Meet the Staff Melanie, Office Manager Melanie joined the GAH team in June 2006. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the Gloucester area the previous year. Melanie is a 2002 graduate of Hawaii Pacific University and a 2005 graduate of Chaminade University of Honolulu. She spent 8 years as a member of the Army Reserve and served for one year in Iraq. Melanie would like to spend her free time scrapbooking, making cards and traveling; but she actually spends most of it working on home improvements. She also spends as much time as she can with her husband, Bill, and her pugs, Maile and Rosalina.   Grovia, Veterinary Technician Grovia is a native of York County and now resides in Gloucester with her husband Randy, 3 dogs and 3 cats. She has 2 daughters, Jessica and Rachel, and son-in-law Mark. She first came to GAH in February 2004 as a receptionist and returned in March 2009 after graduating from Blue Ridge Community College and becoming a Licensed Veterinary Technician. Grovia is also a 2000 graduate of Christopher Newport University. Away from work she enjoys hanging out with family and friends, drawing, painting, jewelry making and many outdoor activities. She is also a state permitted wildlife rehabilitator.   April, Veterinary Assistant April has been with us since February 2004. She started out as a Kennel Attendant, but now has the exciting role as Kennel Manager! Over the years April has cross trained to be a part time receptionist and recently graduated from Animal Behavior College. She is now Grafton Animal Hospital obedience instructor. When April is not at the clinic she like’s going for walks with her dogs, Charlie and Buddy. April also enjoys hanging out with her loud Sun Conure, Peanut who never stops talking.   Holly, Veterinary Assistant Holly joined the GAH staff in October 2009. She has worked in veterinary hospitals since 2000, and especially loves taking care of exotic pets.  She graduated with a wildlife biology degree from Ohio University and hopes to finish graduate work in Ornithology soon. In her free time, Holly enjoys spending time with her 2 cats and chocolate lab, Laura.  She and her husband also enjoy learning about and re-creating the Middle Ages.   Carolyn, Professional Groomer Carolyn has been with us as a groomer since 2001. Carolyn was born and raised in Upstate New York. She has a two year certificate of completion in Computer Science from B.O.C.E.S. in Flint, NY. She also attended F.L.C.C. in Canandaigua, NY for Business Administration. Her main interests are her family. She and her husband of 16 years, Jim, have a son, Matthew and a daughter, Kelly. She really enjoys grooming pets! The challenging ones to the cooperative ones…dogs and cats alike! Seeing how great they look and feel after a bath and clip is her ultimate reward! Wilmarie, Kennel Manager Wilmarie joined the Grafton Animal Hospital team in February 2007. She moved to Virginia from Connecticut in July 2006 to live with her brother. She has had an interest in working with animals every since she was a child and gained that opportunity upon her arrival in Virginia. She enjoys being able to spend plenty of time with GAH boarders and puppy daycare patrons, as well as learning something new with each passing day. She hopes to adopt a husky in the very near future. During her free time, Wilmarie loves to spend time with her boyfriend and playing video games. Katie, Kennel Attendant Katie moved to Virginia in the summer of 2005 with her husband, who is in the Navy at Norfolk Naval Station. She has a busy household that also includes her 5-year-old son, Cole; 2 dogs, Aussie and Tank; their cat, Boudi; their friend, Selena and her cat, Morgan. Katie grew up around animals on a farm in the middle-of-nowhere, North Dakota. She is currently pursuing her degree in Criminal Justice and enjoys spending some of her extra time helping with the pets at Grafton Animal Hospital.   Selena, Kennel Attendant Selena has been with Grafton Animal Hospital as a kennel attendant since 2005.  She has a cat named Morgan and a dog named Mack.  Her hobbies include computer games, woodworking and picking on her nephew. Kaitlin, Kennel Attendant Kaitlin joined the GAH family in November of 2008 because she loves to work with animals.  She is currently studying studio art at Christopher Newport University.  In her free time, she enjoys drawing, playing the trumpet in a band, sailing and hiking.  She also spends a lot of time working with her Border Collie, Shadow, on her obedience and agility classes.  She also has another dog and a cat at home. Squeaks, Troublemaker Cat The GAH family is sad to report the loss of their hospital feline “greeter”. Squeaks had been a part of the family since 1994 when he was just 5 weeks old. He recently lost his long battle with renal failure and will be missed by all of us.   Croaker, Noisemaker Bird Croaker, a female Quaker Parrot (also known as a Monk Parakeet) joined the GAH staff in 1995 and rapidly appointed herself the clinic noisemaker. She is always anxious to compete with the receptionist when answering the phone, trying to prove who can be louder (sorry about that). She has successfully trained most of the employees to follow her command using negative reinforcement (that beak is a powerful influence). Even Squeaks the cat keeps his distance.   Daisy and Duke, Staff Meeting Coordinators Daisy and Duke joined the GAH team in June of 2009. They were stray kittens that needed a home, and Squeaks was in need of a brother or sister. After some convincing, we were able to keep both. If you haven’t seen our kittens roaming the clinic, it’s because they are still learning their way around. For now, they are great morale boosters that keep us entertained during our staff meetings.     Home | Meet the Doctors | Meet the Staff | About Us | Services | Boarding Grooming | Forms | Contact Us | Our Location | Admissions | New Clients Employment | Pet Links | Wellness Tips | About Pet Portals Powered by VetInsite.