Sara Dupré, DVM

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from University of Connecticut

DVM from Iowa State University

Fear Free Certified Professional

I’m a Connecticut native, born and raised in Southington where my love for animals began at a young age. My parents supported this love by allowing me to care for any animal I wanted, from newts, crayfish, frogs and fish to cats, dogs and all the pocket pets in between. I gravitated toward the special needs pets. I hand-picked a one-eyed cat with bad hips as my very first one. A tailless gerbil followed and then various injured birds, bunnies and other species joined the household

Upon graduating from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Animal Science, I took my first step into the veterinary field working as a receptionist at a veterinary emergency hospital and a technician at a clinic in Plainville. After gaining several years of experience, I was ready to follow my dream and I enrolled in veterinary school at Iowa State University. After graduation I came back to Connecticut and have worked at different small animal clinics where I discovered that owning a practice is my ultimate goal. Practice ownership is the only way I can fully practice the way I want to: quality medicine that feels good. I have developed special interests in dermatology and dentistry and am looking forward to providing those services along with many others at Pawsome Vet Care.

When I'm not at work, I enjoy spending time with my 2 cats (Raya and Mo), along with my Poodle (Sunny) and my energetic daughter, Ellie. Outside of spending time with my daughter and furbabies, I enjoy time with my nephews and niece, reading, cross stitch, and being outside at parks or the beach.

Courtney Snyder, DVM

Education:

Bachelor's of Science, Biology and Chemistry, Trinity college of Vermont

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University in St. Kitts and Missouri

Fear Free Certified Professional

When I was five years old, I went to visit my grandparents in Ohio, who lived on a farm in a very rural area. It should have been idyllic, but my uncle’s Labrador, who had always been a sweet dog, attacked me. That event left me with permanent scars on my legs and a deep-seated fear of dogs.

Before that point, I was one of those kids who always answered the age-old, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question with an enthusiastic, “I want to be a vet!” Afterwards, I thought I was going to have to set that goal aside. But despite my fear, the desire to help animals never left me.

My mother saw my dream being derailed. As she is close friends with Doctors Atz and Babuska, then owners of Manchester Veterinary Clinic, she put in a good word for me. They took a chance and offered me my first job at their hospital when I was sixteen. With their help, I learned how to read animals and work with them, and ultimately that allowed me to overcome my fear.

That summer was the first time my dream seemed like it might be able to become a reality.

My education and life took me on quite a journey after that, I studied chemistry and biology at Trinity college of Vermont and then earned my DVM Degree from Ross University in St. Kitts and Missouri, then back to Massachusetts and Connecticut. I have had the privilege to work with many different types of people and animals and to constantly keep learning. I have now become somewhat of a “cat lady”, sharing my home with four cats: the mischievous Daisy; a brother and sister pair, Walter and Lulu; and my sweet little Millie.

I am so excited to begin my next journey working with 3 amazing colleagues, Erika Collier, Alexis Soutter, and Sara Dupre. They have all helped me grow both professionally and personally. I am so proud to have them as colleagues and more importantly as friends.

Alexis Soutter, DVM

Education:

Bachelor's of Science, Animal Science, Michigan State University

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University

Fear Free Certified Professional

I don’t remember a time when my heart was not owned by animals. First, it was the cats that populated the house when I was born; there are pictures of me as a toddler, sitting with them in the sun. My mother lost me one afternoon when I was maybe two or three and panicked, only to find me at the neighbor’s, petting their horse through the fence. The day I learned in nursery school that there were such things as doctors for animals, I came home and announced to my father that that’s what I was going to do when I grew up, and that determination never wavered.

I have been without a doubt very fortunate that I was able to make that happen. My path has frequently taken me in directions I would not have foreseen, whether that was raising orphaned squirrels for the Roaring Brook Nature Center or training dogs and horses and learning how to reinforce good behavior (and finding the patience to work through the bad). I started my first “real” job as a kennel assistant at Avon Veterinary Clinic the day I turned sixteen, and got to witness close up the incredible work a good veterinarian could do by observing Doctors Feibel and Morganti. They gave me the foundation I needed to get through vet school and beyond.

It hasn’t always been easy. This profession is full of joy and grief, of laughter and challenges, and if you do it right you never stop learning. Finding a community to support you and make you the best person and doctor you can be is vital. While I was working at Manchester Veterinary Clinic, I found that community, and now I am so proud to be establishing Pawsome Vet Care with some of my best friends: Sara Dupre, Courtney Snyder, and Erika Collier. Together, we are embarking on a mission to provide vet care that feels better for our community, furry and otherwise.

Right now I am lucky enough to share my Willington home with two ridiculous cats, Aelin Catathynius and Pretzel; two dogs with outstanding senses of humor, Audrey and Mitra; my beautiful and opinionated horse, Sprite; and one incredibly kind and supportive husband, Matt.