Our Team

Dr. April Hahn

Dr. April Hahn grew up in the small town of Gananoque, Ontario. As a second generation Veterinarian, April has learned a compassion not only for our 4 legged companions, but also a keen understanding for the deep relationship that they represent to their owners. April, like her Father, is most genuinely thrilled when working on difficult problems or decisions, and using her skills to assist clients to a truly positive outcome

Shortly after graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph (2007), April travelled to New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for work, play and growth. During this time she interacted with many different people with an equal amount of different approaches to medicine, work and life in general. In practice today, April draws from her journey to offer her own unique brand of care that is kind, creative, respectful and fair.

April and her husband Brent, plan on sharing their life passions for skiing, mountain biking, music, scuba diving, travel, and the outdoors, with their 2 children Oliver and Felix. After moving to the Kootenays, in 2010, it was an easy decision to take up roots in this special little corner of B.C.

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Dr. Christel Stanton

Christel grew up in Rossland, BC and always felt it was her home, even when attending schools as far away as St. Louis, Edmonton and Saskatoon. Following graduation from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008, Christel started work in mixed animal practice in Cranbrook, BC. Develping her skills as a veterinarian during this time, was a wonderful experience but the West Kootenays were calling her home. She made the move to Castlegar in 2010 and was happy to be able to work and live, closer to family and friends. She started work in Nelson, in small animal practice, working mostly with dogs and cats but also developing a special interest in pocket pets such as rabbits, small rodents and guinea pigs. During her years in Nelson, Christel felt priviledged to experience and enrich so many relationships between people and their animal companions.

In the last few years Christal has started a family and has two young children, Lane and Chasey that keep her very busy at home. Her family recently made the move to Rossland where they love getting outside and into the mountains. Together she and her family can be found enjoying one of their favorite activities together. Camping, quading, hiking, fishing, skidooing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, snowboarding and pretty much any other activity that takes them outside and into the mountains she grew up in!

In the years since graduation, Christel has found she enjoys the challenging cases in veterinary medicine, but has also discovered she derives great satisfaction in seeing the joy and comfort animals can bring to the owners.

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Dr. Emma Park

Emma was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. An active city nestled right beside mountains so I suppose it's no surprise she ended up living in Trail, BC. Growing up she was surrounded by animals of all sorts but guinea pigs, cats and dogs were the first to steal her heart. Her very first pet was a guinea pig aptly named "Scruffy" and is the creature where her love of animals started. A love and a passion which has followed her through an undergraduate degree in Animal Biology and her veterinary degree from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine which she graduated from in 2011. After graduation she spent her first few years in a small practice in Edmonton, AB.

Life changes, as it does, and an opportunity arose to move to Fruitvale, BC and in July of 2015 Emma, her partner, 8 dogs, 2 cats and 2 chinchilla's found a new home tucked away in the mountains. Here she spends her free time with family and friends enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Hiking tops the list of favourite activites however, hockey, snow boarding, motorcycling, biking and camping definitely help pass the time. Emma loves the small town living and truly enjoys being part of such a wonderful community.

Emma does her best everyday to be the veterinarian to her patients that she would want for her own pets. She aims to deliver good, honest medicine, rich in compassion. She truly believes that animals enrich our lives in so many ways and to be able to enich theirs in return is truly a gift.

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Dr. Kellie McCallum

Dr. Kellie McCallum has deep roots in Southwest Manitoba where her parents still farm the family farm that was homesteaded in the 1870's. She is a self-described "Mountain Loving Prairie Girl". Rural life, many pets, and a love of science pointed Kellie in the veterinary direction. In 2005 she received a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Brandon University and in 2009 her veterinary degree from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

Since graduating she has worked in private practice in Lethbridge, and Canmore, shelter medicine in Regina, and as a relief veterinarian all across B.C. She enjoys the vast diversity of general practice medicine, surgery, and dentistry.

Friendly people, mountain-life, and work brought Kellie to the East Kootenays in 2016 where she met her husband who is also a veterinarian. She enjoys traveling and has traveled extensively through North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. She is a competitive runner and trail runner, and also likes mountain biking, skiing, and just being out in nature. Kellie, her husband and their young daughter share their active lifestyle with two large dogs, and two cats. Kellie looks forward to helping the pets of the West Kootenays live their best life!

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Dr. Chris Nugent

Chris grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan. He has a Bachelors of Science in Toxicology from the University of Saskatchewan and graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. He enjoys working with small animals but also has an interest in cattle and reptiles. He has worked in mixed animal practices in Assiniboia, SK; Scobey, MT and Cranbrook, BC. He relocated to the Kootenay's in 2015 and has been locuming at many clinics across BC over the last 4 years.

Chris, his wife and their young daughter share their active lifestyle with 2 dogs, 2 cats. In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking and rock climbing.

Jennifer

Since 1995 Jennifer has called the West Kootenay area home, moving from the Prairies of Alberta. Jennifer graduated from the Olds College Office Admin Program in 1989 and worked at a Parole office. However, since 1997 she discovered her love of the human animal bond and has had the opportunity to provide client service as a Client Care Team Member at West Kootenay Animal Hospital. There is nothing that makes her more enthusiastic about her job than having a client and their pet leave with a smile.

As proud as she is of her important role at work, family is the centre of Jennifer's world. She spends her time with her son and daughter in law, Josh and Hannah, her granddaughter, Emily and with her husband and bestfriend of 30+ years, Greg. Jennifer enjoys camping, kayaking, travelling abroad and geo-caching (so far Austrailia ranks as the most distant destination for this).

Closer to home, baking, gardening, cardmaking, watching hockey or reading her favourite author, Ann Rule, are ways Jennifer enojys her down time. Jennifer and her family share their home with Princess Chloe and Taser, two very spoiled Chihuahua mixes!

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Brenda

Brenda joined the team at West Kootenay Animal hospital in 2004. She loves to help people, so her role as receptionist is a natural fit.

Brenda has roots that branch deep and wide in the community of Fruitvale where she was raised, and where she has raised her own family with her husband Garth. Raising her three beautiful daughters and seeing them become compassionate people is what she is most proud of in life.

When not at work Brenda gives back to her community volunteering, or spending time with friends and family. She loves to relax camping or just enjoying time by the water. Having a grown daughter studying in Kelowna to visit also gives her a great opportunity to get her fix of city life occasionally.

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Amy

Amy grew up in Fruitvale and lived there her whole life until moving to Kelowna in 2013 to attend school. Amy graduated from Okanagan College in 2015 with a certificate in office administration. She worked in Kelowna at the school district following college graduation but the Kootenays were calling her home. It was then that the opportunity to work as a Client Care Specialist at West Kootenay Animal Hospital came up.

Amy grew up in a large family with 5 children so it was quite hectic, but they always had family pets. Amy currently has two very spoiled cats, Tom and Jack. Spring and summer are her favourite seasons to get out in the mountains to explore. Whether it be a hike with friends or a weekend camping with her family. Family and friends are most important to Amy. She also enjoys playing slo pitch, curling, reading and drawing in her spare time.

Working at West Kootenay Animal Hospital has been very rewarding, and she can't wait to see what the future holds.

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Courtney

Courtney grew up in a small neighbourhood in Beaver Falls. She thought about moving away after graduating high school but she didn’t have the heart to leave the Kootenay’s. She spent the last 2 years working as a receptionist and when the opportunity came up to work at West Kootenay Animal Hospital, she couldn’t turn it down.

Courtney grew up with cats, dogs, rabbits and horses. She has always dreamed of working with animals. She recently added to her family, Leo, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever whom she considers her fur baby. Spending time with her family and friends is important to her. She loves being outdoors whether it is taking Leo for walks or going camping up at Champion Lakes during the summer. In her spare time, she enjoys baking goodies such as cupcakes and cookies.

Courtney is grateful to have joined the team at West Kootenay Animal Hospital and is looking forward to what the future holds.

Photo by Shauna May Photography©

Caitlin

Caitlin graduated from Olds College in 2013 and joined the team at West Kootenay Animal Hospital in November 2013 as a Registered Veterinary Technologist. She is very proud to say she graduated from a demanding college with good grades. She grew up in Krestova, and always knew that she would migrate back to the Kootenay's after completing college. This will always be where Caitlin's heart belongs.

Caitlin finds the role of being an RVT very rewarding (even after 9 years of being in this field) and she can honestly say this is what she was meant to do with her life. She promises to always offer the very best care to your beloved furry family members and always be holding their paws throughout their healing process.

Family and friends are a top priority for Caitlin. This includes her significant other Michael & their son Parker who they welcomed into this world in September 2020. When she is not at work, she is spending time with their very busy toddler & navigating the day to day mom life. They have 2 cats named Omar and Purdy who have a huge part of their hearts. Caitlin enjoys going on day trips & adventuring around the Kootenay's, filling her time with family and friend visits, scrap booking, cooking and baking.

Cherie

Cherie grew up in Welland, Ontario and graduated from the Veterinary Technology program at the University of Guelph. She has gained experience in her field by working in a variety of settings including humane societies, small animal practices and an emergency clinic. What Cherie loves most about her profession is watching the animals in her care recover from a major injury or illness and knowing she made a positive impact on that pet and owner's life. With a smile, Cherie admits that in her last position she was known as the "chihuahua whisperer" and is proud of her ability to work with anxious and nervous pets. In 2015, she packed up her life (and family) and made the journey out west to the beautiful Kootenays, where she says she will stay forever.

Outside of work, Cherie loves spending time with her husband, their cat Buttons and their special buddy, Zero - a chihuahua/pug mix. Yoga, hiking, reading, and making art are ways Cherie finds time to recharge. She is thrilled to be living in BC together with her husband Norm and faithful Zero.

Jessica

Jessica graduated from the Animal Health Technology program at Thompson Rivers University in 2018, and received her Veterinary Cannabis Counselor (VCC) certification in 2022. She grew up in Trail and has lived in Kelowna and Kamloops, but her heart was always in the Kootenays.

Prior to becoming an RVT, Jessica worked in the veterinary field for 4 years. She wore many hats in the clinics that she worked at, such as kennel assistant, receptionist and vet assistant. She has loved animals her whole life and knew that her dream career would be one where she can make a positive difference and be an advocate for animals.

In her free time, Jessica enjoys going on new adventures, jogging, yoga and making people laugh. Jessica and her fiance Graeme have two "roommates" that don't work or pay rent - a dog named Aulay and a cat named Kadabby. Jessica really persevered to be where she is today, and is very proud to be a Registered Veterinary Technician at West Kootenay Animal Hospital

Sean

Sean was born and raised in the lower mainland and has spent most of her life in Squamish, BC. She started out in Veterinary medicine as an assistant and receptionist and decided to further her career in the field. She completed the Animal Health Technology program at Thompson Rivers University in 2019 and then completed the VTNE to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. She moved to the West Kootenays to experience a different part of BC. She enjoys getting outside and spending time with her cat Grizz.

Her passions in Veterinary medicine include, Emergency and critical care, pain management and radiology. For Sean Spending quality nursing time with patients has always been a priority and watching them become healthy again really puts a smile on her face.

Brina

Brina grew up in Kelowna, BC. In 2013 she completed the Veterinary Hospital Assistant Program at The Center for Arts and Technology in Kelowna. Shortly after graduation she decided to move to Trail where her partner had relocated for work. Since moving to the Kootenays, Brina has previously worked in several different fields including as a receptionist for a local law office and as a pharmacy assistant. In 2019 she was excited to have the opportunity to join the team at West Kootenay Animal Hospital as a Veterinary Assistant. She loves her work and being able to use her training to help animals and their owners.

Brina has always had a love for animals of all types and grew up in a home surrounded by pets. She currently has a cat, named Kink for the shape of his tail, and a very energetic Wheaten Terrier named Reilly. She enjoys being outdoors and likes learning about local wildlife and plants.

When not at work, Brina is most often found with a good book and her cat curled up in her lap. Brina also enjoys yoga, sewing, gardening, baking and caring for an excessive number of house plants.