Staff

Tracy has lead our front desk team since January 2019.  She is a long-time Ellington resident with a lot of community experience and a great love for animals.  In addition to work, Tracy enjoys camping and loves the seasonal camper community at a local campground.  She lives with a beautiful husky x lab mixed breed dog named Piper that she refers to as her 'grand-pup'.   

Maria joined our reception team in March 2019 with more than 25 years experience in the veterinary field.   She has been a technician and worked in a variety of hospital settings.  She has a lot of knowledge and experience, but mostly enjoys helping people with their beloved pets.  

Melanie is a local native who is a collector of antiques and unique older items.  She also loves to bake and try new recipes.  Growing up with Shih Tzu's (Daisy & Mae), Melanie was inspired by animal's empathy - they make your heart happy alongside your family.   She is a graduate of the Veterinary Assistant program at Asnuntuck Community College.  Melanie enjoys being part of a team that is very understanding, loving and kind.   She loves seeing all the wonderful pets coming through the door and being part of the team that helps them.  

Madison joined our team in 2022 and brought her experience working in kennels with many different dog breeds.   Madison understands that pets are family and that she is part of a team that strives to provide the best possible care.   Madison and her boyfriend have recently adopted Oakley - a lovable golden retriever with boundless energy.   

Dylan is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and has been working on our team since May 2010. He was promoted in March 2018 to Technician Supervisor, providing leadership, training and supervision to our veterinary support staff. He has 2 cats (Whisper & Fenster), an Amazon parrot named Timmy, , a duck named Delores and occasional wildlife guests while they rehabilitate. He enjoys assisting the veterinarians, trying to improve and enrich the lives of the patients. “I enjoy observing and experiencing the special bond between man and animal. Every personality is unique and each animal has personal adaptations. Although not all personalities are agreeable, for the most part, animals are more agreeable than humans, at least to me, most of the time.'

Kristin is a certified technician and graduate of the Becker College Vet Tech Program.   She is married and a mom of 2 teenage boys.   She has been involved with breeding and showing dogs for well over 30 years.   Her family has a cat named Waldo and several Schipperke show dogs.  Kristin likes the bond that humans have with animals.  She enjoys the time she spends training her dogs for shows and loves seeing their interactions with each other.   Kristin is an important part of the Ellington Center Animal Clinic team and enjoys working in the team / family environment. 

Gina has a bachelor's degee in biopsychology and has been a veterinary technician for over 12 years.  She and her husband have a daughter and two pets - a special needs cat named Crayons (FIV+, one eye and no teeth) and a rescue southern hound mix breed dog named Chocolate.    Gina enjoys working with a team that enjoys caring for animals in an extremely loving, gentle, yet also efficient way.  She believes that animals represent everything humans should strive to be like - happy, loving, forgiving, innocent, gentle and realistic.

Agnes is a polish immigrant to the U.S., graduated from Northwestern Connecticut Community College with a vet tech degree and enjoys animals of all kinds - life without animals would be boring!  Agnes lives with a  Catahoula-Leopard mix named Dexter and a Labrador Retriever named April as well as two cats, William & Peebs.   When not at work, Agnes enjoys hiking with the dogs, making puzzles, traveling and spending time with family.  

Jeff and his family have a chihuahua mix named Lil Ricky.    He earned his veterinary assistant certificate from Asnuntuck Community College and joined our team in January 2020.   He has been taking on more responsibilities and has been learning a great deal about anesthesia monitoring, dentistry and other technician skills.  Jeff's favorite thing about animals is their lack of judgement and their ability to live in the present.   Not surprisingly, Jeff enjoys meditation and yoga as well as juggling, cycling and music.  

Alicia earned her bachelor's degree from Bay Path University and has a passion for working with animals.  She and her husband live with two dogs - Layla & Odin, a Springer and a Shepherd.  She knows there is never a dull moment with pets and appreciates the unconditional love that animals give.  Alicia has a very caring, outgoing and friendly personality.  When not caring for animals at work, she loves to cook and bake for family and friends.  

Keri grew up locally and is a 2023 graduate of the University of New Hampshire.   She earned a bachelor's degree in Biomedical: Pre-Vet and a minor in Equine Studies.   She loves horses and spends a lot of time at a local horse barn, including teaching kids how to ride.   Keri and her family live with a senior chocolate lab / shepherd mix, and a senior pit bull mix and a betta fish.  Keri has chosen to build a career working with animals.  She is particularly impressed by how trusting pets can be - allowing veterinarians and veterinary staff to touch them - especially when they are in unfamiliar environments.   Keri likes working in a general practice and seeing pets grow and progress through life.     

Melissa works hard to keep our clinic spotless!  She has her own cleaning business, but works with us part-time and is an important member of the team, as we strive to maintain a healthy and clean environment.  

Ron is our practice manager. He is responsible for overseeing client services, human resources, community relations, payroll, inventory, bookkeeping, and website development. “We are very fortunate to have clients who view their pets as members of the family. Our staff works hard to make the experience at the veterinarian's office to be as comfortable as possible - for both people and their pets.”