651-224-3038 • 1140 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105
"I have met many wonderful pets and people during my years at Grand Avenue Veterinary Center. It is a special thing to care for a patient its entire life and I treasure that. I love getting to know our clients and feel blessed to have developed many meaningful relationships over the years." Heather has a special interest in feline medicine and behavior and also enjoys surgery and dentistry. Heather has worked here since 1996 and became a clinic owner in 2015. Heather has a busy family life with a blended family of 5 children, three cats and three dogs. "They all help make me a better doctor."
Jen has been a part of Grand Avenue Veterinary Center since 2003. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 2010. Jen loves the variety of general practice including wellness care, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and dentistry. “I feel truly fortunate to be practicing veterinary medicine in a setting like Grand Avenue. Our staff is dedicated to providing excellent care and we get to work with such remarkable clients and patients.” Jen lives with her husband, children and Gary the Newfoundland.
Luke joined Grand Avenue Veterinary Center in February 2020 following almost 4 years of small animal private practice in the Twin Cities. Having grown up with ties to Grand Avenue through Treadle Yard goods, “I’m thrilled to be a part of the community again and forge new relationships with pets and people.” He received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 2016 after working and volunteering at Animal Humane Society for several years. Special interests include feline and internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, and education. Luke typically recharges after work with the help of his 2 brown tabbies, Zelda and Maya.
It’s hard to say when Amanda knew being a vet was her calling; from complex “hospitals” she made for her stuffed animals, to her collection of pocket pets, to her obsession with medical documentaries from a very young age—it’s hard to picture her working in any other field. A graduate from Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020, Amanda enjoys a variety of fields including feline medicine, endocrine disorders, pathology, cardiology and surgery. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys showing her Arabian horses, and playing with her two cats: Bindi and Monty and her Golden Retriever, Willow.
Amber officially joined our team in early 2022 after spending 2 years helping us on a relief basis. She has filled many veterinary roles in the Twin Cities after graduating from the University of MN Vet School in 2008. She has worked in both private and corporate hospitals, relief work in several practices and has held both management and training positions as well. Prior to joining our team she spent several years doing home euthanasia with MN Pets. She has a very well-rounded background to complement our close-knit doctor team. Amber's veterinary interests range from internal medicine to dentistry with a special focus on making end of life care go well whether at home or in the clinic. Amber lives in WI with her fiancé Ryan, their kitty Aggie and dog Avery. She loves to travel, workout, bake, watch Netflix and is an amazing artist.
Anna is a "veterinary veteran," with over 25 years of service at Grand Avenue, much of it assisting in surgery, as well as helping to manage clinic inventory. She has made a home for dog, Diggs and three cats and regularly takes care of her adorable "grandkitty" Albus Dumbledore and "granddoggy" Nordie.
Amanda enjoys the home like feel of GAVC. Co-workers and clients are like family. Originally a St. Paul native, she now resides in Somerset, WI with her husband, two children, their pointer/lab Buck and three crazy cats! She enjoys being a hockey mom and Girl Scout mom!
Chris started working at GAVC in 2005 after attending Argosy University. She has been involved in pet rescue for a long time and often has a foster dog she brings to work. “I love working here because it is community oriented.” Her area of special interest is dentistry. Her zoo includes, dogs, Flora and Astro and three cats, Lolly, Maude, and Bonnie.
Erin attended Western Career College in California and graduated in 2010. "I have always enjoyed being around animals and getting to take care of them." Erin's favorite part of being a technician is assisting in surgery and helping ensure her patients recover safely. She shares most of her free time with her yellow lab, Abbie and her cat, Kit.
Bio to come
Sydney has always enjoyed being around animals of all kinds. "I knew from a young age I wanted to work with and help animals in need." Sydney started working for GAVC in 2018 and is working on becoming a Veterinary Technician. Sydney is a MN native and currently lives in St. Paul with her crazy but cuddly cats, Oliver and Buffy. In her free time she enjoys spending time outside and visiting with friends and family.
Growing up on a hobby farm, animals have been a natural part of Geena's life for as long as she can remember. She started working at GAVC in 2022 and will graduate from her veterinary technology program at DCTC in 2023. She lives in St. Paul with her dog, cat, rabbit, and rat - and she is also an aspiring snake owner! In her free time, she enjoys hiking along the Mississippi River with her dog Dakota and playing trumpet in a local brass choir.
Olivia is an pre-vet student at the University of Minnesota. She couldn’t picture her life without animals and from a young age spent most of her time exploring the outdoors and catching as many frogs and snakes as she could. At home, Olivia has two weiner dogs named Thor and Rök who love to cuddle and go for walks. Olivia’s favorite part about being a veterinary assistant is all of the hands on experience she gets!
Serena joined the team in January of 2021. Her passion for animals started when she was young and continues to grow each day. Serena is currently working towards her pre-vet degree at the University of MN with the hopes of going to vet school. Much of her free time is spent cuddling with her pets, a black lab named Tuesday and a cat named Maple.
Born in Minnesota and raised into a farming family, caring for animals has been Victoria's passion since childhood. She joined GAVC in April of 2021 once she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She is studying to become a veterinary technician and hopes to continue to grow in confidence and knowledge. She lives with her cat, Jaeger who loves going outside supervised and getting his fair share of cuddles. She also loves traveling, reading, drawing, and listening to music (preferably outside).
Claudia started working at GAVC in March of 2020. Working here has helped her realize her passion for veterinary medicine and in the Fall if 2022 she will start a program to become a veterinary technician! She currently lives with her two kitties Walter and Dinah.
Erin joined the GAVC team in 2007 as a Client Service Representative. In 2013 she completed a veterinary receptionist program to help better serve our clients and patients "I love meeting and getting to know all of our great clients and getting to see all of the cute dogs and cats that come in!" At home, Erin has two rescue cats; Pirate, a very affectionate one-eyed kitty and Polly, a shy little tabby.
A St. Paul native, Heather began fostering cats and dogs as a teen with her mother. In May 2015, Heather completed her receptionist certificate through a course sponsored by AAHA. “Working with people and animals is fun and rewarding”. In her free time Heather enjoys cooking, camping, gardening, silver smithing, home brewing, and spending time with friends and family. Heather resides in St. Paul with her husband Mike and their cats, Toph, Josette and Shiny Pants.
Katie has loved working with animals from the very beginning. She grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and was always surrounded with pets of all shapes and sizes, from horses to guinea pigs. She currently has a sassy cat named Flora and a couple of fish tanks, and hopes to add more furry friends in the near future. Katie moved to Minnesota in 2018 and started at GAVC in 2021. Her favorite things about being at GAVC are meeting all the wonderful patients (and their owners!) and the Fear Free techniques that are used to help keep pets more comfortable during their visits!
Chou Chou was found on the side of the road on December 23rd, 2009 and brought to the Humane Society by a kind hearted stranger. She was 12 weeks old and paralyzed in her back legs, she was brought to us for x-rays to determine if her back had been broken. She was in no pain and was the sweetest little kitten, we determined that she had no fractures but had serious spinal cord damage. Dr. Brownlee took her home to care for her and learned she was a capable little cat who could even get up and down stairs pulling herself with her front legs. She shares her time between Dr. Brownlee's house, Anna's house and the clinic. She is adored by everyone she meets and spreads her love through a serious fan club online. #chouchou