ST CHARLES - Key Persons
Ariana is a student at St. Charles High School. She joined the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in July, 2023.
Ariana lives with her family in St. Charles. They have a dog and a cat.
Dr. Jerry Berends is a native of St. Charles. He graduated from St. Charles High School in 1991. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota Veterinary College in 1998.
Dr. Berends joined the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in 2000 and became a partner in 2004. In 2021, Dr. Berends became the sole owner of the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic.
His main focus is in small animal medicine and surgery, but also enjoys dairy and beef medicine and surgery. Dr. Berends is a member of the AVMA.
He married his wife Amy in 1999 and has three children, Grace, Cole and Luke. They have BB, the yellow Lab, as well as two cats, JJ and Leonard. Dr. Berends enjoys watching his kids play sports, golfing, camping, and spending time with his family and friends.
Dr. Swiggum is a native of St. Charles. He was raised on a dairy farm and is a 1979 graduate of St. Charles High School. He received his undergraduate degree in Environmental and Public Health from UW - Eau Claire in 1984. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Veterinary College in 1989. In 2013, he received his Masters of Public Health degree from the University of Iowa.
Dr. Swiggum joined the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in 1990 and had been a partner since 1991. He sold his share of the practice to Dr. Berends in 2021. He specializes in dairy, beef and small ruminant medicine and surgery. He is an active member in the veterinary community. Currently Dr. Swiggum is on the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine and is a member of the MVMA and AVMA.
He married his wife Carol in 1984 and has three adult children, Sara (Andy) Walters, Mary, and Will, as well as three granddaughters. He enjoys playing basketball, golf, traveling, farming, and spending time with his family.
Job Titles:
- Tech Assistant / Kennel Manager
Pam is a native of Eyota, MN and a graduate of Dover-Eyota High School - go EAGLES!! Her love of animals took her to the University of Minnesota - Waseca. She graduated with a degree in Veterinary Technology.
Pam has been part of the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic since graduating from college. Her favorite duties are dentistry, surgery, lab work, and ordering the drugs and supplies for the clinic.
Pam shares her home with Bruce and her three and four legged kids - Mason, Lilly, Snitzer and Charlie. She also has a miniature horse - Mr. Big.
Pam enjoys gardening, fishing, bird watching, and spending time with family and friends.
Savanna joined the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in July, 2020. Savanna lives in St. Charles, but attends Winona Cotter. At school, she plays basketball and runs track. She also participates in speech.
In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, being with friends, and reading.
Savanna has three pets, a black Lab named Yogo, a brown Lab named Trooper and Carol, the cat.
Job Titles:
- Kennel Worker / Tech Assistant
Shelby joined the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in May, 2015. Shelby lives in St. Charles with her daughter, Emma. They share their home with 4 cats (Manny, Stewart, Phoenix, and Dina) and 1 dog (Willow).
She was born in Rochester and raised in Spring Valley. She moved to St. Charles in 2014 after graduating high school.
Stacy graduated from Dover-Eyota High School. She moved to St. Charles in May, 1991.
Stacy joined the St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in 1994. Her responsibilities include customer service and most of the office duties.
Along with her husband Mark, Stacy shares her home with her cat, Hope. They have three adult children, Jim (Dana), Jake (Justine), and Jerricho (Maddy). They also have 3 grandchildren (Zooey, Jameson, and Azra).
Stacy enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Taylynn has lived in St. Charles all her life. In her free time she enjoys crocheting, reading and hanging out with family. She loves listening to true crime podcasts too. She has 2 dogs, Tennessee, a Catahoula pit-bull mix, and Nash. He's a bit of everything together. She also has a grey tabby cat and her name is Moon. Taylynn graduated from St. Charles High in 2023. She is now attending college at Hamline University. She loves going to work and seeing all of the amazingly cute animals!