah grew up in Cedar Rapids with her parents, two younger siblings, and plenty of family pets. She’s adored the company of the earth’s creatures ever since she was a little girl. Getting to give something back by working as a member of the veterinary world is very rewarding for her! Moriah is a proud member of Animal Care Hospital’s reception team.

Shortly after moving to Mason City for her collegiate studies, Moriah took a job at the local Humane Society, where she got her foot in the door of the animal-care world. It was such a great experience that she knew she wanted to do even more. Moriah signed on here at Animal Care Hospital a short time later and hasn’t looked back since.

Away from work, Moriah enjoys drawing, playing video games, and doting on her own pets at home. She has two dogs, a cat, a bird, and two guinea pigs who enjoy eating to their hearts’ content and then screaming at Moriah when the food bowl is empty.

Rachel M.

Rachel M.

Veterinary Technician

As a child growing up in Davenport, IA, Rachel always knew she wanted to work with animals. And while her journey may have taken a few twists and turns along the way, she is thrilled to finally be in a career that she loves!

Following high school, Rachel earned her Applied Science degree from Kirkwood in 2012. After witnessing firsthand the incredible care her mother’s cat Scarlett received during a serious medical emergency, Rachel decided that animal health care was the path she was meant to complete. She returned to school in the summer of 2020 and became a Veterinary Technician.

In practice, Rachel particularly enjoys running blood work. She also has an interest in anesthesia for procedures and surgeries, because she understands how important it is for the safety and comfort of our patients.

At home, Rachel is a fur mom to three cats: Gerald, who is smart and loves attention; Gray, who is a world-class cuddler; and Bella, who has the cutest squeak of a meow and loves to have her belly and armpits scratched. 

Rachel served in the National Guard for six years, during which time she completed lots of different training exercises before eventually being promoted to E5 Sergeant Team Leader. Her most memorable experience was completing the side winder competition, a 24-hour physical and mental competition with lots of different tasks and events competing against other military units in Iowa.

Tay

Tay

Kennel Worker

As a kid growing up in Cedar Rapids, Tay didn’t have many personal interests other than helping animals. Now, as a Kennel Worker here at Animal Care Hospital, Tay will have the opportunity to turn that lifelong interest into a truly fulfilling career.

Outside of work, Tay is pet-parent to a small zoo of animals, including seven dogs (Princess, Panda, Tyson, Loki, Thor, PJ, and Gremlin), one cat (Lily), and three snakes (Benny, BJ, and Sapphire). So far, Tay has taught all of the dogs how to shake hands.

When not tending to all the animals at home, Tay enjoys running and is proud to hold the family record!

Shay

Shay

Receptionist / Team Coordinator

Shay has known many pet fosters and witnessed firsthand the struggle to find them good homes and help people obtain affordable vet care. Seeing those challenges from both sides triggered a desire to help pets and their families. As team coordinator and one of our rock star receptionists, Shay gets to do just that!

Shay didn’t always work in the animal care industry. In fact, in late 2021, she decided to take a leap of faith and change career paths. She joined the Animal Care Hospital team that October and instantly fell in love. Despite not having the stomach for the clinical side of things, she is still able to help other pet parents do the best they can for their cherished companions.

Shay’s family outside the clinic consists of her Fiancé and their two cats, Esti and Tola. A self-described collector of crystals and lover of caffeine, Shay also enjoys reading, crafting, and playing video games.

Kim

Kim

Receptionist

Kim grew up in Cedar Rapids in a house full of pets. When she was younger, she thought she might want to become a marine mammal biologist. As often happens with life, plans change, and Kim ended up pursuing a career as a professional groomer instead. Having recently retired from grooming, she realized she missed interacting with pets in a clinical setting, so she decided to join the ACH team as a receptionist!

Kim spent several years grooming for large companies before deciding to move to something smaller and more personal. She worked as a groomer and part time receptionist at another nearby hospital for four years before deciding to hang up the clippers for good. She wasn’t retired for long, however, and everyone here at ACH is grateful for that! Professionally, Kim enjoys seeing the variety of pets that come in, and the unique “behind the scenes” experience.

Outside of the clinic, Kim is married with two young sons. The family’s furry members include three cats: Luci, Squeak, and Bee, and a tiny dog named Clifford. Luci likes to hunt at night and frequently leaves baby toys, dirty socks, and other random things under the bed. Clifford loves camping, cuddles, and waiting under the highchair for food scraps.

On the rare occasion that she has spare time, you’ll likely find Kim cooking, baking, or crafting.

Holly

Holly

Receptionist

Holly grew up surrounded by pets and developed a passion for animals at a very young age. As she got older, she knew that she wanted to pursue a career that would let her share that passion with others. As one of our amazing receptionists, Holly helps our clients and patients feel welcome and comfortable during their visits!

At home, Holly has many pets of her own, including a dog named Bailey, who knows how to high five, a mini pig named Wednesday, a hedgehog named Rose, a hairless guinea pig named Peaches, and several snakes and geckos. Holly was recently able to successfully breed her crested gecko and leopard gecko, which resulted in a few happy, healthy babies.

Kayla

Kayla

 Hospital Manager

Bio coming soon.