Staff
Lona Baker-Harrelle
has been our Hospital Administrator since 2008 and a co-owner of All Friends Animal Hospital since July of 2009. She first started with the hospital in 1998 and has a Bachelor of Arts in Business.
"This hospital is my family," she says. "I started here at age sixteen and have grown up with the business and have fulfilled a dream by becoming a co-owner of the practice."
Lona's pets include a mixed breed dog named Fritz, an English Bulldog named Frank, and a fish named Rainbow. She lives at home with her husband Mike and two daughters Emma and Ellie. Her interests include gardening, taking her dog to Bluff Point, golfing and kayaking, and spending time with her family.
Tara Bolles is our Technician Team Leader and Client Liaison and has been co-owner of All Friends Animal Hospital since 2009, though she started her career here in 1998. She began her career in animal care in 1991 as the Animal Control Officer for the Town of Preston.
Saying she has a strong belief in customer service and community involvement, Tara adds, "I have enjoyed watching this business grow and flourish. I am proud of the progressive, community involved practice we have become."
At home, she has a Cane Corso named Brinks and a Greyhound named Annie. Tara and her husband Todd are generally busy raising their twin daughters, Ava and Brooke, in Preston, Connecticut, where she and her husband were raised. Additionally, she is a Tim McGraw fanatic and loves country music and spending time with her family and friends.
Office Manager Jean Kobelski has been with All Friends Animal Hospital since January of 2003. In addition to her years of experience she has an Associates degree in Liberal Arts from Roger Williams University, and studied Psychology at Syracuse University and Business at the New London School of Business.
"I'm proud to be part of such a well respected and well known animal hospital," she says. "Our staff is knowledgeable, caring and hardworking, but the best part is that we all truly enjoy working with each other."
Jean resides in Preston with her two daughters, Kendall and Alexandra, their pugs Carol and Olive and their cats Henry and Rocky.
Holly Bourne is a full-time Veterinary Technician. She has an eight-year-old Pit Bull mix named Betsy, an eight-year-old black cat named Mal-Mal, and a two-year-old tiger cat named Henri. When she’s not working, Holly loves creating art, listening to music, reading, learning, and relaxing on the deck with Betsy. She is also a frequent foster for the elderly and hospice cases for local animal control.
Julie is a Certified Veterinary Technician and has been an integral part of our team since November of 2007. Her job as a surgical technician includes blood work, anesthesia, and dental procedures. Of course, she also prioritizes keeping patients warm and comfortable as they recover. Julie has a B.S. in Biology from Pine Manor College and was a veterinary technician at a variety of hospitals from 2001 to 2007.
Julie has a nine-month-old Abyssinian named Chicken and a one-year-old Siamese named Waffles.
In her free time, she loves camping, reading, traveling, and watching the Buffalo Bills!
Rebecca Clifford, Receptionist, has been an exceptional part of our team since February 2004. She loves being the first person to talk to and see clients and their pets, and her over 19 years of experience helps her connect with clients and answer their questions.
“I love this place – it is not only a job and career, but also my family. [The team] all rallied around me and my son when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Then, when he lost his battle in November and passed, they were all there for me.”
Rebecca has an orange tiger cat named Esther, a five-year-old Boston Terrier named Baybr Ann, and a five-year-old Frenchton named Rocco.
Rebecca spends her free time with her family going to church, particularly small church groups. She also enjoys reading, spending time with her 22-month-old son who she recently adopted, and enjoying her home and gardening.
Gabrielle Pensis has been a Certified Veterinary Technician with All Friends Animal Hospital since 2015.
She has four pets of her own, a Pit Bull named Gemma and three cats, Princess, Jax and Bellatrix. Her hobbies include photography, reading, and traveling.
Heather Rorke is a Certified Veterinary Technician who has been with our hospital since 2014 and holds a Bachelor's degree in Veterinary Science with a minor in Microbiology. She gets the most satisfaction from her job by "being a voice for those who don't speak our language" and helping around the hospital in any way she can.
With more than 25 years of experience in the animal care field, Heather also owns a wildlife education business that provides hands-on encounters with exotic and wild animals to toddlers and seniors. "I have many years of experience working with exotic animals, such as birds and reptiles, as well as lots of wildlife and dogs and cats in a variety of different places," she says of her diverse veterinary background.
Heather is married with three young children and enjoys spending time with them, going to the beach, photography and reading. The family's many animals include two Akitas, eight cats, nine tortoises, five parrots, five lizards, three snakes, three chinchillas, three raccoons, two ferrets, and a fox, hedgehog, rabbit, and frog.
Nancy Cartwright has been a Veterinary Technician with All Friends Animal Hospital since 2014 and holds and Associate's degree in Animal Care. With more than 23 years of experience in the animal care field, Nancy has been a pet store, pet resort and dog daycare manager. She also owns a dog daycare and training facility, is an obedience trainer, Canine Good Citizen evaluator and co-founder of an area dog rescue.
"This clinic is very family oriented, people are treated with respect," she says. "Clients cares and concerns are taken to heart and all of the doctors make sure their pets receive the best possible care."
Her pets include two dogs, Scrappy and Saphyre, and four cats, Olaf, Koji, Zeta and Ivory. When she's not at the hospital or working with her dog rescue, Nancy can be found spending time with her family or attending sporting events.
Joanne Warren has been a Receptionist at All Friends Animal Hospital since 2007 and began working in the veterinary field in 2001.
"Our clinic is a family-oriented company and will provide you with quality care for you and your furry family member," she says this is one of the reasons why she enjoys working here. At home, Joanne is married with two daughters and has a German Shepherd named Kody and a Yorkie named Buddy. Her interests include camping walks on the beach and spending time with family poolside.
Carolann Carignan is a Receptionist on our team. You can find her answering phones, making appointments, and checking our valued patients in and out.
As one of our receptionists, Carolann is very knowledgeable and has been in the veterinary field since 1996 when she first started working for us, and rejoined our staff in March of 2012. "The staff and clients make coming to work everyday enjoyable," she said.
Carolann and her husband Bryan have been Code of Ethics Breeders of Rottweilers for over 30 years, producing multiple AKC Breed Champions, Grand Champions, Best of Breed winners, obedience, rally, agility and herding titles. Her girl Sapphire won the 2011 American Rottweiler Specialty Breed Female Class.
Carolann stays very busy witht raining, attending dog shows and enjoying spending time with her current 10 dogs. Boredom is not a word in her vocabulary!
Katelyn Eighme works full-time as a veterinary technician, while enrolled in school to become a CVT. Some of her job responsibilities include blood draws, administering medications, and assisting during surgical procedures. Katelyn is also a certified equine massage therapist.
In her free time, Katelyn enjoys painting, baking, watching movies, playing soccer, and taking trips to Disney World. She has 1 dog of her own, a 14 year old Maltese named Chucky.
Molly Riser is our Veterinary Technician here at All Friends Animal Hospital and joined our team in June 2018. She's been working in the animal field for almost nine years and her compassion and sunny personality make her a great team member to work with. Molly has a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science from University of Connecticut and also has a certificate of Wild Horse Training.
"I love working at All Friends, as everyone has been very warm and welcoming. Everyone here works hard together and has a good time doing it," Molly says."
At home, Molly has two dogs and two cats. She spends her spare time hiking, baking, reading, online gaming, horseback riding, and informally studying genetics and epigenetics.
Melanie Schmidt is one of our remarkable Receptionists here at All Friends Animal Hospital. One of her favorite parts of working with us is being able to interact with our phenomenal clients and seeing the rewards that excellent healthcare can bring to them and their pets. As a Receptionist, Melanie helps provide informative and understandable client education and care for our patients.
Prior to joining our team in January of 2018, Melanie worked as a Professional Groomer and as a Veterinary Assistant and Technician for over 20 years. It’s safe to say she has a wealth of experience and knowledge of veterinary care, and Melanie is extremely passionate about her career!
“Being a part of the All Friends Animal Hospital team and family, I’ve grown as a pet care provider and enjoy every aspect of this practice,” Melanie declares. “Co-workers are amazing as well as the clients and pets, and it’s like having an extended family.”
In her downtime, Melanie spends time with her amazing rescue dog Ana. She also enjoys visiting with her daughter and supporting her son in the Navy. Melanie also likes to volunteer with Wings of Freedom Animal Rescue. When she can, she loves to travel and visit family in Arizona.
Allie, a Veterinary Technician with over 10 years of experience in the field, has helped our patients feel comfortable since she joined us in 2020. Her animal training experience and ability to work in a busy atmosphere enables her to efficiently collect patient histories, assist the doctor with exams, make follow-up calls, and set up kitten/puppy pads. Allie has a B.S. in Marine Biology and minors in Psychology and Underwater Archaeology.
“Everyone [at All Friends Animal Hospital] is like family. I enjoy the atmosphere whether it’s busy or not – everyone is there for each other.”
Allie has a 10-year-old Holland Lop named Holly, and two five-year-old and three-year-old mixed-breed dogs named Lacey and Duke. When she’s not working, you can find her crafting, knitting, and taking care of her son.
Nicole Berry is a Veterinary Technician known for her sense of humor and positive attitude as she performs blood draws, radiographs, and communicates with clients about pet health. She loves all her coworkers, and never dreads coming to work! As of 2023, she’s a student at San Juan College in the veterinary technician distance learning program. She’s been a part of our team since March of 2021.
Nicole has a Cardigan Welsh Corgi named Hawkeye, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Chandler, and a Pitbull mix named Ginny. She also has a horse named Brodie and four guinea pigs named Tom Tom, Woody, Theo, and Graham.
When she’s not working, Nicole enjoys animal photography and working on her photography business and horseback riding.
Kyle Rigney is a Veterinary Technician with our team who’s known for his ability and willingness to try new things and improve his knowledge and techniques. He’s also known for his strength – he’s our go-to guy for lifting our heavier patients!
Throughout the day, you can find him drawing blood, filling prescriptions, vaccines, stocking and cleaning rooms, and running bloodwork. His favorite parts of the job are giving vaccines and running bloodwork, as he enjoys learning new things about the results from the bloodwork. Kyle has a Bachelor of Science degree in Captive Wildlife Care and Education, and is experienced in wildlife rehabilitation, horse safety, and adventure therapy.
In his free time, he loves going to the beach and playing cornhole.