Dr. Lea Button
Dr. Button graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2004 and started her career as an equine vet in the Ottawa region soon after. She joined Dr. Douglas at Valley Vet in 2006 practicing in both small animals and horses, and eventually took over the practice in 2013 when Dr. Douglas retired. With the growth of her family and the growth of the practice, Dr Button eventually shifted her focus to exclusively small animals. Dr. Button enjoys all aspects of being a family veterinarian, and being able to care for the dogs and cats that are so important to her clients. Dr. Button is particularly interested in surgery and dentistry and has undertaken extra training in those areas. When not at the clinic Dr. Button enjoys her family and her rural property near Ashton. She is busy with activities for her 4 kids and enjoys her long walks with her Doberman, Zena. Dr. Button has a special love for fancy cats and is the owner of a couple of Persians.
Dr. Allison Rousselle
Dr. Allison Rousselle grew up in Ottawa, however decided to go back to her Scottish roots and obtain her DVM from the University of Glasgow. Since graduating, she spent 4 years working at a busy referral hospital in both emergency and general practice until joining the team at MMAH in 2017. Allison's interests include emergency medicine, wound repair/management, and soft tissue surgery, and hopes to eventually complete her certification in acupuncture.
Dr. Tara Raftis
Dr. Tara Raftis graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2018. Her veterinary interests include individualized patient care, communication, and team wellness. She grew up in Ottawa and has called Carleton Place home since 2018. When at home she enjoys spending time with her family and exploring the outdoors. She is excited to now call Carleton Place her home for work as well, and looks forward to seeing patients in the clinic and around town
Dr. Cara Hall
Dr. Cara Hall obtained her DVM with distinction at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, followed by an Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery. After working for many years in quality companion animal practices, she opened the Beckwith Animal Hospital in Carleton Place. After 10 years she sold the practice and for the past 3 years has been a locum vet. Her special interests include soft tissue surgery and internal medicine. She shares her home with her cream standard poodle Cory and 2 cats, Darcy and Eva. She enjoys the outdoors, gardening and hiking
Vincent
Vincent is a 2017 graduate of the veterinary technician program at Algonquin College. He started his career as a Registered Veterinary Technician at Mississippi Mills Animal Hospital before transiting into practice management with Valley Veterinary Clinic. Vincent has a special interest in companion animal nutrition, and enjoys helping clients find the perfect diet options for their pets. When not working Vincent spends his time with his partner, and his two adorable fur babies Harper and Gaz.
Shallen
Shallen grew up in the Ottawa area. She graduated from Northern College in 2003 from the Veterinary Technician program. In June 2003 she wrote the registration exam and became a registered veterinary technician. Shallen currently lives in Smiths Falls with her husband, 3 daughters, a dog (Aussie) and a cat (Harry). She enjoys spending time with her family, camping, ATVing and doing some arts and crafts in her spare time.
Hannah
Hannah previously attended Carleton University and obtained a degree in biology. She went on to study in the Veterinary Technician program at Algonquin College and write the national exam to become a registered veterinary technician. In her free time, Hannah can be found horseback riding, travelling, reading and spending time with family including her cat Tobias.
Alicia
Alicia grew up in Montague Township on a beef farm. She turned her passion for animals into a career when she graduated from St. Lawrence Collage Veterinary Technology program. Alicia has also successfully completed the Registered Veterinary Technician exam. On her off time she enjoys horseback riding, reading and spending time with friends and family. At the end of the day Alicia winds down with her fur family, Kit the cat and her dogs Dewey and Cricket.
Brianna
From a very early age, Brianna knew she wanted to work in the veterinary field. In pursuit of her dream, she completed two high school coop placements, including a veterinary animal hospital and a canine rehabilitation centre. Brianna graduated from the Veterinary Technician Program at Northern College in 2019 and immediately began working in her field. Brianna took a leave of absence in the fall of 2019 to return to Northern College to complete the Companion Care Animal Rehabilitation Program which is the only program of its type in Canada. She graduated with Honours in the spring of 2020. Brianna’s focus is always on the animal. Their care and comfort are her priority. Brianna has a soft spot for rescue animals and a special interest in companion animal rehabilitation. When she is not at the clinic, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her two rescue dogs Beau and Willow.
Christine
Before joining Valley Vet, Christine spent 6 years as a supervisor of a large pet store where she specialized in the care of exotic pets. While working, Christine attended Algonquin College and graduated with her Veterinary Assistant certificate. She is an accomplished horsewoman having successfully shown for many years on the trillium and A circuits and winning numerous Equitation, Hunter and Jumper Championships and awards. She is relied upon to provide nursing care and monitoring to both equine and small animal patients here at VVC. When not at work Christine helps to manage the family farm, Kilkenny, and is always on the lookout for her next special horse.
Christiane
Christiane joined our team in the Fall of 2010 after graduating from the Veterinary Assistant program at Algonquin College. She grew up in a rural area near Dunrobin and enjoys gardening and the outdoors. We can always count on her to help out in the clinic wherever needed, from greeting people at the front desk, to caring for our in hospital patients. Not a person to sit still for too long, Christiane is constantly on the lookout to learn new things and improve her skills. Her compassionate and caring nature make working at Valley Vet Clinic a natural fit.
Terri
Terri joined our team in the Fall of 2022 and comes to us with a background in Administration. She has many years of Veterinary Receptionist experience with 15+ years in customer service. From a very young age Terri knew she wanted to work with animals and considers this her dream job, doing what she loves. Terri will welcome you to our clinic with a warm smile and a friendly hello. Terri is always ready to answer your questions, help ease your concerns and shower your pet with love. Terri also enjoys helping with in hospital animal care when an extra hand is needed. When Terri is not working, she loves spending time with her 6 kids, and her "boys" (cats) Ash and Mowgli. Terri also enjoys reading, gardening, baking and playing darts.
Megan
Charissa
Charissa grew up in the Almonte area and is now living with her partner on a small farm. She’s spent the past 6 years working with blind and deaf dogs as a volunteer and foster parent for Poets Vision dog rescue. She enjoys the company of all animals, and currently has a dog “Roxanne” two cats “Micheal & Ozzy” and two little mini pony’s “Star & Junifer”. In her spare time Charissa enjoys attending dog rescue events, camping with her family, horse back riding and fourwheeling.
Megan
Megan grew up in the west of Ottawa in the small town of Munster. She has recently completed a bachelors degree in Biology at Carleton University and hopes to soon apply to Ontario Veterinary College. She joined the Valley Vet staff in the spring of 2022 to gain experience in the veterinary field and learn from the seasoned Valley Vet team. In her free time Megan enjoys spending time with friends & her dog “Basil”, being outdoors, and playing Ringette & Soccer.
Kelly
Kelly has been working in the veterinary field since 1990. While working at Valley Veterinary Clinic, she returned to College to graduate with honors, as a Medical Laboratory Technician. Kelly is always at the front desk to greet patients and owners with a smile. Kelly has a soft spot for Pugs, she has a 6 year old male named 'DeNiro' and adopted a deaf bulldog named 'Zsa Zsa'. She loves working with animals and her special areas of interest include nutrition and supplements.
