Meet the Team

I am an Ashtabula County native. My family has been here since the 1800s. They came here to farm and raise their families in the beautiful wooded North Country of Ohio. After graduating from Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1978 I decided that my ancestors had the right idea and I too returned home to raise a family and practice veterinary medicine. 

The faculty at OSU bestowed upon me the great honor of being the most outstanding large animal veterinarian in the class of ’78. I practiced large animal medicine and surgery almost exclusively for the next 20 years. I had built the Country Doctor Veterinary Clinic in 1983 and my associate veterinarians attended to small animals for many years while I stayed focused on the areas of dairy and horse farms. 

In 1996 a horse that I was working on attacked me and severely injured my neck. I was forced out of large animal practice and transitioned into small animal medicine and practice management. I love this every bit as much as my large animal days. 

Over the years our clinic has evolved from a premier large animal practice into three premier small animal practice which has been nationally recognized for excellence in patient care and practice management. The original clinic is the Country Doctor Veterinary Clinic in Jefferson, Ohio. In 2011 we opened the Geneva Veterinary Clinic on South Broadway in Geneva, Ohio. The Conneaut Creek Veterinary Clinic opened on West Main Road in Conneaut, Ohio in 2015. Collectively we call ourselves the Country Doctor Family of Veterinary Clinics. 

I truly believe that our incredible Doctors and staff deserve most of the credit for our success. I have had the privilege of working with many amazing people over the years. This has been the greatest pleasure of my long career. If you think about it; a veterinary clinic is just brick, mortar, medicine and equipment. Every clinic has the same 'stuff' and offers the same services. It is the people that set it apart. I have been blessed with the greatest Doctors and staff on the planet! Our continued success and growth are a testimony to these dedicated individuals who have such a passion for helping people and their animals.

The clients have been wonderful as well. We have over 19,000 clients in our database and I can truly say that it has been a pleasure to know and work with so many people who are dedicated to their animals. We are really in the people business……..the animals don’t bring themselves to the Vet! Thankfully through the people, we get to meet and help so many wonderful animals.

In closing, I would like to thank each and every Doctor, staff member and client both past and present who have made the Country Doctor Family of Veterinary Clinics the outstanding animal health facilities they are today.

Hi! My name is Dr. Diane Veale. I grew up in Broadview Heights, Ohio south of Cleveland. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from The Ohio State University, I attended the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in 1986. I spent three years working at a farm/small animal practice south of Pittsburgh before escaping from Steelers/Panthers territory and returning to Browns/Buckeyes territory. In 1989, I married Mike Heiner, an Ohio State graduate from Marietta, Ohio, and we moved to the Cleveland area. We eventually settled down in Ashtabula County when I joined the Country Doctor team in 1995. 

Mike and I live on a crop/vegetable farm in Denmark Township. I also keep a flock of around 30-35 laying hens and I raise around 100 meat chickens every summer. We have three beagles (Lucky, Dottie, Buddy) and two cats (Noel and Friend). 

During the school year, junior and senior high school students who are interested in a career in veterinary medicine get to spend one-day observing life at the Country Doctor as part of a job shadowing program. One of the questions I get asked is 'What do you like most about your job?'. The answer is always the same. I love people and I love animals so what better job could there be than working with animals and people who love animals. I am blessed to spend my working day with the truly extraordinary staff at Country Doctor and our wonderful clients and their pets.

My name is Marla Hall. I have been practicing veterinary medicine for 7 years. My family consists of my two daughters, Anjolene who is 3 years old, Emma who is 8 months old, and our family of three rescue dogs. Mia is a 10-year-old 'coconut retriever' who was born under my roommate's bed in vet school in St. Kitts. Stella is a 4-year-old pit bull whose mother died giving birth and her to was close to death when her owners could no longer take care of her. Dutch is a 1-year-old American Bull - Pit mix that came from the streets of downtown Cleveland.

I am an associate veterinarian working at all three beautiful clinics.

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and after 10 years of schooling and working in other parts of Ohio, I finally returned home where my family and friends remained. I have learned the true importance of real friendship and family!!

Being a veterinarian has been a life long goal for me as I grew up on our family horse farm and participated in 4-H, Morgan Youth and showed/rode Morgans competitively there were many interactions with veterinarians and tending to sick or wounded animals. After high school, I attended Lake Erie College where I obtained my BS in biology while playing basketball and riding on the IHSA team. My next journey was the most exciting when I went to live on the island of St Kitts for 3 years while attending vet school at Ross University. I then completed my clinical year at Oklahoma State before returning to Akron, Ohio where I practiced for 3 years.

Some of my favorite things to do are taking my girls to church, spending time with family and friends, horseback riding, cooking/baking/canning, and gardening.

In veterinary medicine, I am passionate about nutrition, preventative care and blending therapeutic essential oils with modern medicine. I have gained great new knowledge and experience with essential oils by using them on myself, my family, and my pets as well as many online references and some great desk references. I love the challenge of solving difficult cases and helping those without a voice be heard.

My name is Dr. Melanie Richards. I am an Ashtabula native who graduated from Edgewood High School. During high school, I started shadowing at Country Doctor as part of the Ashtabula Education Service Center Mentorship Experience. I guess they liked me here because they kept me around. I worked as an assistant through undergrad and veterinary school. In between, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from Lake Erie College. I was also president of IDA (our dressage riding team) and a tutor for Organic Chemistry. After graduating from The Ohio State University 8 long years later, I came back to work here as an associate veterinarian. I am fortunate to work in all four of our fantastic clinics with all of our amazing team members.

My passion for veterinary medicine comes from the opportunity to serve the human-animal bond. I love seeing patients through all their life stages from the first puppy visit through their golden years. I have a particular interest in surgery, nutrition, internal medicine, cardiology, and neurology. But my favorite appointments are still new puppy and kitten visits.

Outside of work, I'm kept busy running my small hobby farm milking (and spoiling) my small herd of ADGA Lamanchas and Nigerian dwarf goats. I also have two senior horses, Bud and Diana, who have been with me since I was in 4-H. I am an active volunteer with Ashtabula County 4-H and Greyhound Adoption of Ohio. I also enjoy hiking and running with my greyhound, Arthur.

Hello, I'm Ashley, Country Doctor has been my home-away-from-home for the last 15 years! I am forever grateful to Dr. Curie and Dr. Veale for the opportunity to be a part of it all. The amazing co-workers, amazing clients, and even more amazing patients are the real reason I have the love and dedication that I have for The Country Doctor. This is an amazing field to pursue if you have that special love for animals that all of us here share. 

A little bit about myself: Rescuing, rehabilitating or helping anything in need is my passion. I am extremely family-oriented. My family means the world to me. My husband Tom and I have been together for almost 20 years! I have two babies that call me MaMa. Dawlton Stihl is 8 and Korra Jayde is 4.

My extended family include 4 dogs: 

BOGG - coondog mix, WALTER - Pitt mix, HARDEE & REUBEN - Rottie brothers (our newest addition).

RIP Rubicon

4 cats:

 WHISKEY, OPY, OLIVE, and TINY.

I'll mention our 2 turtles also. And I usually have extra(s) depending on the day and situation. lol, I'd love to meet you and your extended family and help in any way I can!

Hello, I'm Carly. I am one of the veterinary assistants here at Country Doctor. I have been here for 14 years. It is great to have a position that gives me such an opportunity to continually expand my knowledge and skills. I am so thankful that I have a career that allows me to care for animals.

My husband Jason, son Dylan and I live in Plymouth Township, we have lived there for 11 years. We have a crew of four-legged babies too. We have 4 dogs, 'Kimber' our Pit Bull mix, 'Dixie' our English Springer Spaniel, and 'Sydney' &'Reggie' our sibling Rottweilers and our cat 'Wookie'. We also have 2 fish aquariums and an ornamental garden pond with goldfish.

I look forward to with working with you and your pet when you visit the office.

Hello, I'm Sarah and I am one of the veterinary assistants here at Country Doctor Team. I've been here for 8 years. I was born and raised in Ashtabula, and in 2002 I moved to Fort Myers Florida. I spent ten years there before moving back in 2012 to be closer to my family. I'm currently taking online classes to obtain my Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology and will graduate in just a few years.

I have 2 'fur babies'. Cooper my dog and he's spoiled rotten, I rescued him from a shelter in Florida in 2010 and he's been my best friend ever since! My newest addition is my cat, Oakley. She was a stray that ended up in my woodpile and I fell in love with her, now she has a forever home.

I'm looking forward to helping your pet live a long healthy life.

Hello, I am Missy. I joined the amazing team at Country Doctor in July of 2015. I am a graduate of Conneaut High School and I also attended Great Lakes Institute of Technology where I graduated with honors in 2012 from their Veterinary Assistant program. I was born and raised in Conneaut. I enjoy being by the lake and love to spend as much time as I can jet skiing or at the beach with my two dogs, Beaux and Baxter. I also have 6 cats, a bunny, and fish. They all keep me pretty busy when I am not at work.

I look forward to meeting you and your pets!

Hello, I'm Sierra, I am one of the veterinary assistants here at Country Doctor. I was born and raised in Dorset and attended Ashtabula County Technical and Career campus during my junior and senior year for Small Animal Care. I am currently attending an online school to further my education and become a Veterinary Technician. I have always had a passion for animals, growing up I spent a lot of time at a family friends' farm and my family has always had dogs. I currently have a Dalmatian named 'Cinder'. I enjoy horseback riding and working on my truck when ever I have free time.

I look forward to meeting you!

Hi, I'm Karen, and I am so excited to be part of the Country Doctor family. I am from West Springfield, PA., and have had the opportunity to work in the veterinary field for the past 30 years. The relationships with people and their pets and that special bond we all share with them continues to bring me the greatest joy! I share my life with a very special Aussie, 'River'. She enriches my life in more ways than I can know. I am truly blessed!

I look forward to getting to know you and your 'family', so come on in to Country Doctor, and share a story (or two!). I'd love it!