Animal Hospital of Sebastopol
Our Veterinary Team
Our team is here to help. At Animal Hospital of Sebastopol, we treat you and your pets like our family.
Animal Hospital of Sebastopol
Meet our Veterinary Team
Dr. Nicole Canon, DVM, MPVM
Practice Owner – Team Member since February 2002
Dr. Nicole Canon is an alumna of both UC Davis and Colorado State University. She completed her undergraduate degree and received her Master’s degree in Preventive Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis and achieved her Veterinary degree in Colorado. She also lived in Springfield, VA while completing an extensive internship that covered small animal emergencies, internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, and radiation oncology. Finally, she completed coursework in veterinary acupuncture. She came to work at the Animal Hospital of Sebastopol in 2002 and liked it so much, that she bought it in 2007. For fun, Dr. Nicole spends her time outside skiing, sailing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding. She loves sharing her home with her husband, two cats, and a dog.
Dr. Charlotte Rockwood, DVM
Veterinarian, Team Member since October 2010
Dr. Charlotte Rockwood is a Sebastopol native. After graduating from veterinary school at the University of California, Davis, she completed a year-long intensive internship is southern California. During this time, she received additional training in internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, radiology and oncology. Dr. Charlotte jointed the Animal Hospital of Sebastopol in 2010. She enjoys being a pet’s primary care doctor, and focuses on preventative care with a special interest in geriatric care. Dr. Charlotte lives with her husband and two young children, their bossy terrier Iris, and cat Freya. When she has free time, Dr. Charlotte enjoys being outdoors, especially hiking and gardening, reading and cooking.
Dr. Gwen Miller, DVM
Veterinarian – Team Member since June 2012
Dr. Gwen Miller is originally from the San Diego area. She moved to Northern California to attend college, and decided it is the place to be! She completed both undergraduate and veterinary degrees at UC Davis and then relocated to the North Bay to pursue an internship at Pet Care Veterinary Hospital. She has been working here at Animal Hospital of Sebastopol since 2012 and enjoys the interactions with people and animals (both old and new!) that she gets here. She and her husband are kept busy at home with 2 small children. Rounding out the household are two mature kitties and a joyfully enthusiastic Great Pyrennes, Albi.
Dr. Giulianna Chierici, BVM&S
Veterinarian – Team Member since July 2018
Dr. Giulianna Chierici is a Sonoma County native, having grown up in Santa Rosa. After obtaining her undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University, she pursued her life-long dream of being a Vet and moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to attend the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. She has special interests in surgery and exotic animal medicine. In her free time, Dr. Giulianna loves to be active by doing yoga, hiking, and going to the gym. She also loves to cook and bake for her friends and family. She currently has a cat named Loki, but can’t wait to add a dog (and maybe a lizard!) to the group.
Dr. Jill Hoffman, DVM
Veterinarian – Team Member since July 2015
Dr. Jill Hoffman grew up on a koi farm in Fremont, CA next door to Fremont Animal Hospital. She and her sister spent their childhood swimming in the koi ponds and catching feral cats to be neutered next door. She completed her undergraduate degree at Humboldt State University and fell in love with the North Coast. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from veterinary school at UC Davis in 2002, she practiced as a small animal vet for 11 years in San Jose before she and her husband fulfilled a dream by moving to Sebastopol. Dr. Jill especially enjoys being a part of the human-animal bond and sharing that bond with her clients and patients through all life stages. She shares her home with three big dogs, three chickens, and her husband. Outside of work she enjoys reading with dogs on her lap, traveling with her husband, and taking the dogs to the river and beach for adventures.
Dr. Barbara Farrell, DVM
Veterinarian
Dr. Barbara Farrell is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and received her veterinary and Master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota. She worked as a veterinarian in San Francisco and the Bay Area for 18 years before moving to Sonoma County and coming to work at the Animal Hospital of Sebastopol in 2006. She loves all the variety and challenges of being a family practice veterinarian. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping and traveling. She lives in Forestville with her husband and two house cats.
Meet our Veterinary Care Team
Megan Lovejoy
Bio coming soon.
Rosario Alvarado
Veterinary Technician, Team Member since October 2020
Rosario was born and raised in Sonoma County. She has a passion for caring for and being around animals. She started her job taking care of animals at a boarding facility then decided to work her way into the veterinary field. She is currently in school working towards her RVT. Rosario has two precious rescue pups named Penny & Bella. She spends most of her free time taking her pups on adventures, hiking, spontaneous beach trips, and trying new bakeries around Sonoma County.
Bella Iannacone
Kennel Staff and Tech Assistant, Team Member since June 2020
Bio coming soon.
Gina Micheletti
Veterinary Technician – Team Member since July 2015
Gina grew up in the apple orchards of Sebastopol, graduating from Analy High School and attending classes at SRJC. Gina has always loved to care for animals and has been pet sitting since she was a young girl. She operated a dog walking and pet sitting business in the Russian River area for over twenty years. She also apprenticed with her father learning his musical instrument repair business and is carrying on his instrument repair legacy on her days off from the Animal Hospital of Sebastopol. She currently lives with her two beloved dogs, two spoiled cats, her family’s 58 year old tortoise, a giant goldfish, a flock of chickens and a crazy rooster. In her free time she enjoys hiking and exploring with her dogs, gardening, road trips, camping and live music.
Mindy Halpern
Veterinary Technician – Team Member since November 2000
Animals have always been a passion of Mindy’s. She feels very blessed to have been working with our ‘furry friends’ her entire adult life. She has been at The Animal Hospital of Sebastopol since 2000, making her our employee with the most seniority! Kindness & compassion are her guiding Light. She believes we must make this World a better place where peace & love dominate our hearts. She lives with her two small, perfect pups, Indy and Charley Nibbles. She takes great pleasure in braiding Mr. Nibbles’s hair and giving Indy nothing but love.
Allayna Fry
Veterinary Technician – Team Member since June 2015
Bio coming soon.
Ashley Wilson
Veterinary Technician – Team Member since 2020
Ashley grew up in Cotati and has always wanted to work with animals. She moved to Los Angeles in 2015 where she lived for 5 years and began her career in veterinary medicine working at a hospital in Malibu. She has a golden retriever named Gander (pictured) who is her whole world. She enjoys camping, playing soccer, and of course, caring for any and all animals with a passion. She is currently in school working toward her RVT!
Brenda Rynders
Veterinary Assistant – Team Member since September 2021
Bio coming soon.
Tanya Reyes
Veterinary Assistant – Team Member since July 2021
Bio coming soon.
Judy Fusco
Office Manager, Registered Veterinary Technician – Team Member since March 2003
Judy was born and raised in Sebastopol. She still resides on her family property with her husband, two dogs and a very robust cat. She attended SRJC where she completed the veterinary technician program to obtain her RVT license. She currently manages the hospital while still getting the pleasure of working with all of our sweet, furry patients. Outside of work she enjoys as much travel as possible as well as exploring the beauty of our own Sonoma County.
Hayley MacNab
Customer Service Manager, Veterinary Assistant – Team Member since January 2018
Bio coming soon.
Heidi Powers
Office Administrator – Team Member since July 2007
Bio coming soon.
Truly Shields
Customer Service Representative, Team Member since May 2021
Bio coming soon.
Ann McDonough
Customer Service Representative, Veterinary Assistant – Team Member since June 2006
Bio coming soon.
Katy Cardwell
Customer Service Representative, Veterinary Assistant
Katy joined Animal Hospital of Sebastopol early in 2022 and plans to stay “forever.” A Petaluma native, she says the local beauty and climate can’t be beat. She and her husband, Bud, grew up backpacking and camping primarily in the Sierras. These days they share their adventures with cattle dogs, Buster and Biscuit, and feline, Fresca. They enjoy road-trips, reading, photography, documentaries, music, fetch, walks, water time and looking for squirrels.
Lia Fonseca-Cierley
Lia has spent her entire life surrounded by a plethora of pets of all shapes and sizes and adored each and every one of them. She found her passion for animals after working at doggy daycares and worked her way into the veterinary field, where she decided to park her paws. She enjoys not only helping the animals but the people as well! Lia spends her free time with her 100-pound gentle giant Dozer and her tiny human Braden.
Victoria Bell
Technician Assistant, Team Member
Bio Coming Soon.
Emma Pederson
Veterinary Technician, Team Member
Bio Coming Soon.
Andrea Briones
Vet Assistant, Team Member
Bio Coming Soon.
Alice Downing
Vet Assistant, Team Member
Alice grew up in a small farm town in Central California. She obtained her RN degree at age 20. She has worked in oncology, high-risk obstetrics, prison inmate care, hospice, and the AIDS unit at San Francisco General Hospital. She moved to Sebastopol in 1989 to continue her work as an RN. She has always loved animals and working with them. She started her transition to veterinary medicine by attending the SRJC Veterinary Technician program. Alice has been working at Animal Hospital of Sebastopol for 16 years, starting as a volunteer. Her nursing background is helpful in dealing with clients and their humans, especially when it comes to end-of-life transition. She is able to be there in a very compassionate and understanding way, not shying away from death but embracing the relief of suffering that our clients and their humans desperately need. She is very proud of the high quality of care provided by our very talented team of doctors, technicians, and support staff. When it comes to relaxing, Alice, an avid kayaker, loves paddling rivers, lakes, oceans, caves, and the San Francisco Bay. She takes every opportunity to be on the water. She recently completed 1000 miles of rowing in 15 months.
Sophia Livenspargar
Veterinary Technician, Team Member
Sophia was born and raised in Sonoma County. She graduated from the SRJC in 2022 and has recently acquired her RVT license. She enjoys baking and often enlists her coworkers as taste testers, who are eager to partake. Her dream is to one day work with big cats (snow leopards are her favorite!). In the meantime, she takes care of two little cats at home. Sophia loves to hike, camp, and visit aquariums and sanctuaries wherever she goes.
Colton Slack
Technician Assistant, Team Member
Bio Coming Soon.
Britni Whitlow
Vet Assistant, Team Member
Britni was born and raised in Sonoma County. She always dreamed of finding a job where she could love all the animals and has found that here. Loves to spend time with her three fur babies. The boss cat of the house, Emma, and her 2 dogs Deja and Zoey. In her free time, she loves going to the beach, camping, being with family, and trying new restaurants with her husband.
Jessica Urmann
Team Member
Jessica’s love for animals began at a young age. Born and raised in Windsor, she spent the summers of her childhood catching various creatures from her rural back yard, and helping her grandmother in the garden. She developed a love for cooking from her mother, and a love for working on Jeeps from her father. In her spare time she enjoys doing arts and crafts, consisting of anything from watercolor paintings to refurbishing old furniture. After a day at work, helping clients and caring for patients, she comes home to her cat Ace and a collection of tarantulas and fish tanks.
Althea Johnson
Team Member
Bio Coming Soon.
Emily Skidmore
Team Member
Bio Coming Soon.