Joan - Practice Manager
Joan is the daughter of Dr. Higgins, former owner of the Higgins Animal Clinic and sister clinic to The Wheeling Animal Hospital and Pet Resort.
Joan also runs the Pierre LeBark Pet Boutique where she is greatly enjoying finding both necessary and unique items to sell!
Joan is a Registered Nurse who also has degrees in Psychology and Spanish Education. In her nursing career, she has held positions as a bilingual psychiatric nurse and Director of Nursing for Home Health.
Joan is married to Dr. Roberts and is the mother of two adult children, Lindsay and Alyssa.
In her free time, Joan enjoys creating beaded jewelry and is the coordinator of a community- based English-as-a-second language program.
Joan may be contacted at 847-495-4266 or at wheelingac@aol.com
Mary - Client Care Specialist
Mary is an 19-year veteran employee of the Wheeling Animal Hospital and Pet Resort, having started in 1991.
She is married with 3 sons and has two cats named Libby and Linus.
In her free time, Mary enjoys volunteer work, crafts, reading and spending time with her grandchildren.
Mary is known as the Wheeling Animal Hospital's
"Cat Lady" but is probably best known for her ability to make clients feel comfortable and at ease.
Jerry - Surgical Assistant
Gerardo (Jerry) grew up on a farm in Mexico. He is a Veterinarian in his home country. He attended C.E.T.A. Centro de Estudios Agropecuarios en Santa Maria del Oro Durango and C.E.U. Centro de Estudios Universitarios de Monterrey, Nuevo Leon where he received his degree in Medico Veterinario Zootechnista.
Jerry, who is well-known to many of our long-time clients, keeps our surgerical suite organized and functioning smoothly and has been sharing his knowledge with us at The Wheeling Animal Hospital and Pet Resort since 1991.
He lives with his wife, Claudia, two daughters, Natalie and Kaitlin, and a Yorkshire Terrier named Rocko.
Jenny P. - Certified Veterinary Technician
Jenny P. was born and raised in Illinois but moved to Denver, Colorado to earn her A.A.S. in Animal Technology. Jenny lists passing her state boards to become certified as a veterinary technician as a great accomplishment.
Moving back home to Illinois to be with family and friends, Jenny joined the staff of the Wheeling Animal Hospital and Pet Resort in October 2008.
She owns a miniature Dachshund, a black Labrador Retriever and two cats.
Future plans include a desire to pursue additional certification as an Animal Rehabilitation Therapist.
Stephanie - Veterinary Assistant
Stephanie started out as a Wheeling Animal Hospital volunteer but due to her hard work and enthusiasm, she was soon upgraded to employee status.
Stephanie attends Parkland College where she is enrolled in the Certified Veterinary Technician program.
She is the proud owner of a tabby cat named Mikey. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys drawing and snowboarding.
Vanya - Veterinary Assistant
Vanya comes to us from her native Bulgaria, where she is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. She loves working with animals and is very interested in the role pets play in our lives, here in the United States.
Vanya lives with her husband, who is also a veterinarian in Bulgaria. They have no pets here in the United States as they have only been here for five months. In Bulgaria, Vanya has four cats and three dogs. The cats are named Julie, Shonee, Mickey and Meeshe and the dogs are named Carrie and Sara.
In her free time, Vanya likes to read and talk to her family in Bulgaria by live web chat.
Matt - Business Manager
Matt's official title at our clinic is Business Manager, however, he may be seen on any given day in numerous areas of the clinic. Matt often helps out in Daycamp and Kennel, and posed as "Santa" for our "Pet Photos with Santa".
A Business major at Harper College, Matt enjoys working at our clinic because he says that he "likes the facility and being a part of a team who really cares about pets".
Among Matt's many pets are three rescued dogs; a Chow/Husky named Sadie, two Rhodesian Ridgeback mixes, Billy and Honey, a cat named Rum and a cockatiel named Merlyn.
In his spare time, Matt likes to read and "build things".
Sue - Lead Pet Resort Reservations Specialist
Sue joined the staff of The Wheeling Animal Hospital and Pet Resort several years ago as a Pet Reservations Specialist.
Sue worked in Human Resources for 20 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Now that daughter Megan is 16 years old, Sue decided to indulge her passion for animals by working with them on a daily basis.
Hers is one of the friendly voices you will hear when calling The Wheeling Pet Resort.
Sue lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs; Buddy, a Beagle and Weiser, a white Labrador Retriever.
Margie - Pet Resort Reservations Specialist
Margie, our Pet Resort Reservations Specialist, enjoys "making people and pets happy", which makes her perfect for her job here at The Wheeling Animal Hospital and Pet Resort.
Besides covering the Pet Resort Reservations Desk, Margie, is also cross-trained to help out on the animal hospital side, making her a valuable resource to clients who opt to have hospital services performed while their pets are staying with us.
Margie lives in the Wheeling area with her year old terrier-cross dog, named Oliver.
In her spare time, Margie, a licensed hairdresser, enjoys cutting and styling hair, spending time with family and friends and taking Oliver to the Dog Park.
Leo - Kennel Manager
Leo, our Pet Resort Kennel Manager, has a solid background in animal care, having worked at the Save-a-Pet shelter for 2 years. Even before that, Leo says that he was always the one family and friends called on to babysit their pets.
Leo lives with his family, 2 dogs, a yellow lab named Max and a Shih-Tzu named Betsy as well as 2 cats, named Monkey and Hercules.
Leo is dedicated to the care of animals. He appreciates the fact that pet parents entrust the care of their pets to us and enjoys spending time with and taking care of all types of pets.
In his spare time, Leo likes reading, working out, playing football and basketball, installing car stereos and attending car racing events.
Leo has attended the University of Illinois for two years and his future plans include study in Mechanical Engineering.
Deanne - Camp Counselor
Our Doggy Day Camp Counselor, Deanne, comes to us with a wealth of dog daycare experience.
Deanne spent two years working at Camp Bow Wow Dog Daycare Center, one of the largest dog daycare franchises in the country.
Additionally, Deanne has several years experience working with a professional dog handler.
Deanne and her husband recently relocated to the Chicago area from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The couple are the proud owners of two rescue dogs; Zorro, a Chihuahua/Rat Terrier mix and Fluke, a Lab mix.
Deanne likes working at The Wheeling Animal Hospital for its friendly environment. The fact that our day camp is smaller and more personal than many, means that she can get plenty of 1:1 time with each dog. Deanne also says that she feels particularly comfortable knowing that veterinary staff are always present.
In her spare time, Deanne enjoys horseback riding and spending time with her husband and dogs.