Michelle Cheff - Practice Manager/Small Animal Technician

Michelle came to the Groton City Animal Hospital in 2002.  She has 23 years experience in the veterinary technician/office manager field.  Starting out in Florida at a 4 doctor/small animal practice, moving to Pennsylvania to a 13 doctor/mixed animal practice, then Tully, New York to a 2 doctor/small animal practice and finally making it to good ole' Groton at the current GCAH.  At GCAH, she is the jack of all trades and has helped in making Groton City Animal Hospital what it is today!  Michelle has duties both as the practice manager in keeping the books, managing the accounts receivable and payable and evaluating/organizing the day to day workings of the practice.  She also works as one of our small animal technicians assisting in office visits, setting up for and monitoring surgical patients, taking and developing radiographs, performing dentals and performing routine lab procedures such as blood work, fecals, and urinalysis.  She has a rather large family that includes both 2 and 4 legged creatures - her "husband" Garrick, son Josh, daughter Sydney, dogs Emma, Jack and Wolfie, and cats Riley, Scrappy, Daisy, Tom, Dukes of Hazard, Roscoe P. Coal Train, and Bo.  (Can you guess who named the cats?)  In all her spare time :), she enjoys scrap booking and biking with her kids. 

Jackie Santerre - Receptionist

Jackie's smiling face, up beat attitude came to the Groton City Animal Hospital in November of 2004.  Jackie's job at the Groton City Animal Hospital is to provide the cheery voice that greets you when you call.  She directs your calls, takes your information, makes appointments for hospital/surgery visits, takes payments, sends out reminders and statements, and keeps your records up-to-date.  She lives with her husband Wade, their cats Kaci and Kali, and their fish Red-blue in Cortland.  They both come from large families which keep them busy.  Traveling is her favorite hobby, along with camping, gardening, golfing, reading, crafting, photography and enjoying life.

Kelley Pendell, LVT - Large/Small Animal Technician

Kelley is a full time large animal technician and an occasionally a small animal technician.  She is a 1993 graduate of SUNY Delhi with an Associates degree in Veterinary Science.  Working 9 years as a small animal technician in a practice in Tully, she then saw a sign that read "The future home of Groton City Animal Hospital" and decided to give it a shot.  She worked as a small animal technician for the first 2 years then was asked to try out the "other side" of the veterinary technician world doing large animal and absolutely loves it.  Kelley is responsible for all aspects of the large animal side of the practice from scheduling appointments to assisting on the road, collecting samples, maintaining the computer records and filling out the mounds of paperwork that seem to follow large animal vets around. She also fills in when needed in the small animal world. She and her husband, Brian, have three 4-legged kids: dogs Judd, Tex, and Levi.  In her spare time she loves to go for a "W" with her dogs (aka: go for a walk - all you dog owners know why you have to abbreviate), photography, scrap booking, camping, canoeing, bowling, and occasionally golfing and traveling with family and friends.

Tina Caldwell - Receptionist/Small Animal Technician

Tina started working at the Groton City Animal Hospital in September of 2004 as a full-time receptionist.  She currently is working part-time as a receptionist and a small animal technician.  Working at GCAH has helped Tina with her decision to go back to school to study radiology.  She lives with her two very "sweet" cats Pickles and Pedro.  Although sweet to her, they turn into holy terrors when they have to visit the veterinarian and must be heavily sedated to be examined.

Sam Sherman - Small Animal Technician

Sam came to join the Groton City Animal Hospital team in February of 2007.  She has a bachelors degree from Cornell University in Animal Science.  She has worked in Atlanta, GA as a hospital and quarantine keeper and a primate keeper in the Zoo Atlanta's Veterinary Clinic, worked as a Project Assistant for Orangutan Health Project in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, Indonesia.  She is the proud mother of 1 dog - Bandit, 2 cats - Penny and Oliver, 1 Russian tortoise - Petrika, 1 leopard gecko - Isabelle and 1 homosapiens - Joseph.  Soon to be married in August to her fiancée Dave.  Congratulations to you both!!

Katie Rowe - Large Animal Technician
Picture and bio coming soon!

Moen - One of the Hospital's Mascots

Moen came to the Groton City Animal Hospital in 2005 after he was hit by a car.  He had a severely fractured right hind leg that was unable to be repaired due to where the fracture was located, so the staff of GCAH decided to attempt to save this handsome fella and amputate his leg.  This three-legged talkative, affectionate guy has since been our mascot, lives in the life of luxury and is eating well (OK, so he's a tad overweight).  Do as we say, not as we do!!  Moen's full name is Moen Thomas Crapper.  The Moen is from his love of drinking the running water from any faucet he can get you to turn on, and Thomas Crapper because of his drinking from the toilet (invented by Mr. Thomas Crapper!) We have several pictures of him curled up in the sink waiting for a human to meet his every need by turning the water on.  He also loves to catch anything in the basement that he can, most often frogs.

Oliver - The other Hospital Mascot

Oliver came to the Groton City Animal Hospital in 2006, when he was brought in by a local Animal Control Officer.  He originally came in as "Olivia" to be spayed, at which point we discovered that she was really Oliver and didn't need to be neutered (hence the gender confusion!).  He was placed in a large cage in the waiting room hoping to be adopted.  Eventually the staff fell in love with him, even Moen loved him because he could get to Oliver's food and pull it thru the wire cage (leading to more weight problems!).  So out of the cage he came and now also lives in the live of luxury.  And yep you guessed it, is on his way to becoming a little on the chunky side.  He is the official GCAH "greeter" who has learned that if he hangs out on the reception desk, everyone will pet him.  He also loves to drink out of the faucets!

Can you guess from these pictures who wears the pants in this family?

Moen got his name from... you guessed it, the Moen faucet!                        This is a common scene, Moen eating and Oliver watching!

Groton City Animal Hospital
794 Cortland Rd. (Rte. 222)
Groton, NY 13073
(607)898-4482