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Cheryl Vandal
Hospital Manager
Cheryl grew up in Ottawa and spent a lot of time on her grandparents’ farm as a child, where she always admired her grandpa’s innate knack for communicating with his animals. The work horses, milk cows, finicky roosters, and ever-faithful farm dogs just seemed to respond to him in a special way, and Cheryl knew that she wanted to share those same bonds with the earth’s creatures. That’s why she decided to become a veterinary professional and help all of the pets she possibly could!
After high school, Cheryl studied animal science in university before getting married. While living in Campbellford, Ontario, she began working at a local veterinary clinic, then moved to Winnipeg and started as the sole employee at a brand-new hospital there. Cheryl would remain at that clinic for the next two decades, serving in many roles including Hospital Manager. Next, she returned to central Ontario and joined the team here at Peterborough West Animal Hospital in 2013. She’s been a member of the family ever since!
Around the hospital, Cheryl loves innovating to find new ways to move the practice forward, both in client service and medical improvements. She’s especially proud of getting ultrasound added to the clinic’s roster of diagnostic tools recently! Cheryl also loves working closely with her team members and meeting new pet owners and their animal companions on a daily basis.
In her spare time, Cheryl is an avid gardener and especially loves planting flowers. She’s also fond of traveling, reading historical fiction, and spending quality time with her family and pets. Cheryl has three grown daughters as well as four fabulous grandchildren, and she shares her home with two pets: a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog named Bailey who Cheryl calls her “Velcro” dog; and an affectionate ragdoll cat, Monty, who is the sweetest pet until he sees a brush or nail trimmer.
Caitlin Stephenson
Registered Veterinary Technician
Caitlin is a full-time Veterinary Technician. She grew up in Peterborough, and completed her studies at St. Lawrence College in Kingston in 2013. During her time in Kingston, Caitlin spent her time at the Humane Society, as well as at Queen’s University in the Animal Care department. In the past, Caitlin has spent her time volunteering at local vet clinics, as well as an animal shelter in Lakefield.
She has also had the opportunity to learn about exotic animals through a placement at the Peterborough Zoo. She has always loved all animals, so spending her days surrounded by furry friends is a dream come true! Caitlin has two, 4 year old golden retrievers (brother and sister!) named Willow and Cooper. Together with the rest of the family, they enjoy exploring nature through hiking, swimming and camping.
Victoria McEldon
Registered Veterinary Technician
Victoria is one of our Registered Veterinary Technicians at Peterborough West Animal Hospital. She moved from Scarborough to Millbrook in 2001. Since moving to Peterborough County her family developed their own little patch of heaven into a small hobby farm. Her home is not complete without her 4-legged family of dogs, cats, horses and cattle. Victoria’s goal is to purchase a local farm in the near future to call home. She has a small herd of Simmental cattle that she continues to grow and genetically improve.
Victoria was an active participant in 4H growing up, competing at both local and national level competitions. Once she graduated from 4-H she became a local 4-H volunteer and active agricultural member in the community. She loves to share her knowledge of and promote the agriculture industry within the community. Victoria’s special interest in animal husbandry and medicine was influenced greatly by her experiences in 4-H, part-time jobs at local veterinary clinics and her exposure to the agricultural industry in general. She became a licensed RVT in 2016 after graduating from the Veterinary Technology program at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. Since graduating, she has worked in both small and large animal veterinary fields. Victoria is excited to become a member of the Peterborough West Animal Hospital where she can further develop her skills and knowledge within the veterinary field.
Miranda Jaime, RVT
Registered Veterinary Technician
Miranda knew early on that she wanted to help others’ animal companions live happy, healthy lives. That was thanks in part to her first dog, Bailey the Golden Retriever, who was by Miranda’s side throughout Technician school and into parenthood. Her passion for pet care just didn’t quit! Now, she gets to help animals daily as a Registered Veterinary Technician.
Miranda hails from the Greater Toronto area and worked for various clinics after finishing up her schooling. She relocated to Peterborough in 2020 to be closer to family, and joined the Peterborough West Animal Hospital team in June. As a Tech, she’s particularly fond of new pet visits and can’t get enough of adorable puppies and kittens. Miranda also loves to put her nursing skills to good use, and her favorite part of every shift is getting to know clients and their pets on a personal level.
When she’s not at work, Miranda can be found gardening, playing video games, exploring all that Peterborough has to offer, and spending quality time with her family. She and her husband have two daughters as well as an English bulldog, a French bulldog, a pair of cats, a ferret, and a hamster.
Laura Goslin
Veterinary Technician
A family friend who is a veterinarian inspired Laura to join the world of animal care herself. She volunteered at the family friend’s clinic throughout her high-school career and even worked at her emergency clinic. Now, Laura gets to work alongside that very same friend at Peterborough West Animal Hospital! She’s a proud member of the clinic’s Veterinary Technician team.
Born and raised in Ennismore, Laura completed her high-school co-operative career placement at the Peterborough Humane Society. Next, she headed to St. Lawrence College in Kingston to earn her degree in arts and science before receiving her degree in veterinary technology from Sheridan College a short time later. It wasn’t long before Laura joined the team here at Peterborough West Animal Hospital—she’s been a member of the hospital family since April of 2016.
Laura particularly loves performing dental cleanings, and always finds it incredibly rewarding to see a pet’s clean and healthy mouth. She’s also fond of venipuncture and supportive care for sick patients. Above all, though, Laura loves knowing that she’s able to make a real difference for the families of the community.
Away from work, Laura spends much of her free time raising her young son. The family also shares their home with a friendly German Wirehaired Pointer named Daley, Miley the Calico cat, and a surprisingly affectionate Beta fish who goes by Cook. When she’s not spending time with family or helping pets and animal owners here at the clinic, Laura loves hiking, gardening, traveling—she backpacked through Europe with a friend during a summer break from college, hitting five countries and eight cities along the way!—and bartending. She paid for her entire schooling by serving and bartending, and currently runs a mobile bartending service during her free time.
Jennifer Bellissimo
Veterinary Assistant
Jennifer is one our valued vet assistants here at Peterborough West Animal Hospital. She became a team member in 2012 and is also one of our frontline client care specialists. Jennifer also plays a key role in our business development here at the hospital. Originally from Mississauga, Ontario, she moved to Peterborough in 2008 with her husband. For as long as she can remember, Jennifer has had a strong connection with animals and has always wanted to work with them. When she moved to Peterborough, Jennifer did some volunteer work at a local animal shelter as well as an animal hospital.
Jennifer graduated from the University of Guelph where she completed a B.A. in health sciences, sociology and criminology. Her career path led her to an exciting sales and marketing position with Sun Media which she excelled at selling and developing advertising strategies for major companies.
While working part-time with us Jennifer also attended Fleming College to study in the paralegal program. She became a licensed paralegal in 2014.
At Peterborough West Animal Hospital, Jennifer gets to meet and get to know some pretty amazing pets and pet owners! She has formed many strong relationships with clients and their pets over the years and continues to provide the exceptional service clients deserve and expect.
Jennifer has 3 cats, C.J, Bella and Scooter, and a Bearded Collie named Brody that keep her and her husband busy and happy. Aside from animal care, Jennifer also has a passion for landscaping, travelling, outside adventures and continuing education.
Jenn Adlam
Veterinary Assistant
Jenn is a part-time receptionist at Peterborough West Animal Hospital, where she works on Saturday mornings. Jenn has lived just outside of Peterborough all her life. She is a true country girl at heart. She has a younger brother and sister and a very cute nephew, whom she loves to spoil! Jenn also works at Canterbury Gardens in the Activity Department. She enjoys spending time with seniors.
She currently has 5 cats that live with her: Brysen, Goofy, Mamma, Gus and Ollie. All of her cats were rescued from various locations, including a culvert. Jenn really likes to keep the veterinarians on their toes with her constant feline medical issues. Jenn also has a Border Terrier named Jilly Bean and two guinea pigs named Winston and Tobi. Winston has no hair!
23,458
Sloppy Kisses
19,389
Bellies Rubbed
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Treats Given
