Our Petvacx Family
Doctors
Name: Dr. Rachel Wiley
Position: Veterinarian/Practice Owner
Hire Date: August 2017
Hobbies & Interests: In her spare time Rachel enjoys spending time with her family and pets.When she gets the chance she enjoys horseback riding and gardening.
About:
Rachel Wiley grew up in Montgomery County and attended Montgomery Blair High School. She studied veterinary medicine in California at UC Davis where she met her husband Sean, a blacksmith and farrier. Sean and Rachel have three children and a small farm where they have a variety of animals including steers, dairy goats, horses, dogs, cats and chickens.
Name: Dr. Samantha Hudgins
Position: Veterinarian/Practice Owner
Hire Date: August 2017
Hobbies & Interests: In her spare time Samantha enjoys playing soccer and hanging out with friends and family. Samantha dabbles in soap making and textile crafts and loves any form of dancing.
About:
Samantha Hudgins grew up in Atlanta, Georgia but spent many vacations in the DC area visiting family. She studied veterinary medicine in Ohio at Ohio State University where she met her husband Dixon, who is from Honduras. Samantha and Dixon have one daughter and two cats, Getty and Jim Bob. At home Dixon and Samantha speak mostly Spanish.
Speaks Spanish
Name: Raymond H. Craft, DVM
Position: Veterinarian
Hire Date: 1982
Hobbies and Interests: Dr. Craft enjoys History and guitar. He is also enjoys playing and watching golf.
About:
The son of a sergeant in the Marine Corp. and orphan from the Depression, Dr. Craft became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland in 1970, followed by his veterinary degree which was obtained from the University of Georgia in 1974. Dr. Craft believes he has truly lived out his dreams. He moved back to Maryland in 1977 and worked for 5 years at the first dedicated animal emergency clinic in the United States at that time, located in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Craft married Dr. Dodson in 1982. Togther they founded and operated Petvacx Animal Hospital and Veterinary Services Inc., boasting the first mobile veterinary clinic of its kind around the country. Seven years later, Petvacx Animal Hospital and Veterinary Services, Inc. expanded by opening its full-service Animal Hospital. Dr. Craft served as a Board Member of the Montgomery County Humane Society for ten years. He has also worked with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on projects involving injured deer, and participated in local government bodies promoting humane handling of animals under government care. In addition to his two wonderful daughters with Dr. Dodson, Dr. Craft has 5 pets and multiple other blessings he is grateful for.
Name: Deborah Dodson, DVM
Position: Veterinarian
Hire Date: 1982
Hobbies and Interests: Dr. Dodson enjoys cooking, being with her family, and following and playing tennis. She loves to speak Italian at any opportunity she gets.
About:
Dr. Dodson attended the University of Maryland for her undergraduate degree and then graduated from veterinary school at the University of Perugia in Italy after attending for 5 years. Dr. Dodson is married to Dr. Craft, with whom she founded Petvacx Animal Hospital and Veterinary Services, Inc. in 1982. Dr. Dodson is the proud mother of two intelligent and highly motivated daughters (both of whom are following in their mother's footsteps and studying abroad). Dr. Dodson is also a proud pet owner and mom to 4 dogs (Biscuit, Brownie, Fila and Lola), ) and 2 cats ("Milo" and "Mittens").
Speaks Italian
Staff
Name: Shelly Paniagua
Position: Practice Manager/Technician
Hire Date: May 2007
Hobbies and Interests: Shelly enjoys riding her motorcycle, being outdoors, drawing and supporting her favorite football team, The Ravens. She also loves to travel anywhere warm, but Mexico holds a special place for her.
About:
Shelly was born in Silver Spring, MD, and has lived in the area all her life. Her parents moved to the United States from Bolivia before she was born. Shelly graduated from Colonel Zadok Magruder High School and has since continued her education at Montgomery College. She has quickly become the bridge connecting the previous and new clients, during the new ownership transition. Shelly has been with Petvacx since 2007, and has dedicated herself to making everyone feel like they are family and they come first. She has a Pomeranian named "Chico", who she spoils daily.
Speaks Spanish
Name: Leslie Merino
Position: Veterinary Technician
Hire Date: January 2015
Hobbies & Interests: In her free time Leslie, enjoys cooking and enjoying the spoils of those cooking adventures. She also loves being outside and staying busy. She enjoys fishing, hiking, art, and cleaning. Seriously she enjoys cleaning.
About:
Leslie is originally from the DC area. She went to Rockville High school and Montgomery College. Leslie’s best friend is her dog named Don. Leslie enjoys the challenge of working in a veterinary clinic and appreciates the opportunity to meet new people every day. Leslie’s family is from Guatemala and El Salvador and she grew up speaking Spanish and English.
Speaks Spanish
Name: Lisseth Mora
Position: Veterinary Technician
Hire Date: July 2017
Hobbies & Interests: In her limited spare time Lisseth enjoys drawing and spending time with friends and family. When she has the chance, Lisseth likes to pick up a bat and play a friendly game of baseball.
About:
Lisseth is from Nicaragua and more locally, the DC area. She went to Montgomery Blair High School. She is currently a full time student working towards her Animal Science Degree. She aspires to go to veterinary school once she has finished her undergraduate degree. She has two pomeranian's named Chloe and Ranger, and her newest addition is a pitbull puppy named Neveah. Lisseth grew up speaking Spanish at home, but is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Speaks Spanish
Name: Stacey Glover
Position: Veterinary Technician
Hire Date: September 2017
Hobbies & Interests: In her free time Stacey enjoys sports and being outdoors. Stacey enjoys traveling and looks forward to visiting Hawaii someday.
About:
Stacey Glover recently moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland with her wife Andi, who also works at Petvacx. Stacey is originally from Addison Pennsylvania, where she grew up on a dairy farm. She has worked in the veterinary medical field for 10 years and is currently pursuing a veterinary technician license. She loves all animals. Some say Stacey has a gentle soul and brings a calming tone to the hospital. She has 6 cats: Charlie, Sadie, Hawk, Kittwan, Grey, and the newest edition Ruby.
Name: Andrea Glover
Position: Client Care Specialist
Hire Date: September 2017
Hobbies & Interests: Most of her friends and family know her as Andi, and outside of work Andi enjoys shopping and spending time with friends and family. She enjoys singing whenever she can, and loves to dabble in cosmetology. She also loves spending time with her wife Stacey and 6 fur-babies; Charlie, Sadie, Hawk, Kittwan, Grey and the newest edition Ruby. She loves spontaneous traveling and just getting in the car and driving.
About:
Andi is originally from Canton, Ohio; Chester, Virginia and most recently Western Pennsylvania. Her family moved around during her childhood because her father worked for the postal service. Andi has worked in the customer service industry for more than 15 years, and possesses skills across all facets of the administration field. She is new to the veterinary industry, but is learning new things every day. Her favorite part of the day is being filled with puppy and kitten kisses.
Name: Irving Garcia
Position: Client Care Specialist
Hire Date: November 2017
Hobbies & Interests: Irving really enjoys going to the gym and boxing, and his favorite exercise is long distance running in the summer months. He also has a love of music in general, but he is partial to the early 90’s.
About:
Irving was born in Washington D.C., but raised in the Silver Spring area. He is the youngest in the family, and has two siblings. Irving attended school in the Bethesda community and graduated from B-CC High School in 2006. He then attended Montgomery County Community College and received his Associate of Arts. He has always had a love for all animals, but canines hold a special place in his heart, larger breeds especially. He’s been the proud owner of a Dogo Argentino & Italian Mastiff. He is very excited to be a part of the Petvacx Family.
Speaks Spanish
House Cats
Name: Butters
Position: Official Greeter & Petvacx Mascot
Hire Date: October 2011
Hobbies & Interests: Butters enjoys greeting all clients as they come through the front door, stalking & annoying Kelsey daily, making messes, chasing computer cursors, and always being absolutely adorable.
About:
Butters was brought into our hospital by the Montgomery County Police Department after being hit by a car. Although he was injured and scared, he was full of life and personality. While sweet and charming, he was VERY, very dirty. After assessing him, our Doctors found that he had some nerve damage in one of his front legs, which left him with a little limp, but otherwise he was in great shape and just needed a bath, a meal, and a home. Every staff member fell absolutely in love with him during his stay with us. With very little persuasion from the staff, the Owners of Petvacx Animal Hospital, Drs. Craft and Dodson, opened their doors to him and gave him a permanent place to live. Since Butters became a part of the Petvacx family he has made himself known to all staff and clients as the Personal Greeter of Petvacx. You will often find him on our front desk counter pacing and purring in front of anyone who will give him a good rub. In the best of cat fashion he is completely self-absorbed and believes the world revolves strictly around him and loves being catered to. When Butters is not busy greeting clients and trying to get Kelsey's attention he enjoys chasing lasers, practicing his adorable "Puss In Boots" eyes, distracting staff members from their work, and sniffing out trouble wherever he can.
Name: Kelsey
Position: Kelsey does not work. Kelsey cuddles, that is all.
Hire Date: December 2009
Hobbies & Interests: Kelsey loves lounging in the sunlight, ignoring Butters, maintaining her robustly girlish figure by eating everything in sight, being pampered, and cuddling up in any lap that allows it.
About:
Kelsey's previous owner found her outside as a stray kitten of about 12 weeks old in 2005. She has been taken care of by Petvacx's Doctors her entire life, and has always been a sweet girl with just enough sass to make her stand out among our clientele. When her beloved owner passed away in 2009, Kelsey was once again an orphan with nowhere to go. After some consideration to whether she might be happy living here at the hospital as one of the Petvacx House Cats, it was decided that we would take her in. It took some time for her to transition from living in the quiet and calm home environment of a domestic cat to the hustle and bustle of a busy Animal Hospital. Needless to say, however, following her realization that she could be queen of the castle and get lots of love from all of the staff, she took to her role like an heir to the throne. Kelsey is the epitome of what a cat should be; she loves eating, napping, and hunting pretend prey... But mostly just eating and napping.