Dr. Frank Capella is originally from Solvay, NY. He received his undergraduate degree from the Cornell University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences in 1985. Dr. Capella has been a member of the Village Veterinary Hospital team since his receiving his DVM degree from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989. He is a past owner of our hospital and very recently sold his share to once again become an employee.  He has special interests in ophthalmology, ultrasound and internal medicine. Frank is a past president of the Central New York Veterinary Medical Association and has been an active board member since 1993.  Frank and his wife Dee, who is now a receptionist here,  have two sons, Evan and Jonah, two dogs, two cats and a Python.  His personal interests include kayaking, hiking, gardening, cooking, and catering, and he occasionally enjoys a round of (mostly bad) golf. 

Dr. Love has been a member of the VVH family since 1996. She was born and raised in Simsbury,CT where her interest in animals developed at a young age. She readily became a pet sitter for all the neighborhood dogs and cats and, at age 15, she began working at two local animal hospitals as a kennel attendant. Throughout high school and college, she worked as a veterinary assistant. Karen attended the University of Connecticut as an undergraduate (yes, she is a Husky!!) majoring in Pathobiology. While at UCONN, she spent some time working in a research department studying winter dysentery in cows and Crohn's disease in humans. After three years at UCONN, she was accepted to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. While at Cornell, her family grew. She rescued a Rottweiler carrying muscular dystrophy and two research cats. She also met John, her future husband. During her four years at Cornell, Karen worked in the small animal out-patient practice as a veterinary assistant. She also exercised horses on a treadmill as part of a research project. She graduated from Cornell in 1996 and since her husband, John, was a Cazenovia native, she sought employment in the Syracuse area. This brought her to Village Veterinary Hospital. Karen has developed a strong interest in dermatology and is a member of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatologists. She currently resides in Cazenovia with her husband, two children and menagerie of animals. She is a lifelong horsewoman who also enjoys playing tennis and running. 

Dr. Brandy grew up in Western Massachusetts. He completed his undergraduate studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL where he received a BS in psychology and a minor in economics. Following Eckerd College he enrolled in a post graduate certificate program at Bennington College in Vermont receiving a degree in Pre-veterinary studies. He then attended Tufts Veterinary School outside of Boston, MA. While at Tufts he focused and excelled at both small animal surgery and emergency critical care, receiving the ACVS student surgery excellence award as well as the ACVECC student critical care excellence award. He also completed an externship in surgery at the Animal Medical Center in NYC. Following his graduation from Tufts, he took a position with the Village Veterinary Hospital where he has continued to develop his special interest in surgery and emergency/critical care. He is an active member of the Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society and he annually attends the IVECCS conference. He is an active member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association and the Central New York Veterinary Medical Society.

Dr. Brandy enjoys spending his free time with his wife Kiri and their daughter Maddie and son Jack. They share their home with their dog, Solomon and two cats, Nickie and Cooper. He especially enjoys the outdoors - kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and gardening. He also likes to relax in his woodshop.

Dr. Hopper was born and raised in northern New York and aspired to be a veterinarian from a young age. She volunteered at the Watertown Zoo for two years, and then went on to work at Old McDonald's Children Farm in Sackets Harbor, NY throughout high school. In 2001 she left the northern New York area to complete an associates degree in animal science at SUNY Cobleskill . She then transferred to Cornell University to complete two more years of animal science for a bachelor's degree in 2003. After taking a year off from school to work at veterinary hospitals in the Syracuse area, Dr. Hopper was accepted at Cornell University Veterinary School in 2004 and completed her degree in 2008. Dr. Hopper's special interests in the veterinary field include pain management and imaging. While attending Cornell, Dr. Hopper met her husband Kevin, a fellow veterinarian. She and Kevin have two sons and two dogs, with whom she spends most of her free time. Dr. Hopper also enjoys sailing, kayaking, gardening and fishing.

Dr. Alicia Brown started her veterinary career at a very young age. She is the daughter of VVH founders Dr. Kerry Brown and Nickie Brown, so, naturally, she has had many opportunities to help out and observe over the years here, at VVH; from dogs and cats to horses and cows, she handles them all with patience and compassion. Alicia has officially worked at VVH as a kennel worker, a receptionist, a veterinary assistant, and now as a veterinarian. Dr. Brown's special interests in veterinary medicine include orthopedics, neurology, and rehabilitation. Dr. Brown and her husband, Brian, have two sons, a daughter,  two dogs, Harper and Mack, two cats, Heifer and Peggy Bandit, a horse, Bubba, and a small herd of grass-fed beef cattle. Alicia has a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a BA in Biochemistry from Skidmore College and now her DVM from Cornell University. She also worked as a Student Technician at Cornell's Equine and Farm Animal Hospital.

Dr. Jane Raftopoulos grew up in Westchester county and attended Skidmore College where she earned her BS in biology. She attended Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, NY and earned her DVM in 2014. After graduating she spent her first two years working at small animal practices in PA and OH. She was drawn back to central NY in 2016 when she joined the VVH family as an associate veterinarian and rotating emergency doctor. Dr. Jane now lives in Fayetteville, NY with her husband and fur family of three dogs and one cat.

Dr. Daniele Casper was born and raised in Upstate New York.  She graduated from Utica College in 2015 with a BS in Biology. She then attended The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, where she graduated with her DVM degree in 2019. Her special interests in veterinary medicine include surgery, rehabilitation, dermatology, and cardiology. Outside of veterinary medicine, she enjoys spending time at her camp in the Adirondacks, downhill skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and cheering on The Ohio State Buckeyes! 

Dr. Pfeiffer grew up in the upstate New York area and has called Fayetteville home for many years. Growing up, she was an avid member of the Spurs N’ Spokes 4H club. She spent many summers showing her horse all over the state as well as traveling to Lexington, KY for 4H related competitions. She started here at the  Village Veterinary Hospital in 2010 as a kennel assistant in high school and worked her way towards becoming a veterinary assistant. Dr. Pfeiffer graduated from the University of Findlay in 2016 where she received her bachelor’s in animal science with a pre-veterinary emphasis along with a minor in chemistry. She then went on to complete her studies in veterinary medicine and received her DVM from Tuskegee University in 2022 where she graduated with the honor of magna cum laude. During her senior year at Tuskegee, Dr. Pfeiffer was awarded the title of proficiency in emergency and critical care medicine by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Society as well as being inducted into the Phi Zeta veterinary medicine honor society for graduating within the top of her class. Dr. Pfeiffer has also been inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success. Dr. Pfeiffer is a member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society and the American Veterinary Medical Association. She has achieved USDA Level 2 accreditation and is certified in veterinary dentistry from the Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Pfeiffer’s special interests in veterinary medicine include emergency and critical care, neurology, oncology and urology. In her downtime she loves traveling, spending time with her family, as well as hiking with her dog and taking her horse out on the trails. 

Dr. Kirsten Schaal grew up in the CNY area and developed a love for veterinary medicine at a young age. She spent her summers and vacations with a large animal ambulatory group. She went on to study at Binghamton University where she worked in the Lyme disease lab. She focused on using dogs as an indicator for the prevalence of Lyme disease in humans. She was accepted to St. George’s University and was president of Mini Vets, an outreach program which taught animal welfare to school aged children. She graduated in 2021 and worked at a small animal hospital for one year before become a part of the VVH family. She attended Chi University during that time and became acupuncture certified. In her free time she enjoys hiking with her dog Coco, swimming, and skiing.