​Amanda
Clinical Assistant/Receptionist

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Jessica
Clinical Assistant/Receptionist

Vanessa
​Animal Care Attendant ​
I have lived in Ontario all of my life. I grew up always loving animals and I would spend all of my free time helping my grandfather, who bred dogs for a living. I also love horseback riding. 

I live with my parents, my sister, our dog Scooch, and my horse Rambo. My mom works as a professor of business and my dad is a financial advisor. My sister goes to Western University.

In my free time I am a competitive horseback rider. I enjoy horseback riding because I can see how my horse and I improve as we slowly work together. We get better and better with time. It is the only sport that requires you to work with animals. It has taught me patience and responsibility.

I first wanted to work in an animal hospital after my neighbor and I rescued a kitten trapped under a pile of wood at a construction site. We took the kitten to a veterinarian and watched as he took care of her.  The rescue of this tiny kitten inspired me to want to work in an animal hospital.

I started caring for animals as a volunteer for injured horses at a horse farm. Eventually I wanted to pursue veterinary care for animals as a career. 

I began part time work at the Animal Hospital of River Oaks in early 2018 as a high school student. I work as an Animal Care Attendant. I walk dogs; clean cages; make sure that the  animals are fed the correct food and that have fresh water in their cages; and I help to clean the rest of the clinic to keep it fresh and clean for the animals and for clients that bring their pets here. I am also responsible for reporting anything that I may think is unusual such as an animal that vomited or has diarrhea. I must save a sample so Dr Gold can examine it. 

I wanted to work at the Animal Hospital of River Oaks in order to learn about the different care given to different types of pets. This experience would give me an opportunity to help me decide if I wanted to pursue a career working with animals in a veterinary practice after high school.  Working here has given me a better understanding of how a veterinary practice functions from day to day.  It has also taught me how to better care for my own pets. 

I enjoy getting to know the different animals boarding at the hospital. I enjoy building a relationship with them. It always makes my day when an animal comes in for boarding and it immediately recognizes me and it wants to play or cuddle.  

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Zoe
Animal Care Attendant

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I grew up in Mississauga with my mom and dad and my dog Cooper. My dad is Croatian descent and my mom is from the United Kingdom. I grew up on a court with three other families that I soon adopted into my family. There were six of us in total; and for the next 14 years that I lived there we were always together. 
My dog Cooper was my brother and my best friend while I was growing up. When I was around 11 years old, Cooper got cancer. I was heartbroken, but the situation inspired me to want to help other animals no matter what the circumstances were. I wanted Cooper to be as comfortable and as happy as he could possibly be when he was sick. I believe every animal deserves that. So I was inspired to want to care for all animals whether they were ill or not.  I was determined to work in an animal hospital where I would have the chance to make animals feel as content as possible...because I believed that they all deserve to be loved and cared for just like Cooper.
After living in Mississauga for 14 years we moved to Oakville in 2016. We have another dog now. His name is Nickel. In 2013 we got Nickel from Golden Rescue when he was one year old. He is turning 7 this October.
Baseball is a very big thing in my family. I have been playing softball for almost 6 years.  Softball has taught me to value the idea of teamwork and togetherness. My best achievement was winning the house league championship two years in a row. Another great achievement of mine was when our team made it to the provincial playoffs in 2019.  Although we did not make it to the finals, I learned that as team we can do very well if we work together and encourage each other to do our best. 
I decided to join the Animal Hospital of River Oaks as an Animal Care Attendant because I enjoy working with animals. I always feel so rewarded when I care for these furry creatures. Whether it is a boarder or a patient, it brings me joy to make them feel as secure and comfortable as possible….so they don’t feel like they are in a hospital but they feel like they are at home. They are already away from their family and they are probably confused, so I do my best to make them feel as at home as possible.  
I take pride in feeding the animals, in keeping their cages clean, in reporting any unusual changes in behavior or eating habits that I might observe, in walking the dogs and in helping to keep the clinic clean and orderly. This is because I understand how important it is to keep all parts of a medical facility clean. From the time that I start my shift to the time I am finished, I feel proud that I am able to make the animals happy and the hospital clean for the next day.
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Alyssia
​Animal Care Attendant 

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cliI was born in Oakville and I live with my parents and two sisters. We have a cat named Bella who is 11 years old and a 6 year old Maltese-Yorkie who is named Max. Outside of work I attend Holy Trinity Secondary School where I play field hockey and I belong to the ski team.

I came to work at the Animal Hospital of River Oaks in April, 2019.  I had been looking for a job for a while that would give me experience working with animals.  Next year I plan to attend the University of Guelph. Once there I hope to attend the Ontario Veterinary College in order to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. This has been a lifelong dream of mine. I love animals and working at the clinic is very fulfilling.

I find working at the clinic especially rewarding because I get to be around animals and therefore I learn more about the veterinary profession.  My position at the clinic is Animal Care Attendant. My job includes looking after the animals that are boarding at the clinic or are recovering from surgery. I also make sure the veterinary clinic is sanitized and presentable to the public.

Learning from Dr. Gold and watching him interact with his clients and their animals is invaluable to me and I hope to learn so much more.
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