Our Careteam

Our Careteam Group Photo

Jeff

Jeff

Office Manager

For Jeff, veterinary medicine is a family affair. He’s the younger brother of Valley Animal Hospital’s owner and chief veterinarian, Dr. DuPrez! He couldn’t be happier to help the area’s pets and animal owners as the Hospital Manager.

Jeff hails from Glendora, California and was only 15 years old when he started volunteering at a local veterinary clinic that his sister used to work with. He transitioned to another clinic on his 18th birthday, working the evening and night shifts for many years and learning invaluable Technician skills. Next, he joined the Animal Ambulance of Southern California—Jeff kept the ambulance at his home and stayed on call 24 hours a day! Shortly after his sister bought Valley Animal Hospital in 2009, Jeff joined the team as Hospital Manager, and the rest is history.

Around the clinic, Jeff makes it his mission to support his team in every possible way, and he loves to focus on keeping things clean and organized for a smooth workflow. His favorite part of the job is seeing the positive outcomes of the team’s hard work on a daily basis.

Jeff’s interests outside of the clinic include fly fishing for trout—he caught a massive Steelhead trout in Oregon recently that took a full 20 minutes to reel in!—and spending quality time with his family and pets. He and his wife have a young son, Trevor, and share their home with many pets. There are two dogs, Eddie Van Halen and Indy, as well as six cats: Pantera, Ember, Blaze, Calvin, Keanu, and Zuzu. A small koi pond in the backyard and his wife’s 15 pet tarantulas round out the animal portion of the family.

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Christy

Christy

Receptionist

Christy was the child who rescued birds who’d fallen from their nests and helped lost puppies or orphaned kittens find their next home. She’s been caring for the earth’s creatures ever since she was a little girl. For Christy, a career in veterinary medicine was the perfect fit! She’s a proud member of Valley Animal Hospital’s reception team and also helps pets hands-on as a Veterinary Assistant.

Christy was born in Long Beach and grew up in Los Angeles. She got her foot in the door of the animal care world by volunteering at Valley Animal Hospital through a high school program. At the end of the program, she was offered a position as a Veterinary Assistant, and she’s been a part of the family ever since. Christy loves the feeling of connecting with pet owners and their adorable companions, and her favorite part of every shift is puppy and kitten visits.

At home, Christy shares her life with a Beagle/Schnauzer mix: Hennessy, a foster-failure who is very smart and mischievous.

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Stephanie

Stephanie

Receptionist

Stephanie has dreamt about caring for animals hands-on ever since she was a little girl. She’s always known that a career in veterinary medicine would be the perfect fit. Now, Stephanie’s dreams are a reality: she cares for pets and their owners on a daily basis as part of Valley Animal Hospital’s front-desk team!

A native of Bloomington, Stephanie took an occupational Veterinary Technician class during high school and knew right away that she would love to work in a vet clinic herself. She worked in the pet-sitting world for a time before coming across an opportunity right here at Valley Animal Hospital. The rest is history—Stephanie joined the hospital family in September of 2020 and hasn’t looked back since.

One of Stephanie’s favorite parts of her job is learning new things on an almost daily basis. Of course, she also loves to dote on all the adorable pets who visit the hospital. Nothing brightens up her day like a wagging tail and a slobbery kiss!

Stephanie’s interests outside of work include anything Disney-related, collecting Starbucks tumblers, and doting on her own pets at home. She has two canine companions in her life: Chica, who rules the house and knows it, and Junior, who demands all the pets and kisses from anyone who is willing to give them.

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Miguel

Miguel

Veterinarian Technician

Miguel decided to join the veterinary profession for two reasons. First, he’s always adored the company of pets. Secondly, he’s long been fascinated by diseases and anatomy, and knew that working in the veterinary field would satisfy his scientific and biological curiosities. For Miguel, helping pets professionally simply made sense! He’s a Veterinary Technician with the Valley Animal Hospital family.

Miguel grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, where animals were a constant part of life. After coming to the United States, he decided to pursue his dream of caring for animals professionally. He worked at the local Humane Society for a time, and a friend of his there told him about an opening here at Valley Animal Hospital. It wasn’t long before Miguel was talking to Jeff DuPrez, the clinic’s Hospital Manager, and the rest is history!

Medically, Miguel has a special passion for helping the doctors with surgical procedures. Above all, he likes knowing that his hard work has made a real difference in the lives of not only animals, but their owners as well.

Miguel is a proud father to three children and also loves to spend time with his grandchildren. At home, he has one pet: a talkative African Gray Parakeet.

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Ashley

Ashley

Veterinarian Technician

They say our experiences as children often shape who we become as adults. This is certainly true with Ashley, who remembers the sorrow and helplessness she felt having to say goodbye to a family cat. The experience sparked a deep desire to learn more about animals and help educate others on how to care for their pets, as well as how to prevent certain illnesses and disease. As a veterinary technician, Ashley is now able to do just that!

Ashley’s journey began on the path toward human medicine when she enrolled in a medical assistant course at a community college. Over time, she realized her passion for health care was geared more toward four-legged patients, so she enrolled in a veterinary technician program at a school closer to home. The coursework was challenging, but being able to do what she loves on a daily basis made it well worth it in the long run.

At home, Ashley has three fur babies of her own: a dog and two cats. Lobita is a long coat German shepherd who loves running and playing with her other siblings. She knows how to sit, give paw, and give kisses on the hand. Kitty Meow is a tuxedo cat that loves to play fetch and nap. Guero is a polydactyl kitty with 22 toes. He also has cerebellar hypoplasia. Fun fact: the trash company found him and brought him in; he’s a trash kitty! He loves playing with his older sister and running around everywhere.

Besides playing with Lobita and napping with the kitties, Ashley’s favorite pastime is watching horror movies and serial killer documentaries.

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Rebecca

Rebecca

Veterinarian Technician

Born in Pomona to Mexican immigrants, Beckah learned at a very young age the importance of working hard for what you want in life and never giving up. These life lessons were put to the test when Beckah welcomed her first child, forcing her to put her dream of working in the veterinary industry on hold. Fortunately, an opportunity arose at just the right time, and the rest is history! Now, more than a decade later, Beckah is still as passionate about her job as the day she started!

Beckah’s journey began at a different clinic, where she was able to gain valuable experience and work her way up the ranks. When a position opened up at Valley Animal Hospital, Beckah’s best friend Krista encouraged her to apply. It was the perfect fit right from the start! Professionally, Beckah has a particular fascination with diagnostics. She finds it amazing how much information can be gathered from something as simple as running a blood panel.

Outside of the clinic, Beckah is happily married and has several children. Not surprisingly, the family has many pets, including two red-eyed tree frogs, five cats, and six dogs. If Beckah gets her way, there will be many more critters added to the list. Her dream is to own her own mini farm, where she can have goats, chickens, mini cows and mini pigs, a chinchilla, and frogs of many different species. With a full house of children and animals, Beckah doesn’t have much time to spare, but she wouldn’t have it any other way!

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Heather

Heather

Veterinarian Technician

Growing up with parents who are farriers, animals have been an integral part of Heather’s life pretty much since birth. During the summer, she would accompany her father to local farms and hold horses for him to shoe. It came as no surprise to anyone that Heather would ultimately make her way into a career in the animal field. As a veterinary technician here at Valley Animal Hospital, Heather is honored to be helping pets live their best lives.

Prior to becoming a technician, Heather spent a few years in animal research before switching to veterinary so she could become more hands-on. Over the past 25 years, she has honed her skills and become an invaluable resource for countless pet owners. Clinically, Heather enjoys assisting with surgery and educating clients on how to proactively support their pets’ health and wellness.

At home, Heather has two cats of her own: Levi and Lilith (a.k.a. Bunny Butt). She also has a Staffordshire terrier named Stitches, whom she describes as “85 pounds of goofiness, 100% of the time.” When she’s now working or snuggling her fur-babies, Heather can usually be found nose deep in a good book, building a set of Legos, or spending quality time with her family.

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Krista

Krista

Technician Assistant / Receptionist

Krista has always had a strong connection with animals. They have always been a constant source of comfort for her. During a brief stint in the foster care system, Krista can remember every single pet that she encountered and the peace and joy they brought her throughout that rocky period of her life. Since then, her adoptive family has rescued and kept many animals, from cats and dogs, to hamsters, hermit crabs, and more. This only served to strengthen Krista’s passion for animals and would ultimately play a role in the career path she would choose.

Initially, Krista started out working with at-risk youth through a non-profit after school program. While she loved the children, she felt something was missing. She landed a job as a groomer at Petsmart, and while grooming wasn’t really her forte, she loved working with the animals. Krista accepted a full-time position as an assistant at a vet clinic, where she spent several years and worked through the pandemic. Following a brief boomerang back to non-profit work, Krista joined the Valley Animal Hospital team in January of 2023. Professionally, she loves getting to know clients and their pets on a personal basis.

While Krista would love to own a farm with animals as far as the eye can see, unfortunately, her current circumstances have limited her personal pet count to one dog and two cats. Bailey is a crazy chihuahua-papillon mix who is prematurely greying. Cersei and Lilo were both strays that wandered into Krista’s driveway a couple of years apart and have since been welcomed into the home to be perpetually spoiled.

Krista’s favorite hobbies include playing volleyball, swimming, and working out at the gym, either with friends or solo. A voracious reader, as a child, she would go through about a book a day. Nowadays, she’s slowed down to a book a week. Her favorite genres include paranormal, pirate, fantasy romances, and pretty much anything that lets her escape into other worlds of adventure.

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Catherine

Catherine

Veterinary Assistant

Having retired from a 33-year career in sales, Catherine decided to follow a longtime dream: working hands-on to help animals. That’s when she decided to join the veterinary profession! Catherine hasn’t looked back since. She’s a proud member of the Veterinary Assistant team here at Valley Animal Hospital.

Catherine launched her journey in animal care by volunteering at the local Humane Society. When she decided that she wanted to take an even more direct role in pet health, she chose to dive headfirst into veterinary care. Catherine signed on here at Valley Animal Hospital as a Veterinary Assistant, and the rest is history.

As an Assistant, Catherine especially likes helping to deliver puppies. Seeing newborns take their first breath of life is always extremely rewarding for her! She’s also fond of chatting one-on-one with the area’s pet owners and meeting their adorable animal companions.

When she’s not at work, Catherine likes reading, gardening—she has several milkweed plants that provide a safe environment for the endangered Monarch butterfly—and spending time with her family and pets at home. She shares her life with two dogs: Cali, a smooth-haired Goldendoodle who loves to bring rocks into the house to exchange for cookies, as well as a small Yorkipoo who goes by Rags. Catherine also has a cat, Kinki, so named for the kink in her tail.

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Marilyn

Marilyn

Veterinary Assistant

Long before she was an employee here at Valley Animal Hospital, Marilyn was a client herself. Her pets have always received the best and most compassionate care here at the clinic. When the opportunity arose for her to join the team that has shown her own pets so much love over the years, Marilyn jumped at the chance! Now, she’s a Veterinary Assistant.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Marilyn moved to Fontana with her family at the age of 11. She launched her journey in veterinary care by volunteering at a local animal hospital, and it didn’t take long for her to decide she wanted to grow and learn more. She signed on for the Registered Veterinary Technology program at Mt. San Antonio College and will soon graduate as a Registered Veterinary Technician!

Around the hospital, Marilyn’s favorite thing to do is comfort nervous or sick pets. She loves to ensure that each and every visitor to the clinic has a positive experience. Marilyn also likes imparting her knowledge to pet owners in order to make a lasting difference.

At home, Marilyn shares her life with four wonderful pets. She has three dogs: the aging Coqueta, who loves long naps and head scratches; Poti, whose favorite things are car rides and treats; and Luna, who enjoys barking at anyone she sees. Willie the cat rounds out the animal portion of the family, and he can usually be found taking a warm nap in the sun.

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Brittney

Brittney

Veterinary Assistant

Brittney grew up with all sorts of animals, and she’s always held a deep love for the earth’s creatures. When her childhood Husky got sick, she knew right away that she wanted to learn more in order to help others’ pets. For Brittney, a career in veterinary medicine simply made sense. Now, she helps pets daily as a Veterinary Assistant!

Brittney lived in Los Angeles County for most of her life, and recently moved to San Bernardino County. She attended Carrington College, and took an internship right here at Valley Animal Hospital. Brittney immediately fell in love with the clinic’s staff, clients, and patients—when she was offered a job, she didn’t hesitate! She is particularly fond of performing dental cleanings, and loves to see a dog with a dirty mouth leave with a clean, healthy set of teeth and gums.

Outside of work, Brittney’s interests include swimming, playing video games, drawing, and spending time with her own pets at home. She lives with three dogs: Sexy, who is very spoiled, and two Chihuahua mixes named Gunther and Bandit

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Ana

Ana

Veterinary Assistant

Ana is a pet owner herself. She knows just how she would like her own animal companions to be treated, and she strives to impart that same level of care to every visitor here at the hospital. Ana helps pets and animal owners daily as a Veterinary Assistant!

After working in a pet store for a time, Ana got a call from a friend about an opening at an animal hospital in Long Beach. Ana didn’t waste any time applying, and it wasn’t long before she’d been hired. Next, she worked at the Humane Society in Long Beach before joining the team at a clinic in Riverside. When it came time to look for something closer to home, Ana was thrilled to find her next opportunity here at Valley Animal Hospital. She joined the hospital family in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since.

One of Ana’s favorite parts of her job is tending to hospitalized patients and making them as comfortable as possible. She’s also fond of administering puppy vaccines. Above all, Ana enjoys interacting one-on-one with the area’s pet owners and knowing that her hard work makes a difference every day.

At home, Ana and her family share their lives with two rescued dogs. Riot is a Pit Bull puppy who was adopted after someone found him in a dumpster, and Stella is a Chihuahua/Dachshund mix who was adopted by Ana after she was surrendered to Valley Animal Hospital.

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Jacque

Jacque

Veterinary Assistant

Jacque grew up in California in a big family with plenty of pets. She’s been around animals all her life—she’s always known that a career spent bettering the lives of the earth’s creatures would suit her well. Jacque feels proud to help pets and animal parents every day as a part of the Valley Animal Hospital team!

Jacque moved from California to Florida when she was 19 years old. Shortly after her son was born, she signed on at Animal Behavior College in 2009 to study veterinary technology and gain her certification. After graduating, she worked in a small clinic for a year before returning to California with her family and taking a job at a busy 24-hour emergency hospital.

When the time came to shorten her commute and be closer to her son’s school, Jacque started looking for her next opportunity. When she came across an opening here at Valley Animal Hospital, she knew she’d found the perfect fit! She’s been a part of the clinic family since 2015 and hasn’t looked back since. Jacque is particularly fond of performing laboratory tests and helping hospitalized pets feel as comfortable as possible.

Most of Jacque’s free time outside of work is spent caring for her family. They share their home with four cats—Big Gina, TopSpot, Marvin, and Lilith the Sphynx cat—as well as two dogs: Leonidas and the three-legged Sharlie.

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Jenny

Jenny

Veterinary Assistant

When her beloved Chihuahua needed emergency veterinary care, Jenny wished there was more she could do personally to help. That’s what inspired her to enter the field of veterinary medicine—she knew that she wanted to help improve the lives of all the pets she possibly could. Jenny has been doing just that ever since! She’s a proud member of the Veterinary Assistant team here at Valley Animal Hospital.

Jenny is a native of the Inland Empire region and attended community college for a few years before deciding to dive headfirst into veterinary medicine. She returned to school at Platt College, graduating as a Registered Veterinary Technician, and completed two rounds of externships right here at Valley Animal Hospital. Jenny was hired on a few months later, and she’s been a member of the family ever since!

Medically, Jenny enjoys diagnostic work and loves interpreting signals and symptoms to determine what a pet patient needs. She’s also fond of nutrition and behavioral work.

When she’s not at work, Jenny enjoys running her own small beauty business and spending quality time with her family and pets. She and her boyfriend love to travel and attend music festivals, and they share their lives with multiple animal companions. They have a pair of Chihuahuas, Tufy and Puppers; an American Staffordshire terrier named Malaa; Petunia the cat; two chickens who go by Chester and Chick-fil-a; and a horse named Luna.

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Carlitos

Carlitos

Veterinary Assistant

Carlitos is originally from Mexico, and he has fond memories of helping with the farm animals on his uncle’s ranch and giving food to the stray dogs in the streets of Mexico City. Those early experiences made a lasting impression on him. He’s always wanted to help as many of the earth’s creatures as he possibly could! Carlitos gets to do just that: he’s a Veterinary Assistant with the Valley Animal Hospital team.

Carlitos studied veterinary technology at Westech College in Fontana, California. He completed his externship right here at Valley Animal Hospital, where he got to put his studies to good use in a hands-on clinical setting. A few months after graduating, Carlitos was happy to accept a job offer here at the hospital in 2015! He’s been a member of the family ever since.

One of Carlitos’ favorite parts of his work is getting to help pets alongside a team of compassionate animal-lovers just like himself. He also loves to dote on puppies and kittens whenever the opportunity arises.

Outside of the office, Carlitos enjoys going to the movies, watching anime, playing video games, and watching sports—he’s an avid Lakers, Dodgers, and Raiders fan! He also loves to spend time with his own pets at home. He and his family have three cats: DeeDee, Tazz, and Perlita.

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Ayanna

Ayanna

Veterinary Assistant

Ever since she was a little girl, all Ayanna has wanted to do is care for animals. Now that she’s a veterinary assistant at Valley Animal Hospital, she’s in a prime position to make her dreams come true on a daily basis. Not only does she get to give animals the love and attention they need, she also gets to help save their lives and nurse them back to health!

Born and raised in Fontana, CA, Ayanna’s journey in the veterinary world began when she landed an internship at Inland Valley Humane Society. She loved it so much that she ended up pursuing a job at Valley Animal Hospital.

Ayanna embraces everything that comes with her role as a veterinary assistant at the hospital. She loves welcoming new puppies and kittens into the hospital, administering their booster vaccines and watching them grow throughout their regular visits. She also likes to answer questions and address concerns that clients may have about their cherished pets.

Ayanna currently lives with her family, which includes their four dogs (Luna, Lola, Bella and Fletcher) and three turtles (Dino, Crush and Squirt). In her free time she likes watching movies, hanging out with her family and cuddling with her dogs. She is currently enrolled in the Veterinary Technology program at San Joaquin Valley College and can’t wait to officially be a registered veterinary technician!

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Catherine

Catherine R.

Veterinary Assistant

Growing up in Central Valley, surrounded by large animal agriculture, Cat discovered at an early age that she had a deep desire to work in veterinary medicine. Her hometown eventually influenced her decision to pursue a degree in Animal Science at UC Davis. She has not doubted for a second that she’s on the path she was destined for.

While working toward her Bachelors, Cat briefly considered moving on to veterinary school, but wasn’t entirely sure if that was the route she wanted to go. After graduating, she took a couple of years off before deciding to enter a veterinary assistant program – something she completed while also working 10-12 hour shifts. Cat did her externship at Valley Animal Hospital and liked it so much, she decided to stick around.

Professionally, Cat enjoys patient care and interacting with clients and their pets. It always brightens her day to see families that care so much for an animal and have that love returned to them. Working side by side with the doctors always keeps her on her toes and brings a welcomed challenge for the day. And, as her colleagues and clients can attest, Cat has a knack for finding ways to make visits to the vet a more enjoyable and less stressful experience for everyone.

At home, Cat has two pets of her own: a black tri-colored Australian Shepherd named Joie, and a black cat named Beef Stroganoff. Joie frequently accompanies Cat and her significant other to local breweries, and Beef enjoys the quiet of the house while his sister is out and about.

Most of Cat’s free time these days is spent studying for her technician license, but when she’s able to break away, she enjoys walking Joie, visiting with Tito and Dr. Reed, going for hikes and discovering new coffee shops.

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Idalis

Idalis

Veterinary Assistant

Idalis has always had a deep love for animals. Like most of her colleagues, she knew from a very young age that she would one day grow up to work with animals in some capacity.

Following school, Idalis completed her internship here at Valley Animal Hospital and loved it so much that she decided to stay. As one of our amazing veterinary assistants, Idalis’ favorite part of the job is seeing all the different breeds and all the toe beans.

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Noelle

Noelle

Receptionist

Noelly firmly believes that every animal deserves to be loved and cared for. As a child, she accompanied her parents on their frequent trips to Mexico, where she witnessed countless dogs living on the streets. While she wasn’t able to save them all, she did try and do what she could, even if it was just providing something to eat. When Noelly became an adult, she knew she wanted a career that would enable her to work with animals. As a receptionist here at Valley Animal Hospital, she is fulfilling her lifelong dream!

Noelly joined the Valley Animal Hospital team in July of 2023. The thing she enjoys most about her job is meeting new people who love their pets and treat them as part of the family. With doctors and a care team who always want the best for all of our patients, Noelly finds it heartwarming to know that she works with other people who love animals just as much as she does!

At home, Noelly has a micro bully named Millie who is teaching her how to be patient. A relatively new addition to the family, Millie is already adjusting and settling in quite nicely and Noelly considers her to be the best thing that ever happened to her. In her free time, Noelly frequents music festivals where she can dance the night away. She also has her esthetician’s license and enjoys giving people facials.

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Abby

Abby

The Queen

Abby is Valley Animal Hospital’s resident office cat and oversees all goings-on around the clinic. She’s lived here at the hospital for a number of years and loves all members of her Valley Animal Hospital family. Abby also enjoys meeting the area’s pet owners and their animal companions on a daily basis.

Abby was rescued by the Sierra Pacific Furbabies rescue group in 2016, and was brought here to Valley Animal Hospital because of serious dental problems. Additionally, she was very thin and sick due to a condition known as stomatitis. Abby’s first surgery took place in the summer of 2016, when she had many teeth extracted. As her problems continued, Abby was facing the possibility of living at the rescue permanently. That’s when Dr. DuPrez decided to adopt her!

A short time later, Abby came to live here at the hospital as the resident Practice Cat. After a few more dental surgeries, she had a new lease on life! She’s been enjoying every moment since.

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