Meet Our Team

Dr. Teresa grew up training dogs and showing horses in Upstate New York, receiving her Bachelors of Science degree in Zoology and completing her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1999 from the University of Wisconsin. Upon graduation, Dr. Teresa worked in rural Wisconsin hospitals until she moved to Raleigh in 2004. When not caring for your furry family members, Dr. Teresa and husband, Jaime, are managing the lives of their children and finding any opportunity to steal away and go camping, to music festivals, and dancing.

Dr. Foca is initially from New Jersey where she completed her Bachelors in Biology at Rutgers University.  To pursue her passion for science, she moved to Oahu to attend the University of Hawaii where she received a Masters in Developmental and Reproductive Biology focusing her research on preterm/premature birth.  Dr. Foca then pursued her veterinary degree at Ross University in the Caribbean and completed her clinical year at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine; emphasizing her studies on small animal and exotic medicine.  She instantly fell in love with Raleigh and the community, and decided to remain in the area upon graduation.  Besides caring for animals, Dr. Foca enjoys exploring the Triangle, practicing archery, and hiking with her coconut retriever, Daisy.  She also has two cats from Hawaii named Sir Lucas Magellan and Menagerie.

Dr. Ashley Pooch is originally from Wilmington, North Carolina. She graduated from Auburn University in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in zoology with a pre-veterinary concentration, and she graduated from theUniversity of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2018with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She wanted to be a small animal veterinarian for as long as she can remember! Dr. Pooch's veterinary special interests are feline medicine, behavior, and dermatology. She also loves interacting with and building lasting relationships with clients. Dr. Pooch has two cats, Siegfried and Tristan. Her hobbies include swing dancing, writing, reading, cooking, baking, running, triking (like biking, but with one extra wheel!), and traveling. She is very proud of her younger sister, who is a veterinary student at the Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, Scotland!

'...unconditional love is not a one way street; unconditional love is given to us to do something with.' Phen's passionate vision into animal welfare began with a cat named 'P' (ask him about his tattoo dedicated to that illustrious cat), and continues with a pack of misfits - including an auction-won puppy, Alou; a cruelty case survivor, Anderson; a momma-cat delivered in a cardboard box, Olive; and too many (but always room for one) more!
Phen's education and experience with animals is vast; not only in veterinary hospital skills, but also extensively in animal rescue work -- from puppy-mill and dog-fighting-ring raids to animal cruelty cases and rehabilitation. Phen is the founder of the Paperbag Pitbull, which focuses on animal welfare education and legislation, primarily for pitbulls. Phen formerly served as vice president of a non-profit animal rescue and on the board of directors for Johnston County Youth Services; in addition to serving as a county and district leader for the Humane Society of the United States and the North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare.
Phen is a published author and speaks regularly on the topics of animal welfare, mental health, and the love of God.

Jen was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor’s degree in social work.  In 2014 Jen moved to Raleigh and decided to pursue a career that followed her passion for animals, beginning by managing a local dog daycare/boarding facility and now with us in the veterinary field. Jen currently lives in Clayton with her husband, Brandon, and their four rescued fur-children: Archer, Kamryn, Addison and Ande.

Allison grew up in Asheville, NC. She always had a love for animals and knew she wanted to work with them. Allison went to Haywood Community College to study wildlife management and worked to rehab orphaned and injured wildlife with Piedmont Wildlife when she moved to Raleigh. It was there that Allison first learned how to work with neonates. After that Allison worked at the SPCA of Wake County for almost 13 years, specializing in medical care for cats and kittens. Her hobby is fostering neonates and kittens, as well as taking on more challenging medical cases in the rescue world. Allison and her husband have six chickens, a dog named Berkley, and two special needs cats, Manny and Dreamcatcher, all of whom keep their lives filled with furry and feathery love.

Taylor was born in Wisconsin and is a big Packers fan and Cheesehead. She has lived in NC for 18 years and began pursuing her passion for animals that stems from growing up on her family's dairy farm. She currently lives in Wake Forest with her two Lab/Pit mixes, Maggie and Dutchess, and her not-so-mini miniature pig, Peaches. Taylor enjoys being outdoors and taking her dogs on adventures to the lake. 

Lindsay was born and raised in Laurinburg, NC and moved to Raleigh to attend North Carolina State University. She is currently pursuing a degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Veterinary Bioscience and hopes to attend veterinary school in the future. Her path to veterinary school has lead her to a variety of experiences, including working with endangered species in South Africa. In her free time, Lindsay loves to read, ride horses and run at Lake Johnson. 

Abigail was born in Matthews, NC and moved to Raleigh when she began attending NC State University. Abigail graduated from NC State with a degree in Animal Science and is currently in her first year of Vet School at NC State. Her journey towards vet school has led to many unique experiences including working at a horse training barn, milking dairy cattle, and rehabilitating nestling songbirds. She has a rescued Yorkie mix named Bella who always wants to play.

Antoniette was born and raised in New Jersey, moving to NC with her 6 sisters in 2010. Antoniette graduated from Medical Arts School in 2012, yet having had a strong passion for animals since an early age opted to pursue a career involving pets. In addition to this strong passion for animals, Antoniette has kept a personal promise of not harming one by being a vegetarian for the past 17 years. Antoniette lives in Clayton, NC with her husband, Brant; and their four pups and one cat: Booger, Bear, Boone, Veda, and Brooklyn.

Jordyn spent her childhood in Virginia, moving to North Carolina at the age of 11. She started working with dogs three years ago - beginning at another daycare and becoming an associate dog trainer with Topline K9 Solutions. Jordyn lives in Raleigh with her three dogs - Luna, Kyte, and Oki. She loves training and spends most of her free time helping people and dogs.

Kevin was born and raised in Elmhurst, Illinois and moved to North Carolina in 2016. Kevin has extensive experience in animal care, having worked as an assistant kennel manager at a daycare/boarding facility in Illinois for 2 1/2 years. Kevin has a vast love for rescued animals, with three foster-failures of his own: Reese, Robyn, and Lucas.

Bridgette grew up in Raleigh and started pursuing her passion for animals by fostering cats a decade ago. In her spare time Bridgette hikes and enjoys discovering new books. She lives in Raleigh with her beagle, Heidi, three cats, Chip, Bailey, and Penelope, and whatever foster cats she has at the time.

Jesica grew up in Florida and moved to Raleigh in 2018 to find a job more up her alley. Jes recently realized her passion in the animal field, beginning at another doggie daycare before coming to us. She lives in Raleigh with her three-legged cat, Lt. Dan. When not playing with our daycare pups, Jesica enjoys exploring the woods around Raleigh.

Bio coming soon!