Meet our award-winning, AAHA-accredited team of veterinarians, dedicated to setting new standards of excellence in caring for your beloved companions.
TVMA Companion Animal Practitioner of the Year 2024 for the State of Texas
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Barks + Bliss Veterinary Wellness is now accepting applications for Customer Service Representatives. We are looking for new team members who share our values of compassion, love, and trust, who thrive in a learning environment, and who wish to contribute to a high standard of care. We have set our bar high because we believe that our patients deserve the best and that is why we are seeking the best people to help us achieve our vision.
Barks + Bliss Veterinary Wellness is creating a culture of outstanding service and exceptional care for our Central Texas community. Ideal team members are compassionate, dependable, organized, enjoy client communication and work well with our diverse team. Customer Service Representatives are often the first and the last contact with our new and existing clients. We are looking for representatives who first and foremost, portray our values at each and every encounter. Applicants must share our love of small animals and enjoy client interactions as well as honest and open communication with teammates, doctors and clients. Desired experience includes competence in working with computers and trainability on new software, scheduling appointments, retail sales, communication by phone, email, and text, all in a fast-paced environment. Experience working in a veterinary clinic is preferred.
We value our clinic family and we will support you and encourage you to continuously learn and grow. All applicants should include a resume and references to be considered.
Inquiries are treated with complete confidentiality.
Barks + Bliss Veterinary Wellness is now accepting applications for certified or experienced Veterinary Assistants. We are looking for new team members who share our values of compassion, love, and trust, who thrive in a learning environment, and who wish to contribute to a high standard of care. We have set our bar high because we believe that our patients deserve the best and that is why we are seeking the best people to help us achieve our vision.
Ideal team members are compassionate, dependable, organized, enjoy client communication and work well with our diverse team. Veterinary Assistants with a minimum of 2 years of experience in a general practice are preferred. Experience working in an AAHA-certified practice and/or Fear-Free Certification is a plus.
Barks + Bliss Veterinary Wellness is creating a culture of outstanding service and exceptional care for our Central Texas community. Our team members must have natural skills with small animals, as well as honest and open communication with teammates, doctors and clients. We are looking for assistants who have skills in patient assessment, venipuncture, medication administration, client communication, animal husbandry, facility maintenance, and maintenance of precise medical records.
We value our clinic family and we will support you and encourage you to continuously learn and grow. All applicants should include a resume and references to be considered.
Inquiries are treated with complete confidentiality.
Barks + Bliss Veterinary Wellness is now accepting applications for licensed or credentialed Veterinary Technicians. We are looking for new team members who share our values of compassion, love, and trust, who thrive in a learning environment, and who wish to contribute to a high standard of care. We have set our bar high because we believe that our patients deserve the best and that is why we are seeking the best people to help us achieve our vision.
Ideal team members are compassionate, dependable, organized, enjoy client communication and work well with our diverse team. Technicians with a minimum of 2 years of experience in a general or specialty/emergency practice are preferred. Experience working in an AAHA-certified practice and/or Fear-Free Certification is a plus.
Barks + Bliss Veterinary Wellness is creating a culture of outstanding service and exceptional care for our Central Texas community. Our team members must have natural skills with small animals, as well as honest and open communication with teammates, doctors and clients. We are looking for technicians who have strong skills in patient assessment, venipuncture, intravenous catheterization, medication administration, anesthesia monitoring, client communication and maintenance of precise medical records. Other skills and knowledge including dental radiographs and cleanings, laboratory equipment use and maintenance, cytologic evaluation, OSHA compliance, radiation compliance, chemotherapy nursing, and surgical preparation are all pluses! We value our clinic family and we will support you and encourage you to continuously learn and grow. All applicants are asked to include a resume and references to be considered.
Inquiries are treated with complete confidentiality.
Veterinary Assistant
Latisha grew up in Temple, Texas alongside her seven brothers (she is the only girl). For as long as she can remember, she has always been in love with animals and nature. Animals are her passion and she is continuously learning and growing to provide the best care to all pets. She is a Certified Veterinary Assistant and has a certificate in Applied Animal Behavior.
She currently shares her home with her husband Eugene; daughter Avery; her four dogs Duke, Hershey, Nike and Duggie; and two cats Binx and Tank. She loves Halloween and mermaids. She enjoys reading and spending time at Salado creek with Eugene and Avery.
Forever in her heart is her dog Gabby, who inspires Latisha to be the best she can be for all pets.
Veterinary Assistant
Kelsie grew up in Troy, Texas. Her love of animals began at a young age, when she began raising and showing rabbits at 8 years old. In high school, she began her career in the Veterinary world by working as a veterinary assistant.
She is currently pursuing a degree in Cyber-Security at Temple College.
She has many furry friends including four dogs, one cat, two chickens, 7 fish, and a bunch of bunnies. In her spare time, she likes to create costumes, draw, model with clay, and play with her pets.
Veterinary Assistant
Daniel grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Texas as a teenager. Since then, he has enjoyed living in the central Texas area, staying close to his family. Daniel and his wife, Abigail, live in the small town of McGregor with their two dogs, Ella and Gizmo. Daniel hopes to continue welcoming animals into his family. Daniel’s passion for animal care began as a young child and led him to pursue a career in the field. He has experience working as a kennel tech and dog trainer and enjoys his current position as a Vet Assistant with Barks and Bliss. Daniel plans to continue his education in pursuit of his LVT to expand his knowledge and provide more specialized care.
In his free time, you can find Daniel playing with his dogs, gaming, cooking, and spending time with his family. He looks forward to caring for your beloved pets and continuing to grow as a part of the Barks and Bliss team.
Veterinary Assistant
Amy Mendez was born and raised in Temple, Texas with a strong and loving family of 6 with her being the youngest. From a young age she has always had a desire to help those who are in need and a strong interest in science. After graduation from Temple High school, Amy pursued a career in healthcare by obtaining her pharmacy technician license in 2016. She enjoyed being a pharmacy technician, but soon learned her true compassion was fur babies when began her journey into the veterinary profession in 2019. She personally tends to a pit pull named Patches (Pat Pat for short) and an adorable, but brazen kitty, Lucy.
Veterinary Assistant
Taylor was born and raised in Texas. She grew up in a small town of Moody, Texas. Growing up she was trying to figure out what she wanted to do and one of them was to work with animals. Taylor and her husband live in Temple, Texas with their dogs, Sophie (passed), Archer, Maverick, and their cat Marvin. Taylor hopes and prays to have enough land for more animals to enter their life in the future. In her free time, you can find Taylor cuddled up in bed with her fur babies watching a movie.
Veterinary Technician
Born and raised in Temple, Texas, Andrea has always had a heart for animals and a passion for their care. She began her journey in veterinary medicine in 2018 as a kennel technician and quickly knew she was meant for more. After earning her AAS in Veterinary Technology from McLennan Community College in 2022, she became a licensed veterinary technician in 2024.
Andrea is committed to providing compassionate, skilled care to every patient she meets. Whether assisting in surgery, supporting wellness visits, or helping pets feel comfortable at the clinic, she brings patience, empathy, and a steady hand to her work.
When she’s not helping furry friends feel their best, Andrea enjoys reading with a good iced coffee in hand, and spending time at the park with her husband and their two dogs, Asu and Koda.
Veterinary Technician
Samantha was born and raised in Killeen, Texas. She graduated with her Certified Veterinary Assistant certification in 2018 and then began her career in veterinary medicine as a Veterinary Assistant. She has grown in the field and has worked her way up to Veterinary Technician over the past 6 years. She loves providing care to each and every animal and person she meets. She lives with her husband Conner, and their three pets; a Great Pyrenees/Husky mix named Blue; an orange domestic shorthair named Clarice; and a new orange kitten named Habanero.
Veterinary Technician
Cat is locally grown, she was born in Temple and raised in Killeen. Her interest in animals started at a young age while caring for her own pets and volunteering at local animal shelters. She attended Tarleton State University (go Texans!!) and graduated with a bachelor’s in Animal Science with a Prevet emphasis. While there she also volunteered with the universities TREAT program, an equine assisted therapy program.
Cat worked at a mixed animal practice in Belton for over a decade before joining the Barks and Bliss team in October of 2022, she loves working with all animals great and small. She and her husband share their home with their 2 dogs Schatzi and Skyla, and 4 cats.
Veterinary Technician
Michaela is from the Temple area and she currently lives with her husband in Troy, along with their three dogs, two cats, and seventeen chickens.
Michaela had dreamed of being a veterinary technician since she can remember, and she has been in the field as a technician since 2021.
In her free time she enjoys tending to all her animals at home, and enjoying the outdoors.
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Karie was born and raised in northern Illinois. She started working with animals in 2007 at a boarding and training facility where she became an agility instructor and competed in AKC agility, gaining many titles to include a MACH with her German Shepherd Dog, Shey.
In 2013 she married into the military and has since moved multiple times, working at an animal hospital at each duty station.
In 2018, Karie went back to school to obtain her AAS in Veterinary Technology and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2022. She is most passionate about behavior, preventative care and dentistry.
Outside of work Karie enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 sons, and their 3 dogs.
Veterinary Technician Supervisor
Michelle was born and raised right here in Temple. She graduated in 2002 and she moved to San Angelo to pursue an education at Angelo State University. After moving back home in 2008 to be closer to family, she began her career in the veterinary profession as a client service representative. She quickly fell in love with veterinary medicine and within a few months, she started training to be a veterinary technician.
From that time forward, she has dedicated herself to becoming the best technician she can be, and providing the best possible care to her patients. She is in constant pursuit of learning, including a priority to attend continuing education conferences. She loves all aspects of caring for her patients and especially enjoys dental and general surgery, as well as treating patients with cancer blood disorders. Michelle is also certified in Low-stress Handling.
When she is not caring for patients, you can find her playing trivia or curled up with a good book and her toddler, Elliott, while relaxing at home.
Customer Service Representative
Sara grew up surrounded by exotic animals, with a home that felt more like a mini wildlife sanctuary than a typical backyard. From parrots and reptiles to rare mammals, she was always caring for a wide variety of creatures, each one deepening her natural connection to the animal world. Alongside these unique companions, she had a house full of pets—dogs, cats, and everything in between—fueling a lifelong passion for animal care. Her love for them has only grown stronger over the years, shaping her identity and inspiring everything she does.
Administrative Specialist
Veronica grew up in the small town of West, Texas. She has loved caring for and learning about all animals for as long as she can remember. Her career in veterinary medicine began in 2011 when she began working overnight at an emergency clinic as a technician. It didn’t take long for her to know caring for animals is her passion.
She enjoys spending her free time with her family on their farm and checking their cattle.
Veronica and her husband, Kevin, have a daughter, Cora, and son, Maverick. Together they have three dogs: Dixie, Paige, and Presley, a cat: Nala, and a pet cow: Budder.
Sierra grew up in Georgetown, Texas and found her love for animals at a young age that started with her first dog, Turbo. She was very involved in 4-H and helped start the East View FFA chapter when she entered high school. From sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, and ducks, Sierra was always busy raising animals and learning more about each species! Sierra spent a couple of days after school each week working at a veterinary clinic in middle school and high school, striving to see as much veterinary medicine as possible. Through these experiences, Sierra knew she wanted to be a veterinarian.
After graduating high school in 2014, she began her bachelor’s degree at the one and only Texas A&M University, studying Animal Science! She had the opportunity to go on two study abroad trips that visited Argentina and Costa Rica, enlightening Sierra on veterinary medicine in different countries. This is where she found her love for traveling and experiencing different cultures. When she was in Aggieland, she worked a few days a week at the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center where she gained valuable skills caring for beloved geriatric pets. The Stevenson Center is a facility that provides 24/7 care for animals when their owners pass away. Sierra graduated with her Bachelor of Science in 2018 and in the spring of 2019, she found out she would spend another four years in Aggieland pursuing her doctorate in veterinary medicine!
Sierra loved her time in vet school and will cherish the memories and lifelong friends she made during those four years. She continued to work at the Stevenson Center during vet school and through her studies found a love for small animal internal medicine and general surgery. She graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2023 and started her veterinary career at Barks and Bliss Veterinary Wellness!! Sierra got married to her husband, Matt, in 2024 and they have 2 corgis, Doc and Pumpkin.
Dr. Garrett strives to provide the best care for her patients and their owners. Her areas of interest include general surgery, internal medicine, dentistry, preventative medicine and geriatric care. She is certified in Fear Free handling and AVMA First Responder. Dr. Garrett loves providing care to the pets of Central Texas and working with the BEST team!
From an early age, Lisa loved to care for animals and always hoped to be a veterinarian one day. She loved her dogs, cats, hamsters, and fish, but also tried to “rescue” any animal that came across her path including turtles, birds, snakes, and lizards. She found friendship with her pets and loved them dearly. After graduating from Temple High school, she attended Texas A&M to pursue her dream. She graduated in 1991 with a Biomedical Science degree; however veterinary school was not meant to be at that time. Little did she know that her dream of becoming a veterinarian would be fulfilled later in life.
Soon after graduating, she began a rewarding 20-year career at Scott & White in Temple as a stem cell transplant specialist and cancer researcher. She then received a Masters degree in Health Services Management at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and served as the Administrative Director in the Cancer Center until she was invited to initiate the staff Wellness Department at Scott & White. Over her 20 years in healthcare, she gained invaluable experiences both in compassionate, high-quality care treating cancer; and community wellness. After an amazing career in healthcare, she revisited the opportunity to go back to vet school. It didn’t take much for her to realize that she would achieve her dream! The support of her loving husband, kids, and friends was phenomenal. Within the year, she was accepted to Texas A&M and cherished every hour as an Aggie Vet student.
Dr. Reeve graduated from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017 then began practicing in small animal medicine and surgery clinics in her Central Texas community. She is in constant pursuit of continuing her education and training through attendance in soft tissue and orthopedic surgery courses, as well as medical oncology rotations and training. She enjoys small animal medicine and surgery with an emphasis on prevention and wellness, oncology, soft tissue surgery, dental health and dermatology. Dr. Reeve is certified in Low-Stress Handling. She dedicates two weeks most years to provide care to the animals in the Turks & Caicos Islands, one of her favorite contributions to veterinary medicine and home to the world’s most beautiful beach. She strives to provide compassionate care and treats her patients as though they were her own, including dogs and cats.
Her partnership with Dr. Brown to bring Barks + Bliss Veterinary Wellness to the Central Texas community we love, is a dream come true. Lisa is married to Robert and together they have three children and their spouses, Samantha & Bryan; Allison & Jim; and Dylan & Taylor; and two grandsons, Brooks and Cal. Their furry family includes their Pomeranians, Dash & Django; and forever in their hearts, Max, Bianka, Jewel, Jax, Bruiser, Rocky, and Nikki.
TVMA Companion Animal Practitioner of the Year 2024 for the State of Texas
Suzanne grew up in Houston and answered “veterinarian” in kindergarten when asked what she would like to be when she grew up. When her family briefly moved to a house that did not allow pets, she convinced her parents to purchase a hamster for her that could be hidden in a closet during surprise landlord inspections. Her 7th-grade science project was to put one of her cats on a diet, using her other normal-weight cat as the control group. In high school, she spent the summer after 10th grade administering rabies vaccines to dogs in rural Ecuador and discovered a love of foreign language and travel. After a gap year in Spain, college took her to the University of Texas at Austin where she majored in zoology.
She received her DVM from Texas A&M University in 2003 making her a rare Longhorn/Aggie combo. While there, she explored many facets of veterinary medicine, including doing bench research on chicken anemia virus in Mexico, foot-and-mouth disease in Argentina, and fetal alcohol syndrome using a sheep model. During her third year, she discovered a love of diagnostic imaging, specifically ultrasound.
Dr. Brown’s entire practice career has been focused on central Texas. Her work experience includes two 8-year stints at local small animal hospitals, as well as countless relief shifts in many clinics in the area. After performing all the in-house ultrasounds for a practice for several years, she decided to seek further instruction in diagnostic ultrasound and obtained well over 300 hours of ultrasound continuing education. In 2012, she purchased her first ultrasound machine and began performing diagnostic ultrasounds for many clinics in the area. Since then, she has continued to serve over 20 practices in the central Texas area by performing ultrasounds for their clinics. As a previous partial owner of the Animal Emergency Center of Temple-Belton, she served in multiple capacities on the Board of Directors over the years, including President.
Dr. Brown was awarded the 2024 Companion Animal Practitioner of the Year by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association. This award recognizes Dr. Brown’s exceptional dedication, skill, and compassion in the field of small animal medicine.
Dr. Brown, a respected and beloved member of the local veterinary community, has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the health and well-being of companion animals throughout her career. Her tireless efforts and innovative approaches have made a significant impact on the lives of countless pets and their families in the central Texas area.
The Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year award is presented annually by the TVMA to a Texas veterinarian who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to the care of companion animals.
Her professional interests include internal medicine, infectious disease, diagnostic imaging, and feline medicine. Her partnership with Dr. Lisa Reeve in opening Barks & Bliss Veterinary Wellness allows them to offer a full range of diagnostic, treatment, and surgical services to all the pets of the greater Temple area. She enjoys the challenge of diagnosing difficult cases and loves teaching owners how to care for their pets’ behavioral and medical needs. Dr. Brown is certified in Low-Stress Handling. Dr. Brown and her husband Craig have 4 daughters: Anna, Grace, Claire, and Audrey. Over the years, they have had many pets but currently share their home with a cat named Pirate and a dog named Ricky.
