COUNTRYSIDE LARGE ANIMAL VETERINARY SERVICES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Registered Veterinary Technician
I was raised in Thornton, Colorado. At the age of 12, I found my passion riding horses and showing in western pleasure, showmanship and english equitation. I've always found myself around all animals small to large. Now, I spend my free time helping training and working horses while finding time to go on adventures like camping, paddle boarding, hiking and road trips.
I was born and raised in Alamosa, Colorado, and have been riding horses since before I could walk. I loved helping with my family's herd of beef cattle and would even ride to different ranches to help with branding. When I was finally old enough, I started showing 4H pigs and horses. 4-H is where I improved my horsemanship doing reigning, working ranch horse, western pleasure, and trail events. After high school, I took a job at a ranch in the historic mountain town of Creede, Colorado. In my 5-year career there, I looked over a herd of nearly 50 horses, and learned the art of packing elk camps, chainsaws, and many other supplies deep into the mountains. When I'm not at work you can find me in the mountains hunting and fishing, or in Denver for an Avalanche hockey game.
Dr. Kelly Anders was born and raised in Port Angeles, Washington. She grew up showing western performance and working cow horses. She showed in 4-H and high school equestrian teams. After graduating from high school with an Associate in Science she attended Washington State University where she received her Bachelor's degree in Animal Science. She worked with WSU's research and teaching herds where she gained experience managing cattle, swine, horse, small ruminant and camelid herds. She assisted in growing and teaching in WSU's Horsemanship program and values good horsemanship, especially in veterinary medicine. After graduating with her Bachelor's degree she was accepted into Colorado State University's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program. She spent four years as an active member and officer with the American Association of Equine Practitioners, Bovine Practitioners and Small Ruminant Practitioners Student Chapters. She graduated with her Doctorate in May of 2023. She received the Equine Emergency and Critical Care Award and is very passionate about this aspect of veterinary medicine. Her fiancé helps operate his family dairy in Eaton and she is proud to be joining the agricultural industry in Weld County. All aspects of large animal general practice interest her and she is excited to help provide her services to the Greeley community and surrounding areas!
Dr. Wade Shoemaker was raised on a commercial cattle and quarter horse ranch in Divide, Colorado. Growing up on a high altitude ranch and being raised in the 4-H program allowed Dr. Shoemaker to gain a deep understanding of not only the process of production and health of all large animals but also the importance of handling each of the species for successful ranching. This knowledge allowed Dr. Shoemaker to be quite successful in showing both English and Western performance horses and working his share with a rope in his hand. Livestock judging provided the scholarships for Dr. Shoemaker's first two years of undergraduate work at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado. After which he transferred to Colorado State University where he graduated with a degree in Animal Science. In 1999, he graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Dr. Shoemaker's professional interests encompass nearly anything that involves the performance horse or beef cow. Specifically, he spends most of his time working on performance horse lameness and correcting issues that cause a decrease in performance. In the spring, he also breeds a number of mares via artificial insemination and works to perfect the art of embryo transfer. Dr. Shoemaker paid for most his college and entry fees by shoeing horses. Wade also spent time during veterinary school working in the vet hospital on therapeutic cases for in-house surgeons. Today Dr. Shoemaker still enjoys the challenging foot issues that are such an important part of keeping the performance horses working. Many soft tissue surgeries are performed by Dr. Shoemaker. Being raised on a ranch and running a cow herd at home, Dr. Shoemaker does not deny that he enjoys working cattle. During the pregnancy checking and calving seasons he will spend a considerable amount of time working in that segment of the practice. Dr. Shoemaker's involvement as a youth showing and judging steers, lambs, and hogs, has provided a self desire to work with youth in the 4-H and FFA programs.
Personally, Dr. Shoemaker tries to devote time to his wife, Dawn, and young family of daughter, Kassandra and son, Coy. Dawn is a farm raised girl that works at keeping the cow herd fed and healthy, as well as the crop and farm land wet. Dr. Shoemaker is an avid and accomplished horseman. He enjoys branding, ranch rodeos, and catching wild cattle. Dr Shoemaker is a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and works all of the roping events. Dr. Shoemaker spends the remainder of his time working with young horses and helping Kassandra and Coy with their rodeo and showing interests. Due to the fact that the Shoemaker's only ride what they have raised and trained, this an involved task.
Hailey has had a connection and passion for animals from a young age, as she grew up on a family farm in southern Utah, where tending animals of all types and sizes was a part of daily life. Hailey was active in 4-H, and FFA. Then became more interested in equestrian events, competing at a local and state level in Utah Summer Games. Later she found her niche in High School Rodeo and also competing in Western Pleasure, Reining, and Working Cow Horse. During her High School Career, her family moved to the Big Island of Hawaii along with her barrel and reining horses, where she rode and competed at Parker Ranch. While still in high school, she started volunteering at a local Veterinarian clinic and eventually worked in a veterinarian technician position. She has since worked as a technician and managed a mixed animal clinic in Arizona and Utah. She recently completed an Equine Fascial Integration therapy certification from the Equilibrium Institute. Hailey also enjoys snowboarding, water sports, hiking in the mountains, visiting her parents in Hawaii, and her ten nieces and nephews. She loves Colorado and is happy to call it home!
Dr. Zacharias was raised in Persia, Iowa on a farm raising corn, soybeans, and beef cattle, with both a cow/calf and feedlot operation. Dr. Zacharias showed cattle in 4-H and was active in FFA. He participated in calf roping, steer wrestling, and team roping in high school and roped calves in college. Dr. Zacharias attended Iowa State University, completing two years of coursework towards a degree in Animal Science before being admitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine. He graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2003 from Iowa State University. In 2004, he completed an internship at Oakridge Equine Hospital in Edmond, Oklahoma. Here he gained extensive experience and exposure to equine surgery and lameness, motivating him to pursue a large animal surgical residency. Dr. Zacharias then moved to Lafayette, Indiana to complete this residency at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. During this time, he obtained a Master's of Science Degree in Veterinary Clinical Medicine. He then went back to Iowa State University for a year as the Equine Emergency Surgeon. In 2009, he passed the board certification exam of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He spent two years in Katy, Texas at a private equine practice as a surgeon and clinician, prior to coming to Countryside Large Animal Veterinary Services, PLLC. In 2013, Dr. Zacharias passed the board certification exam of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in Equine.
Dr. Zacharias also attended Kentucky Horseshoeing school during the summer between his first and second year of vet school. He began to work with Dan White, CIF, who was the resident farrier at the veterinary school. This "apprenticeship" throughout the remaining three years of veterinary school gave him the experience in building corrective shoes and treating a vast array of cases that presented to the university teaching hospital. He also competed in a few horseshoeing and forging competitions. Dr. Zacharias enjoys therapeutic shoeing cases such as laminitic horses. His main interests are associated with lameness in the performance horse and all aspects of surgery.
Dr. Zacharias enjoys spending time with his wife, Shaya, and their son, Carson, and daughter, Callie. Although he has hobbies in woodworking, fishing, water-skiing, golf, and hunting, Dr. Zacharias enjoys roping the most!
Job Titles:
- Registered Veterinary Technician
Kat is a Colorado native. She was brought into the world of large animals by family trips to New Mexico to help on her great aunt and great uncle's cattle ranch. She continued to ride as a youth between playing volleyball, soccer, and mountaineering. She graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a BS in biology. She took a break after college to start a family and be a stay-at-home mom to her two kids. Once her kids started school, she decided to go back to school to get her AAS in Veterinary Technology from Bel Rea Animal Institute, from which she graduated in June of 2021. When she is not working, she enjoys hanging out with her family taking and her kids on adventures in the Colorado mountains. She is very excited to be joining the Countryside Staff at the front desk and as a technician. She cannot wait to relocate up north with her husband (Zach), two kids (Arya and Ryley) three dogs (Zoe, Rosie, and Thor), two hamsters (Lila and Vision) and turtle (Mykie).
Job Titles:
- Head Technician / Registered Veterinary Technician
Kimberly grew up in the small town of Cohutta, Georgia with her parents and older sister. From a young age Kimberly had a love for horses and other animals. She also spent a lot of time on the softball field competing with her school team and traveling teams. She always had a need for speed and was an outdoorsy kinda gal racing four wheelers, trail riding and barrel racing. She started working at a very young age teaching her to be a very determined and hard worker. Kimberly has had the opportunity to work at many types of events, with many horse breeds and disciplines. She started out at a boarding barn doing the dirty work, she always says "you gotta start somewhere". The trainer that was leasing out the boarding facility scooped her up bringing her with him to his own facility in Ooltewah, TN. She worked by his side breaking, training, showing, etc. With that experience she went on to become a very young farm manager in north Georgia where she was responsible for over 48 head of horses where she showed, cared for and marketed horses. She did it all during her 10 years there. When Kimberly wasn't at school or working, she was at rodeo events. She qualified for Georgia's High School Rodeo Finals on several occasions as well as bringing home many ribbons, buckles, saddles and trophies along the way.
Kimberly left Georgia fresh out of high school and moved herself, her horses and her dog all the way to Colorado where she attended Lamar Community College. She studied Horse Training Management & Equine Business Management. While attending school in Colorado, she rode for a cutting horse trainer full time and worked at a gymnastics facility part time. She then went back east transferring to University of Kentucky where she pursued a bachelor's degree in Equine Science. She took a job working at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital where she was a night shift technician and later a night shift supervisor. During her 6 years in the area and at the hospital she worked side jobs at thoroughbred horse sales, rode horses for many of the area farms, farm/pet sat, ponied as well as broke horses for the track. Her adventures finally took her back south to Alabama where she was an equine technician at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine for 6 years. While there, she purchased a house and some acreage and built a barn to house her equine family. Alabama is where she met her beloved husband, Dusty, whom is a veteran and served 3 tours overseas.
Both Dusty and Kimberly loved Colorado, and not long after being married, they sold the Alabama farm, and returned to Colorado. Kimberly is enjoying being part of the Countryside Large Animal Veterinary Services team. She hopes to be an asset to both the hospital and the community by not only sharing her knowledge and hard work but to learn from her colleagues. She is certified with the American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians, and the American Institute of Medical Laser Applications. Kimberly & Dusty currently reside in Eaton, CO along with their 8 horses and 3 dogs. They get outside to enjoy the beautiful outdoors every chance they get, whether it be for their love of helping others or enjoying it via foot, bike, hunting, car or horseback. Kimberly continues to compete in barrel racing every chance she gets and still enjoys teaching others.
Job Titles:
- Registered Veterinary Technician
Madison was born and raised in western NY and has been riding horses since she was 8 years old. She moved to eastern Kentucky after high school where she obtained a bachelor's degree in veterinary technology at Morehead State University. During her senior year and after graduation she worked at a walk-in mixed animal practice in rural eastern KY. During her time in Kentucky she was involved in her university farm volunteering her time as well as working with their cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses. Madison was also involved with her universities western equestrian team. Outside of work she enjoys hiking with her dog, Koda and exploring all what Colorado has to offer.
Mary grew up on a dairy and beef farm in northeastern Iowa. She received her first horse from her grandfather at the age of 2 and was hooked from then on. Growing up Dr. Hoffmann was active in 4-H and FFA showing dairy cattle, horses, and competed in many judging competitions. After high school Dr. Hoffmann attended Colorado State University and received a degree in Equine Sciences with a minor in Business Administration. During her time at CSU she was a member of and helped coach the CSU Horse Judging Team. In addition, Dr. Hoffmann completed a veterinary technician internship at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky during the foaling season. During this time she gained valuable experience caring for foals in the intensive care unit.
In 2010 Dr. Hoffmann moved back to Iowa after accepting a spot at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. During veterinary school she was active in the student chapters of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and the Society for Theriogenology. Her summers were spent judging horse shows and shadowing local veterinarians. During her fourth year, Dr. Hoffmann especially enjoyed her clinical rotations in equine surgery, equine dentistry, and bovine embryo transfer.
Dr. Hoffmann enjoys spending her spare time with her fiancé Derek horseback riding, camping, and spending time outside with their dogs Harper and Bear.
Michelle is a Colorado native and has lived on the Western Slope and Northern Colorado, growing up mostly in and still living in Johnstown/Milliken area. While growing up lived she lived on a small farm in Milliken and had goats, pigs, cattle and a horse, not to mention numerous dogs and cats. Michelle was in 4-H growing up, as her parents were 4-H leaders, showing goats, steers, rabbits and dogs. Since obviously having a love for animals, working with them seemed like the thing to do and applied at a small animal clinic 20+ years ago and got the job and the rest is history. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her family, husband (Mark), 3 kids (Jordan, Christopher, and Marcus), and 3 grandkids (Izaiah, Illianna, and Julian) she also enjoys camping, paddleboarding, kayaking, hunting, and riding 4 wheelers. Michelle and her husband also raised English and French Bulldogs for the last 15 years and enjoyed showing them when she had the time to do so, the 4 she has now, Jemma, Jax, Myles, and Layla keep her busy cleaning up their messes they leave behind! She is excited to be a part of the Countryside team and looks forward to the future with them learning all about large animal side of things!!
Parker was originally born in Washington D.C but moved to Colorado at the age of two and has been here ever since! At the age of four, she started riding horses and since then has found a passion for all aspects of the Equine Industry. At a young age Parker found herself with a non-profit organization in Denver, CO where she became the youngest brand ambassador at ten years old and assisted with the care of a variety of livestock animals. During her time there she got to work with a multitude of veterinary professionals, which is when she decided she wanted to go into large animal medicine. Throughout her life, Parker competed in multiple disciplines like jumping and polo and has dabbled with other disciplines non-competitively. Parker moved to Fort Collins after high school to complete her undergraduate degree at Colorado State University. During college, Parker worked with a large animal clinic in Southern CO which finalized that she wanted to go to veterinary medicine. During her time in college, Parker was involved with the CSU Polo team where she was an officer and competed with the JV and Varsity teams. Outside of work, Parker enjoys being outdoors, riding and working with her four horses and is currently furthering her education so she can head to veterinary school in the future!
Job Titles:
- Office Manager / Client Care Representative
Sarah has been in love with animals her whole life, she joined the veterinary hospital scene at the age of 15 in Upstate New York. She volunteered at clinics, and farms until she was old enough to work a full-time job in a doggie daycare and boarding kennel. Over the years she has lived in different states and held different job titles, many things have changed, but the thing that has always stayed the same is always working with animals. She has always been a people person and began working as a client care representative in 2014. Sarah drives from Wiggins, CO every day. Some people think she is crazy, we just call her dedicated. In between commutes to work and the hospital hours, she spends time with her husband Isaac and her 3 ponies, 4 dogs, 4 cats and the field mice. In her free time, she enjoys renovating her 100-year-old house, camping, playing music, photography, and traveling. Some things she would like to experience during her life are, going to school to become a veterinarian, herd cattle, bathe an elephant, and be a rodeo photographer.
For those of you long-time customers, you probably remember Dr. Bott with this veterinary clinic even before the namesake of Countryside existed. Dr. Bott was a partner with Dr. Ron Maifeld when the practice resided at of 1st Avenue as Maifeld Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Bott and Dr. Shoemaker purchased the operating entity in 2000 thus starting Countryside Large Animal Veterinary Clinic. The new clinic was built in 2003. Dr. Bott came to the Greeley clinic upon graduation from Colorado State University Veterinary School in 1996 and has been associated exclusively with this operation ever since.
Dr. Bott was born in Rocksprings, Wyoming and spent summers with his parents on the edge of the Wind River wilderness where his father was employed as a Range Technician with the US Forest Service. They moved to Montana when he was three and he grew up on a commercial cow/calf ranching operation. It was here that he developed his love of farm animals and an appreciation for what can be accomplished with hard work. Upon graduation from high school, he attended Montana State University and completed a degree in Animal Science. While at MSU, he worked summers for the US Forest Service and developed a fondness for packing and spending time in the backcountry on horseback. After graduation, it was on to Colorado State University where he graduated with his degree in
Shawn is married to wife, Kristi and has a son, Seth and a daughter, Hannah. He enjoys spending time with them hunting, fishing, camping, and tinkering in the shop.
Job Titles:
- Accountant
- Practice Manager
Tonya grew up in Fort Collins and always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. However, at age 16 she discovered an aversion to blood and an attraction to numbers. So, as talents would have it, she became an accountant and has spent many years in the trenches of CPA firms, doing accounting for a variety of business types. Tonya joined the Countryside Large Animal Veterinary Services, PLLC team as our Accountant in May, 2013. She came to us with Bachelor's degrees in both Accounting and Finance, from the University of Northern Colorado and brings 17+ years of accounting experience to the office team.
A lifetime resident of the state of Colorado, Tonya lives on her family's ranch in Nunn, CO, where she raises quarter horses and paint horses. Tonya competes in amateur reining and is a horse enthusiast through and through. Outside of the arena, Tonya has spent many hours in the saddle traversing the rugged Rocky Mountains, starting colts and working on the ranch.