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 Our Gardner, MA Veterinary Team
Practice Manager:
Amanda Clapper
Practice Manager
Veterinary Technicians:
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. Christy has also been involved with the Massachusetts Veterinary Technician Association since 1994 and in 2012 she was awarded the MVTA Veterinary Technician of the Year. Christy is married and currently has one cat: Oliver (Ollie) Ace Boris. Christy likes to travel with her husband and pets. Her previous kitty, Gideon Dillinger Boris, had traveled with them to 27 different states. Christy likes anything athletic (especially hiking and ultra running) and is a hardcore #3 Dale Earnhardt fan!
Jennifer Davis, CVT, AS
Jenn has worked at the Gardner Animal Care Center since graduating from Becker College in 1997 and is currently the Lead surgery technician. She is an adjunct professor over at Mount Wachusett Community College and teaches surgery nursing and dentistry to students in the Veterinary Technician program. She is also the newsletter editor of the Massachusetts Veterinary Technician Association. She currently has 2 cats, Noodles and Hobbes and 2 freshwater fish tanks with fish and shrimp.
In her free time, she loves exploring the trails, especially in the White Mountains. She also enjoys painting, sewing, wet felting, and needle felting 3D figures and 2D pet portraits. She has recently discovered pickleball and enjoys playing with her friends!
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.
Lynn Kelley, CVT
Jessica Giard, CVT
Bio coming soon!
Zachary Serafini, CVT
Bio coming soon!
Kolby Jackson, CVT
Bio coming soon!
Kat Landanno
Bio coming soon!
Joel T. Powers, CVT, RN
(November 15, 1984 – March 7, 2010)
Gone, but never forgotten.
Veterinary Assistants:
Jacqui Dickinson
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.
Courtney Post
Bio coming soon!
Destiny Pritchard
Following graduation, Destiny embarked on a five-year tenure at a specialty and 24/7 emergency veterinary hospital, where she worked under the neurology department as a CVTA. In this role, she assisted in advanced diagnostic procedures, provided critical care support, and collaborated with veterinary neurologists to ensure optimal patient outcomes. The experience honed her expertise in managing complex neurological cases and reinforced her commitment to compassionate animal care.
Born and raised in the beautiful state of Colorado, she’s always had a deep love for nature, wide open spaces, and the fresh mountain air. In 2024, she took a leap and moved across the country—a big change that’s turned out to be one of the best decisions of her life. Now, she’s embracing a new chapter filled with adventure, love, and plenty of dog walks.
She shares her days with her amazing boyfriend and their three dogs, who bring nonstop joy, chaos, and cuddles. Whether they’re hiking, road-tripping, or just enjoying quiet mornings together, she’s happiest when surrounded by the people (and pups) she loves most.
Client Service Representatives:
Dianna Larrabee
Lead CSR
Bio coming soon!
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.
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!
Jessica Desjean
Bio coming soon!
Jennifer Lafleur
Bio coming soon!
Elyssa Ouellete
Elyssa started working at Gardner Animal Care Center in June of 2024. She graduated with an associates degree in Criminal Justice in 2014 but has always had a love for animals. She has owned a variety of animals ranging from cats and dogs to different exotics. She currently lives in central Massachusetts with her 2 bunnies and in her spare time enjoys reading, hiking, hanging out with friends & family, and enjoying a nice cup of coffee!
Bonnie Duke
Bio coming soon!
Animal Care Technicians:
Sasha Bonitz
Kennel Manager
Kim Kelly
Co-Lead Animal Care Tech
Isabell Scoville
Co-Lead Animal Care Tech
Isabell joined the team in May of 2024, She has always had a love for animals and knew from a young age she wanted a job working with them. She spent middle school mucking out stalls on farms to get horseback riding lessons at a discounted price, to later get a part time job working on a farm and caring for all kinds of animals. Her future goal is to eventually become a dog trainer. In her spare time, she can often be found helping at her church, going on hikes with her dog Luna, or having a relaxing evening reading or watching movies with her significant other.
Grace Salvadore
Annika Rodriquenz
Cole Fortes
Ashley Cover
Her love for nature and animals has always shaped her career path, driving her to provide the highest level of care. In her spare time, Ashley loves exploring the outdoors with her dog, Versace (pig pig), who often joins in the fun at the clinic’s daycare. Together, they embrace the beauty of nature and the joy of animal companionship, further enriching Ashley’s commitment to her work at Gardner Animal Care Center.
Dog Trainers:
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 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.
Contact Gardner Animal Care Center today!