Sarah
Hospital Manager
After achieving her degree in social work, Sarah’s journey began in human medicine, working in retirement and LTC homes. She soon realized, however, that while she loved working with people, her heart really belonged with animals. In her role as Hospital Manager at Armitage Animal Clinic, she is excited to bring this passion into her work and provide exceptional care for our clients and their pets.
At the clinic, Sarah loves keeping everything organized, clean and ready for our pets. She particularly loves that every day she gets to learn something new and that there is always room for growth.
Outside of the clinic, Sarah has a pretty extensive fur family. She is fur-mom to a dog, two guinea pigs, four ducks and a plethora of chickens. Sarah has a special affinity for guinea pigs and has become a big advocate for proper care for small animals and exotic pets.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys hiking and camping. She recently participated in Vancouver’s Grouse Grind, which is a hike up Grouse Mountain – a task that she completed in just one hour and 20 minutes. She and her fiance are currently renovating an old vintage trailer, which they hope to be able to use next summer. While the process has taken a lot longer than expected, she says it’s still been a very rewarding experience.
Prarthana
Client Advocate
Prarthana grew up in a large family in an industrial town in India, and spent time around all sorts of animals there. She cared for everything from dogs and cats to rabbits, a parrot, and even a monkey. Those experiences made a permanent impression, and Prarthana always knew that she wanted to help others’ pets live happy and healthy lives. That’s why she’s proud to serve as a member of Armitage Animal Clinic’s front-desk team!
Prarthana first joined the team here at Armitage Animal Clinic in September of 2018, and is thrilled to launch her journey in pet care as a member of the hospital family. She makes it her goal on a daily basis to understand and improve the experience of the area’s pet owners—Prarthana loves to know that she’s made a lasting difference in the lives of the community’s families.
Outside of veterinary care, Prarthana’s interests include decorating and interior design, traveling—she navigated Paris all by herself without knowing the language!—and spending quality time with her family at home. She and her husband, Abhi, have two children: a daughter, Dulcie, and a son named Zachary.
Kaitlyn
Veterinary Assistant
Kaitlyn grew up in Newmarket with her parents, older siblings, and plenty of family pets. She’s been obsessed with the animal-care world ever since she can remember! Kaitlyn has always wanted to do her part to help the earth’s creatures live the happiest, healthiest lives possible—that’s why she decided to dedicate herself to veterinary medicine. Now, Kaitlyn gets to impact both pets and animal owners as a part of the Armitage Animal Clinic family.
Kaitlyn was in the 11th grade when she started working as a Veterinary Assistant through her high school’s cooperative career placement program. The following year, she moved on to a cooperative placement at a local doggy daycare facility, expanding her skill set and experience even further. Next, Kaitlyn signed up for the Veterinary Assistant program at Seneca College, working at an emergency veterinary clinic in her time away from class. She joined the Armitage Animal Clinic family shortly after graduating with her degree, and she’s been caring for the area’s pets and animal parents ever since!
The pets in Kaitlyn’s life include two dogs, both of whom are professional eaters and sleepers: Ginger, a Labrador Retriever, and Bently the Beagle.
Christina
Senior Registered Veterinary Technician
Growing up in Brantford, Ontario, Christina was always surrounded by her family’s pets. She never took for granted the unconditional love they showed her, and she became a Registered Veterinary Technician to advocate for animal health every single day!
Christina earned an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from Trent University, then continued on to the Veterinary Technology program at Seneca College in King City. After passing her registration exam, she worked at a clinic in Newmarket before joining the Armitage Animal Clinic family in 2003.
In a single day, Christina gets to serve as a dental hygienist, pharmacy technician, surgical assistant, X-ray technician, nurse, an educator, and more—this is what she loves most about veterinary medicine! She’s also passionate about hematology and parasitology, and particularly loves discovering a parasite or abnormal cell under the microscope.
Christina, her husband Joel, and their two beautiful daughters live in Barrie with a domestic shorthair cat, Abby, who was rescued from the local SPCA. When she isn’t serving pets at the clinic or volunteering at her daughters’ school, Christina enjoys continuing her veterinary education, scrapbooking, crafting, and exploring the great outdoors.
Kristen
Registered Veterinary Technician
For as long as she can remember, Kristen has wanted to work in the field of veterinary medicine in order to make an impact in the lives of animals. To this day, she finds her career to be the most rewarding type of work she ever could have asked for!
Originally from Holland Landing, Ontario, Kristen got her start in the animal care world by working at horse farms. After completing the Pre-Health Science program at Georgian College in Barrie, she was accepted to the school’s Orillia campus for the two-year Veterinary Technology program. Upon completing her cooperative job placement, Kristen signed on at Armitage Animal Clinic full-time in the summer of 2011, earning her registration status shortly afterward to become a Registered Veterinary Technician.
Taking patient histories is one of Kristen’s favorite parts of her job; it gives her a chance to truly connect and bond with the pets and owners. She also enjoys performing dental cleanings and viewing the before-and-after results firsthand.
Currently, Kristen resides in Cannington with her partner, Jake, two cats named Chai and Lucy, and a pair of dogs named Milly and Molson. Kristen also owns Hannah, a horse who is boarded at a private farm in Zephyr. Kristen has been riding horses for over 20 years, and she and Hannah have been together ever since Hannah was born!
Michelle
Registered Veterinary Technician
While she was enrolled in a collegiate program in 2005 and 2006 to study equine management, Michelle’s own horse got very sick with a case of colic. During her horse’s months of treatment and rehabilitation, Michelle had a realization: she wanted to improve her own medical knowledge so that she would be prepared if she ever found herself in a situation like that again. That’s when she decided to become a Veterinary Technician!
Michelle is a Newmarket native and has been coming to Armitage Animal Clinic with her own pets for many years—she’s known Dr. Williams ever since she was a little girl! After her equine management studies, Michelle moved back home and enrolled in Seneca College’s veterinary technology program, graduating with honours and then taking a job at a practice in Thornhill.
After nine years at that practice, Michelle took time off to have her first child, and decided to make a change upon returning to the workforce. At the same time, Michelle’s mother brought her own dog here to the clinic and mentioned that her daughter was interested in a job. The rest is history! Michelle happily joined the Armitage Animal Clinic family in the spring of 2018, and serves the area’s pets and animal owners as a Registered Veterinary Technician. She especially likes working on cases of chronic or complicated illness, and she’s also fond of helping timid or nervous patients (especially cats!) feel more comfortable here at the hospital.
In her time away from the clinic, Michelle enjoys horseback riding, tending to her large flower garden and her vegetable and herb garden, and spending quality time with her family. She and her husband, Dean, share their lives with their daughter, Ophelia, and their son Stanley.
Ashley
Registered Veterinary Technician
Growing up in New Tecumseth, Ashley always knew her passion was for biology although she never knew where it would take her. She perused biology at the University of Ontario and after taking a course in zoology she quickly found the love of animals.
After completing a Veterinary Assisting program through Ridgetown College, she decided on a path as a Veterinary Technician. She has recently finished her co-op placement with us, and is now full-time. She is currently working hard to become a Registered Veterinary Technician in the coming months.
Her favourite part of the job is diagnostics such as x-rays and ultrasounds. One day she dreams of becoming specialized in diagnostic imaging. She also enjoys learning new skills and knowledge everyday to ensure the best care possible for our patients.
Ashley lives with her partner Matthew, their dog Odin, and their three cats Mia, Kira, and Patch. In her free time she enjoys family time, camping and watching movies.
Madison
Registered Veterinary Technician
Over the years, Madison has had the opportunity to foster many animals, each one having his or her own unique story. This experience played a big role in her desire to work in the animal care field. Being able to help animals in need is so fulfilling and one of the reasons she loves her job so much!
Maddie originally attended school for nursing and graduated from the Practical Nursing Diploma Program at Seneca College, where she obtained her nursing license. After completing that program, she realized that her true passion was with animals. She decided she needed to follow her heart, enrolled in the Veterinary Technician program at Seneca, and the rest is history.
In May of 2022, Maddie joined the Armitage Animal Clinic team as one of our rock star technicians. The thing she loves most about her job is that every day is different. She enjoys interacting with the clients and their pets. Clinically, Maddie likes assisting in surgery and performing blood draws.
At home, Maddie is ‘mom’ to three Yorkshire terriers: Jacob, Oliver and Beau. She rescued Jacob in 2017 from a family who could no longer care for him. Oliver and Beau are related (Oliver is Beau’s uncle). In her spare time, Maddie enjoys practicing yoga and going on spontaneous adventures. When she’s not busy working, you can usually find her spending quality time with her friends, family and dogs.
Peri
Veterinary Technician
Born and raised in Newmarket, Peri grew up fascinated with animals. The majority of her free time was spent watching animal-related programs—National Geographic, Zoboomafoo, cartoons with animals, and more. She devoured books about animals and collected stacks of dog magazines, and her dad’s thick AKC breed standard book was one of her favourite things to flip through. Peri was even known to bring a homing pigeon or two to recess during elementary school. As a veterinary technician, it’s safe to say Peri is definitely in the career she was destined for!
Peri’s first vivid memory of the veterinary industry occurred at age 13 right here at Armitage, when she brought her puppy Ninja in for a checkup. Dr. Williams let her hold Ninja for his boosters, guiding her and explaining everything, step by step. It was such an impactful experience that Peri was inspired to one day work with animals herself. She graduated from St. Clair in 2023 and was thrilled to come back to Armitage, where she’d also completed her co-op.
Professionally, Peri enjoys new client/patient appointments and providing advice and resources to help set pet owners up for success. She also has a heart for end-of-life care and is honored to do the ink paw prints for the clinic, providing families with a lasting memory of their beloved fur-babies after they’ve crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Finally, she has a special interest in assisting with dental cleanings and extractions, despite how grueling they can be.
Outside of work, Peri resides with her aunt and two dogs: a Havanese named Ninja and a Terrier mix named Banjo. Both dogs are extremely intelligent and have mastered many tricks. In what little spare time she has these days, Peri enjoys dabbling in arts, crafts, and creative writing. She and her boyfriend, Joe, also enjoy playing board games. Whenever he’s in town, you’ll either find them at the board game café, Goblets & Goblins, or trying out a new sushi restaurant.
