Meet the Team at Gardner Animal Care Center

At Gardner Animal Care Center, we care for your pets as though they were our own, prioritizing their health and well-being through client education and preventive health measures. Get to know our dedicated veterinary team below.

Get To Know Us

Get to Know Our Gardner, MA Veterinary Team

Christy J. Boris, BS, CVT

Christy J. Boris, BS, CVT

Christy has been at Gardner Animal Care Center since 2002 but has been in the field of veterinary medicine since 1991. Before coming to Gardner Animal Care Center, Christy worked as an assistant hospital manager at a small animal hospital in her hometown of Keene, NH. She is a member of the Massachusetts Veterinary Technician Association, serving as the organization’s corresponding secretary. In October 2012, she was awarded the MVTA Veterinary Technician of the Year. She is also a member of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. She is married and has two cats: Simon Theodore Boris and Gideon Dillinger Boris. She likes anything athletic (especially trail running- she ran her first 60-mile race in October of 2014) and is a hardcore #3 Dale Earnhardt fan!

Jennifer Davis, CVT, AS

Jennifer Davis, CVT, AS

Jen is a mother of 2 grown boys and has worked here at the Gardner Animal Care Center since graduating from Becker College in 1997. She heads our dental unit and guides students on their externships. She has four cats (Neil, Princess, Duck, and Tiger Lilly), a Hamster named Nibblet, and tropical fish. She sometimes takes orphaned kittens to nurse until they are old enough to be adopted. She is also the newsletter editor on the Massachusetts Veterinary Technician Association board. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and chatting with friends online. Her hobbies include playing street hockey in a local women’s league as a goaltender, tending to houseplants, and reading a great fantasy novel.

Kim Richard, CVT

Kim Richard, CVT

Kim graduated from Becker Jr. College with an Associate’s Degree in Science specializing in Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, she started employment at Framingham Animal Hospital. Kim then moved to sunny San Diego, CA, and worked at El Cajon Rancho Veterinary Clinic. She then moved to Monterey and worked at Pacific Grove Animal Hospital. When she returned to Gardner, Kim finally took employment at Gardner Animal Care Center in 1989. Many years later, she still enjoys her technician job.

Haley Boucher, CVT

Haley Boucher, CVT

Haley studied at Becker College in the Animal Science Program, graduated in 2013, and became a CVT (certified veterinary technician) not long after. Before joining the GACC team, Haley completed her externship hours here and had such a great experience she was thrilled to be called back as a permanent member of the team. Since early childhood, she has loved animals and always knew that working with them was what she wanted to do. Haley lives in New Hampshire with her boyfriend and three dogs, a sheltie mix named Beetle, a Pomeranian mix named Binckley, and a Chihuahua mix named Oliver. She enjoys yoga, running, hiking, and spending time with her friends and family in her spare time.

Joel T. Powers, CVT, RN

Joel T. Powers, CVT, RN

(November 15, 1984 – March 7, 2010)

Gone, but never forgotten.

Veterinary Assistants:

Linda Laffond

Linda Laffond

Linda has been a member of the Gardner Animal Care Center since 2004. Before she came to GACC, Linda worked as a Veterinary Technician at a domestic and wildlife clinic in Wickford, RI. She was also a boarding manager and veterinary assistant at a small animal hospital in Jacksonville, FL. Her compassion for animals is evident to the owners and team members. Much of her time is spent counseling our clients on the importance of healthy nutrition and weight management. Linda spends much of her time outdoors biking, hiking, or enjoying road trips outside the hospital. She has three rescue cats, Alice, Moonpie, and Reese.

Jacqui Dickinson

Jacqui Dickinson

Veterinary Assistant

Jacqui began working at the Gardner Animal Care Center in Aug of 2006. She started caring for animals at the age of 10, taking in stray cats, spending her allowance on examinations and vaccinations, and finding good homes for them. Working with animals has always been her dream, and she loves caring for all the dogs and cats who board at our facility. She is currently working on achieving a Veterinary Technician degree and enjoys her classes. Jacqui lives with her husband, their 10-year-old orange tabby, Kung-Fu, and her wrinkle-faced dog, Gertie, a 13-year-old Golden Retriever/ Shar-pei mix they adopted from the Humane Society. She enjoys spending her free time with her two beautiful children, Ella and Clark.

Client Service Representatives:

Kasey Quinones

Kasey Quinones

Kasey started at the Gardner Animal Care Center in 2014. Kasey went to school in South Carolina for business management while serving four years in the United States Air Force. After her enlistment, she returned to Massachusetts and was married shortly after. She and her husband have three boys, which keeps them very busy! When Kasey was about seven years old, she witnessed a stray cat deliver a litter of kittens. Since then, she knew she wanted to do something that involved animals. She believes working for a veterinarian is a great way to provide customer service, which she loves doing, and also being around animals all day.

In her free time, Kasey likes spending time with her family and being outdoors. She is also a big baseball fan. You can usually find Kasey watching her kids play at the local baseball field. At home, Kasey has two American Bullies named Vayda and Brix and a cat named Kiki.

Gina Beauregard, CSR

Gina Beauregard, CSR

Gina has been with Gardner Animal Care Center as an ACT since April 2015. She is currently attending Mount Wachusett in the Allied Health Program. At an early age, Gina knew she wanted to work in human or animal healthcare. Gina lives in a small town in New Hampshire with her family, boyfriend, and two dogs, Molly and Xena. Molly is a very chubby and friendly chihuahua mix. Xena thinks she’s a lap dog but is a Great Dane/Cane Corso mix.

Gina enjoys photographing her dog, Xena, and all the fantastic daycare dogs. In her spare time, you won’t find Gina without her shadow, Xena. The two love to go on walks, hikes, and swimming.

Kendra Lincoln

Kendra Lincoln

Kendra began working at the Gardner Animal Care Center in May 2018. She has been working towards an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration/Accounting for the past few years. Because of her love for animals, she hopes to start her own business one day that involves caring for animals, preferably cats, because they are her favorite! Kendra currently lives with her Rottweiler, Max, & hopes to adopt some more furry friends soon. For fun, she enjoys spending time with friends & family, & hanging out with the cats in our boarding facility!

Animal Care Technicians:

Jillian Brouillet

Jillian Brouillet

Animal Care Technician

Jill has worked with the Gardner Animal Care Center as an ACT since December 2017. She is currently attending Mount Wachusett Community College for her degree in nursing. She also took a few semesters at UMass Amherst in animal sciences.

Jill has a Catahoula Leopard mix dog named Athena, who comes to work with her every day and loves it! She also has two Puggles, Sophie and Buster. She loves to take her dogs out on walks and hikes in her free time.

Our Groomer:

Grooming is provided by Woof Wagon!

Grooming is provided by Woof Wagon!

Click here to learn more.

Dog Trainers:

Claudia Romard Hofmann, CPDT-KA

Claudia Romard Hofmann, CPDT-KA

Claudia is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) with more than 30 years of experience in dog training and canine behavior modification. Claudia is originally from Germany, where she started training dogs competitively at the young age of 14. She competed in the sport of Schutzhund in Regional and National Level competitions and taught pet obedience classes since the early 90s. After she moved to the US in 2002, she immediately started to do the same here; personally, her most significant success as a dog trainer and handler was her “Vice National Schutzhund Champion” title in 2006.

In 2007 we were fortunate to add Claudia to our team, and she has been teaching classes ever since. Claudia teaches on Saturdays only as her “real job” as an Assistant Manager in a Bank requires her attention Monday through Friday. Along with standard training classes, Claudia specializes in problem behavior dogs and finding individualized solutions to address these problems.

Claudia is passionate about all dogs. Her main objective is to help our clients learn to understand their dogs better based on their characteristics and tendencies that might differ from other dogs in the class. Her teaching style is based on canine behavior science and transparency in its approach. Her classes are not “cookie-cutter.” Everyone receives the same basic training, but the pace and precise technique depend on the team’s individual needs. Claudia strives to create a respectful, trusting relationship and bond between humans and dogs.

Many employee pets, including Dr. Mike’s and Dr. Brian’s dogs, have been through her classes successfully.

Claudia’s favorite breed is the German Shepherd Dog; her Kennel name, “Van Gogh,” is world-renowned. Claudia and her son share their home with a 13-year-old sable GSD and a 6-year-old rescued Pitbull-Mix, a certified Therapy Dog.

Karen Rich CPDT-KA

Karen Rich CPDT-KA

Karen is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) who hosts obedience classes on weeknights and evenings here at the GACC. She is a CGC and PUPPY S.T.A.R evaluator for the American Kennel Club (AKC) and a SPOT evaluator for the United Kennel Club (UKC). Karen teaches Advanced Canine Good Citizen classes and Therapy Dog Training classes in our 3,000 sq. ft. indoor training facility. She also teaches Puppy Preschool, Puppy Obedience, and Basic Obedience classes in the same facility on weeknight evenings throughout the year. She is certified in all levels of dog obedience training. She has been instrumental in helping many dogs at GACC achieve advanced levels of Canine Good Citizenship, as well as going on to become therapy dogs. She is dedicated to helping dogs fit well into our society through behavior training.

Since 1998, Karen has been active in animal-assisted therapy (AAT). Her background in psychiatry and education equipped her to move into this field and become an educator and a tester/observer for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Many of her students have gone on to actively visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries, and senior centers, bringing joy and hope to others. Karen and her dog, Mya, are active in the community, visiting several weekly medical facilities. Mya has made well over 650 therapeutic visits and has reached the highest title of a therapy dog that the AKC awards- “Distinguished Therapy Dog.” Mya can also act as a “demo” dog and assistant in some of GACC’s obedience classes.

Karen is particularly interested in the early socialization of dogs and strengthening the human-animal bond. She is GACC’s dog behavioral instructor for the GACC Daycare team. She is currently supervised by three cats, two Golden Retrievers, and a German Shepherd Dog, who brings her much happiness, keeps her on her toes, and teaches her new things all the time!

My dog Ben is an American Cocker Spaniel. I got Ben when he was 4 months old from an extremely reputable breeder. Upon bringing Ben home from the breeder, I began to notice that he was extremely shy and lacked confidence when it came to being around other dogs and people other than family members. Wanting to ensure he received the best possible obedience training and help in developing socialization skills, I decided to enroll him in puppy school at the Gardner Animal Hospital. The classes were taught by Karen Rich and Claudia Romard.

After a few weeks of training, I started to become impatient with what I thought was the lack of progress in Ben’s development. One week, after class, I spoke with Claudia about my concerns. She encouraged me to stay patient, continue attending class. She stressed the importance of completing homework assignments, consistent handling techniques by all family members and continually applying what was being taught in class.

Well, we stuck with it. The results of Claudia’s methods speak for themselves: Ben graduated from Puppy School, Obedience School, AKC Canine Good Citizen, and AKC Community Canine classes. He is currently enrolled in Therapy Dog Certification Training. None of this would have been possible without the training Ben received from Claudia and Karen.

I would and have recommended the dog training services offered by Claudia and Karen to friends and even strangers that Ben and I come across on our daily walks.

Brenda Leblanc

Contact Gardner Animal Care Center today!