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Have questions or need to schedule an appointment? The team at Independence Animal Hospital is here to help. Whether you need information about our services or need to walk-in for a visit, we’re just a call or click away. Reach out to us today and experience the exceptional care we provide.
Meet Our Dedicated Team
Staff Profiles at Independence Animal Hospital
Discover the skilled professionals who are committed to providing exceptional care for your pets. Our team is here to ensure the health and happiness of your furry family members.
Expert Technicians
Our technicians are highly trained and experienced in veterinary care, ensuring your pets receive the best treatment possible.
Friendly Receptionists
Our receptionists are here to welcome you and your pets with a smile, making your visit as pleasant as possible.
Sydney Bliss
Receptionist Extraordinaire
Meet Sydney Bliss, who has basically been at IAH since birth. Honestly, we’re not convinced she’s ever known life outside of the clinic. At this point, she probably came home from the hospital and immediately started getting the charts organized.
Sydney is one of the key people who keeps the daily operation running smoothly. If things are somehow functioning during the chaos of a busy day, there’s a good chance Sydney is behind it making sure everyone survives.
Outside of work, Sydney is owned by her Cane Corso, Walter, who is approximately the size of a refrigerator and probably believes he’s part of management at IAH.
Desiree Mallott
Receptionist Extraordinaire
Meet Desiree Mallott, who joined the IAH team shortly after moving here from Los Angeles in 2019 and has been keeping us on our toes ever since. After trading California traffic for clinic chaos, she fit right in almost immediately.
Desiree is married and proudly outnumbered at home by her four fur babies, so her life basically revolves around animals both inside and outside of work. Around IAH, she’s known for jumping in wherever needed and handling the daily madness with a smile and just enough sarcasm to survive the day.
We’re still not sure if moving from LA to IAH was culture shock or just advanced training for veterinary medicine.
Lori Bukaty
Receptionist Extraordinaire
Meet Lori, one of the friendly faces at the IAH front desk. She officially joined the team in 2023 after being a customer at IAH for 35 years, so she already knew the clinic almost as well as the people working here.
Lori describes her role as “a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” which is receptionist language for handling just about everything while somehow still smiling through the chaos. Whether she’s greeting clients, answering phones, or helping keep the day on track, Lori is always ready to jump in where needed.
At home, she’s outnumbered by her three dogs and one cat, so multitasking and managing confusion are basically second nature to her.
Aimee Mooers
Vet Tech
Meet Aimee Moores, who has been part of the IAH family for around a decade and somehow still shows up smiling every day. Aimee has loved animals since she was little, which explains why she willingly chose a career filled with fur, slobber, mystery smells, and pets who “have never acted like this before.”
She’s passionate about helping animals and brings kindness, experience, and a calm presence to the daily chaos at the clinic.
When she’s not at IAH, Aimee spends time with her high school sweetheart husband, Trent, and their four dogs: Star the Chihuahua, Roxy the Jack Russell mix, Herbie the toy poodle, and Sahara the Boxer.
Sandy Aldrich
Vet Tech
Sandy Aldrich, our resident Vet Tech Ninja and unofficial encyclopedia of show dogs. After spending “a bunch of years” at IAH, Sandy has mastered the art of handling everything from nervous Chihuahuas to show dogs who clearly know how important they are. She brings years of experience, a love for animals, and the kind of calm confidence that makes even the most dramatic pets cooperate… eventually.
Around the clinic, Sandy is known for her calm demeanor, ninja level vet tech skills, and her ability to spot a future Best in Show contender from across the room. We’re still not entirely sure she doesn’t secretly communicate with dogs telepathically.
Anna Howerton
Vet Tech
Anna Howerton, who started as our summer intern and somehow never escaped. What began as “just helping out for the summer” quickly turned into a full time role as one of our vet techs.
Whether she’s assisting in procedures, comforting nervous pets, or cleaning up messes nobody wants to talk about, she does it all with a smile and just the right amount of sarcasm. When she’s not at the clinic, she’s probably being followed around by animals who have decided she belongs to them now.
Janet Moe
Vet Tech
Meet Janet Moe, whose love for animals and caring heart have made her a valued part of IAH for years. Janet says the love and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father, along with the love of her husband Ken, family, friends, and her three dogs, are what keep her going each day.
Around the clinic, Janet is known for her kindness, steady presence, and genuine compassion for both pets and their people. She brings warmth to IAH every day, along with the kind of experience that only comes from years of loving what you do.
And honestly, anyone who goes home to three dogs after working with animals all day clearly never wanted peace and quiet in the first place.
Lizzeth Rodriguez
Kennel Assistent
Meet Lily, the unofficial mom of IAH and the person secretly keeping this entire place functioning. If there’s food involved, a schedule needing organized, or someone forgetting something important, Lily already handled it before anyone else noticed.
Her love language is feeding people, which means nobody around here stays hungry for long. Outside of work, Lily loves her husband, her two kids, and her farm full of animals, because apparently caring for humans and animals at work just wasn’t enough.
Honestly, if IAH ever completely falls apart one day, there’s a good chance Lily simply took the day off.
Carl Paxton
Kennel Assistent
Meet Carl, who has been at IAH for an impressive 38 years, which basically makes him part of the building’s foundation at this point. Over the decades, he’s seen just about everything veterinary medicine can throw at a person and somehow keeps showing up anyway.
When he’s not at the clinic, Carl enjoys cars, Royals games, and spending time with his two dogs, Woody and Spanky, who are likely just as routine oriented as he is after all these years. Around IAH, Carl is known for his experience, steady presence, and probably knowing where things are that nobody else can find anymore.
William Lockwood
Kennel Assistant
Student Staff
Lynn Rempel
Kennel Assistant
Emme Wingert
Kennel Assistant
Student Staff
