East/NE/SE Portland, Gresham & Troutdale Sitters
Stacey lyngheim, Certified veterinary technician, Owner
Stacey got into pet sitting after recognizing a need for veterinary trained pet caregivers. She's been doing it a long time! 20 years veterinary and pet sitting experience! Stacey's last kitty was diabetic, so she has extensive personal and professional experience with that particular disease. Her time spend working at a cat hotel only increased her fantastic "cat whispering" skills.
Stacey had a "problem child" cat, who helped in developing her special interest in feline endocrinology. Diabetes is notoriously one of the most complicated medical conditions to treat in veterinary medicine. Stacey's kitty inspired her to learn anything & everything it. She was frequently called the "resident hospital diabetes expert" & assisted doctors in adjusting doses to increase the likelihood of remission. Because of her diabetic cat, Stacey has completed additional education on hypoglycemia, Somogyi phenomenon, hyperosmolar syndrome, & diabetes induced urinary tract infections. It's a running joke that vet tech pets collect medical problems like some people collect baseball cards. Stacey's cat was no exception, which meant she also needed to become well versed in acromegaly, hyperthyroidism, chronic pancreatitis & inflammatory bowel disease. She is also highly experienced with glacoma & pyelonephritis.
Stacey pet sits for VPSP full time offering both home visits & overnight stays. As the business owner, she needs flexibility to help whenever needed, so Stacey does not do 24 hour care. When she's not making her pet care rounds and doing the behind the scenes stuff, she can be found working towards her 3rd degree black belt or curled up with a good book.
Kara Sinnott, Former Certified Veterinary technician
Kara is another fabulous sitter with VSPS who has years of experience under her belt. She has been a proud member of the veterinary medical community and an excellent pet sitter for more than 20 years. Kara is a former Certified Veterinary Technician, so her clients take comfort in knowing she upholds the highest of standards.
Her absolute favorites are the senior citizens of the pet world. She is also a huge fan of birds but takes care of a huge variety of species & is a pet cuddle master. Kara's career included a significant amount of time working at a veterinary emergency hospital, so she knows how to stay calm under pressure.
Kara calls her reservations "pet sitting joys" because there is nothing she loves more than happy clients & happy pets. Owners are so pleased with the level of care she brings, the car Kara currently drives was a gift from an extremely satisfied & generous client!
She also doesn't necessarily mind traveling so if you're not finding your home or farm in one of our sitters' service areas, Kara might be able to help out. Kara does overnights & 24 hour care mostly but also does home visits on a limited basis. When she feels the need to recharge, Kara loves heading to the beach for a little "wave therapy."
Nica Morgan, Certified veterinary technician
Nica is another excellent Certified Veterinary Technician on our team. She's available for home visits & weekend walks for cats & dogs. Nica has been in the veterinary profession for quite some time & is licensed in California as well as Oregon. She is especially fascinated by animal behavior, earning her Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional Certification through the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Nica hopes to someday become a behavior specialist.
She is quite knowledgeable in all things wellness & preventative care, so if you ever find yourself in need of some advice or some direction on puppy training, Nica would be glad to help out! She is available for both phone & in person behavior/training consults too. When not working part time for VPSP, Nica loves exploring Oregon's many hiking trails with her husband & really expensive canine companion, Chomper.
katherine "rin" Abel, Veterinary technician, assistant manager
Rin joins our team with 20 years veterinary experience & has been pet sitting for quite some time! She has done almost a decade in emergency/critical care & has worked closely with an avian & exotics veterinarian. While working in Florida, she was involved in the care of many species, including raccoons, venomous snakes & even crocodiles! Speaking of that, Rin also successfully obtained a venomous permit in that state, which allowed her to own an assortment of dangerous pets. That is a long & rigorous process with less than 300 people in Florida having that clearance.
She has bred and raised geckos and tarantulas, collected invasive snakes in the Everglades, learned about the care and handling of venomous snakes, and had pet birds, rats, rabbits, reptiles, and guinea pigs. Rin attended veterinary technician school, earning a 4.0 GPA. She is also experienced with cat & dog CPR & has taken continuing education on fear free handling of cats. Her absolute favorites are senior pets with complex medical conditions, especially our kitty friends.
Rin has also worked at the only clinic with board certified exotics veterinarians, which honed her knowledge base of the more unusual creatures. Her resume includes extensive work in both emergency/critical care & urgent care medicine. Our long term plan is to keep her busy enough she can work for us full time! She can do lots of drop in visits & some overnights on a more limited basis. Rin is currently owned by a tarantula named Judy, Podcast aka "Pod", who is an unholy feline terror at the vet & Soar, an adventorous whippet who is always down for 10 mile hikes . When Rin isn't working in the vet world & pet sitting, she can be found horseback riding, rock climbing & what she calls "getting lost in the forest".
Samantha mckinney, veterinary technician assistant
Samantha is excited to join the VPSP team & utilize her
skills. She has been working in the veterinary field for 8 years & has been
pet sitting for quite a while too. Samantha has worked professionally with dogs,
cats, birds & exotics. Her time at Avian Medical Center helped her develop excellent
low stress handling techniques. She is a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional
& has earned her Cat Friendly certification as well.
Samantha’s
goal is to get back into school to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. She
is also interested in obtaining her wildlife rehabilitation license. She is
available for home visits, standard overnights & can occasionally do 24
hour care on her days off. She is fascinated with animal behavior & has a
soft spot for those with fear/anxiety related issues. Samantha is quite
experienced with a multitude of illnesses & injuries in a variety of
species so we are very lucky to have her!
Amy Brougher, Certified veterinary technician
Amy actually started out as a VPSP client. Then she decided
she liked us so much she inquired about joining our team!
Amy started her career as a veterinary assistant in 2016, obtaining her certified
veterinary technician license in 2018. She is still actively licensed in the state
of Idaho & has worked in the vet field for over a decade. Amy has professional
experience working with cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, pocket pets, & some
reptiles. Just no snakes please! She started pet sitting in 2012 & cared
for a variety of species, including everything from cockatoos to chinchillas, even
frogs!
She has worked in small animal medicine as well as a veterinary emergency/intensive
care unit for some time.
Amy has a soft spot for small birds & pocket pets
especially seniors & those with special needs. Her animal care career began
at a cats exclusive boarding facility, which developed her love of feline
friends. Amy also enjoys high energy dogs. We would hope so, she since has one!
She spent four summers employed as a wildlife rehabilitator, nursing injured
& orphaned birds back to health. Amy worked closely with an avian
veterinarian & enjoys volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah with the birds at their
"Parrot Garden". She has advanced education, completing level
1 and 2 of the fundamentals of aviculture course through the American
Federation of Aviculture, and a comprehensive bird biology course through the
ornithology department at Cornell University. Amy just completed her Bachelors in psychology & is starting a Master's of social work program in September in hopes of providing clinical mental health counseling to those in the veterinary & healthcare industries.
Amy will be doing drop
in home visits for pets living in NE/SE Portland, Gresham/Troutdale, Beaverton
& South Vancouver. She will not be doing overnight/24-hour care for VPSP
but we’re certain we can keep her busy.
Amy is currently owned by Nalu, a Belgian Malinois & a flock of six
birds.
Keri edie, former licensed veterinary technician, client service administrator
Keri is a 20-year veteran of the veterinary field, caring for
everything from cats & dogs, to ferrets, reptiles & pocket pets. She’s
even rehabilitated baby seals! Keri gained further experience with exotics at
OMSI, where she was involved in handling, animal husbandry & educating the
public. She has a varied resume that includes general practice, specialty
medicine, ER work & wildlife rehabilitation.
Keri is a former licensed
veterinary technician, before pivoting to focus on veterinary practice
management.
Keri is a Fear Free certified veterinary professional &
has been pet sitting for many years through referrals at the clinics &
hospitals where she has worked. She is comfortable caring for just about every
species, with the exception of birds & pets with mobility issues over 25 lbs.
who need active assistance. Vet med is not kind to our bodies!
Keri enjoys
spending extra time with pets, ensuring they get the care, love & attention
they deserve.
Keri will be primarily helping VPSP out with drop in home
visits located in NE/SE Portland. Once we get her trained up, she will be
lending a hand in more of an administrative capacity.
We’re thrilled to have her join our team!
Dannielle "Danni" Wallace, veterinary technician
Danni is a 12 year veteran of the veterinary field & she is super excited to join the VPSP team. She is well versed in dogs, cats & some exotic species. Danni & VPSP Owner Stacey go way back, working together for 8 years in a fast paced vet hospital that saw many emergencies. They've been such good friends for so long, Danni & her family attended Stacey's wedding! She earned the nickname "Mighty Mouse" for her ability to work quickly & efficiently, with a positive attitude. If timed kitty nail trims were an Olympic event, Danni would take the gold! Danni's favorite moment of her veterinary career was assisting with an emergency c-section & reviving a puppy who was previously thought to be a goner. She is highly experienced in preventative care, urinary issues, dermatology & parasitology. Danni will be helping us out primarily in Gresham, Troutdale & East/NE/SE Portland but will have the flexibility to take care of our clients who live further outside our normal service areas. She will be available for drop in home visits, exotics care & overnights. Danni & her family have a whole menagerie of pets to keep her skills sharp. We're lucky to have her!
Jakson ewing, veterinary technician
We are excited to introduce Jakson as our newest team member! Jakson’s veterinary career began in high school when he began working in shelter medicine. He worked in emergency medicine, transitioning to general practice. There Jakson was able to form lifelong bonds with clients for whom he pet sat for. Jakson enjoys caring for medically complex and/or behaviorally challenging pets, with a special interest in diabetes, hyperthyroidism & FIP. He also used his skills to assist elderly or differently abled persons as well. Jakson currently works as a radioactive iodine technician at a specialty hospital for hyperthyroid cats. If you have any questions about that particular disease, Jakson is your guy! Jakson will be helping us with drop in visits in SE Portland & surrounding areas. He is also able to do overnights during his 4 day weekends. Jakson is a wonderful addition to our team, already a certified assistant in Oregon & we are wishing him the best of luck when he challenges the veterinary technician boards later this fall. Jakson is already Fear Free certified at the Elite level & has also earned his Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional certification. We're lucky to have him!
Portland/West Side sitters
lisa daross, Certified veterinary technician
Lisa's veterinary career spans multiple decades, including more than 10 years in emergency/critical care. She is a actively licensed veterinary technician in Oregon & previously in California as well. Lisa has a special interest in labrador retrievers, breeding & showing for several decades. She was considered a top breeder based on the sheer number of champions produced! This also led her to get involved in AKC dog obedience training at the national level.
Lisa is comfortable working with dogs of all ages, fractious & fragile cats & rabbits. She has extensive experience with horses & some with rats. Lisa can even do livestock! She is also quite familiar with diabetes & has a lot of empathy for how complicated that condition can be.
She lives in the West side but is available for overnights & 24 hour care on her side of town as well as the Portland metro areas. Lisa can also do drop in home visits near her own neighborhoods. We are excited for the wealth of knowledge & experience she brings to pet sitting! She can frequently be found spending time with her horse, who enjoys photo-bombing selfies!
Coulumbia county & beyond sitter
Jessica Lundgren, Certified veterinary technician
Jessica is a certified veterinary technician & a 16-year
veteran of the field. She’s done a little bit of everything – mixed animal
practice, small animals & exotics. The absolute love of her life is
dachshunds. Jessica has extensive experience
caring for dogs, cats, birds/parrots, chickens, reptiles, mice, rodents of
all sizes, rabbits, sugar gliders, chinchillas & ferrets. Her mixed animal
practice means she can also handle livestock such as horses, llamas, alpacas,
goats, and sheep.
Jessica currently resides in St. Helen’s but isn’t afraid to
travel. It is easiest for her to take care of pets in St Helens, Scappoose, Warren, and
Columbia City but can do short term & extended overnights to client homes
located in the Portland & Vancouver Metro areas, including Beaverton,
Camas, Washougal & Hillsboro.
Jessica handles overnights a little differently in that she
prefers doing 24/7 care. Included is two walks and as many potty breaks
necessary. This is a good option for pets with separation anxiety, need
constant monitoring due to health/mobility issues or those who have become
accustomed to their humans working from home. Our 24 hour care option is where the sitter spends the night as well as the majority of the day.
