staff

Laura was born in Norway, Maine (population 5,077), and lived there until moving to the Valley in 2021. Imagine that culture shock! Laura had never seen a cactus in real life until moving here . In Maine she worked for a general practice animal hospital for five years, and also was a relief technician at…

Allison is not just any Certified Veterinary Technician, she had the highest GPA in her graduating class in the Veterinary Technician Program at Mesa Community College! That is but one of the reasons we were thrilled when she joined us after working for nine years at an animal hospital in Cave Creek. Born in Alaska,…

A native of Arizona, Dr. Sorenson graduated from ASU with a BS in Agribusiness/Pre-Vet Medicine, then went to the cold climes of Univ. of Wisconsin (Madison) to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Who wouldn’t want to come back to the sunshine after that? A self-described “total coffee addict” (welcome to the family!) she worked…

Here’s what you need to know about Kate: she used to ski to work, she is an avid knitter (and “yarn snob”), she and her husband are snowbirds who leave us to flee back to west Michigan in the summer, she’s only had six jobs in her entire life (the first three were as a…

Noelani is not busy enough with her family (husband, three children (or, as she calls them, “small feral coconuts from Moana”), dogs Mango Gregg, Chamoy Rene’e and Jellybean, cats RJ (Robert Junior) & Linda B Johnson, so spends her free time here at Applewood! We don’t know how she does it all! Noelani’s love of…

After growing up in Beverly Hills, Melissa graduated from Boston University with a BS in Criminal Justice. She came to Arizona for Thanksgiving in 2020 and never left! Her job history includes being an Executive Assistant to the Beverly Hills Chief of Police and a filmographer and student manager of the BU women’s lacrosse team:…

If you’re at Applewood and hear a woman speaking rapid-fire Spanish in the back, smile and know that there is a happy pet being cared for! Alicia, who was born and raised in Madrid, Spain, has a way of talking to the animals that helps even the most anxious feel calm. Alicia graduated with a…

Joanne started showing dogs as a mere child living in the Kansas City area and has been involved in breeding and competing in dog sports (conformation, obedience, rally, draft, FastCAT and dock diving) for almost five decades (!), the last 35+ years with Bernese Mountain Dogs. She earned a BS in public relations from Boston…

An Iowa native, Dr. Lemus grew up both there and in Minnesota and says that one of her more “interesting” jobs as a youngster was detasseling corn. After earning a double major (biology and chemistry) from the University of Indianapolis she went on to earn her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Purdue University. Shortly after…

An Arizona native whose father works for AZ Dept. of Game and Fish, Dr. Crouch’s love of animals was evident early on. She grew up surrounded by goats, sheep, horses, mules, and chickens plus the obligatory dogs and cats, and as a teen volunteered for Game & Fish as well as Southwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center….