The Drake Center Staff

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Our Doctors
The doctors at The Drake Center are passionate about veterinary medicine and the relationships people have with their pets. “We love our patients and care for them as if they were our own pets…. They are family.”
	Dr. Michele Drake Dr. Michele Drake received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1989. She earned her certification in Veterinary Acupuncture from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 1995. In 1992, she purchased Westlake Veterinary Hospital and later the San Dieguito Veterinary Hospital. These practices merged to form the Drake Center for Veterinary Care in 1998. Dr. Drake currently serves on the University of California Veterinary Medical Center-San Diego’s (UCVMC-SD) Clinical Advisory Board; in addition, she serves on the committee for the American Animal Hospital Association and the Veterinary Advisory Council for Novartis. She also enjoys serving our local community as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Magdalene Ecke YMCA. Dr. Drake is happily married and the mother of two young boys, Christopher and Matthew. The family also has two dogs and two cats. She has special interests in yoga, hiking, horse riding and snowboarding.
	Dr. Kathy Boehme Dr. Kathy Boehme received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Florida in 1989. She completed an internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York then worked for a large practice in Washington DC for six years. In 1996 she joined Westlake Veterinary Hospital and became a partner of The Drake Center for Veterinary Care in 1998. Dr. Boehme is happily married and the mother to two boys, Markus and Jason. The family has two dogs, one cat and a gecko. She enjoys hiking, gardening and volunteers within the community.
	Dr. Keala Shotwell Dr. Keala Shotwell received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. She worked for a practice in Oceanside for one year before joining the Drake Center for Veterinary Care in 1998. Dr. Shotwell is happily married and the mother to daughter, Taylor. The family has a dog, a cat, and a horse. She enjoys landscaping, home remodeling, and has a special interest in dressage; she takes weekly lessons and even shows periodically.
	Dr. Jennifer Hamlet Dr. Jennifer Hamlet received her Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania School Of Veterinary Medicine in May 2000. She worked for a large practice in Pennsylvania before moving to California to join The Drake Center for Veterinary Care in October 2002. She has a special interest in dentistry and oral surgery. Dr. Hamlet is happily married and has two dogs and a cat. She loves the outdoors and spends time at the beach. She enjoys staying active with spin classes and strength training.
	Dr. Amanda Moore Dr. Amanda Moore received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. She then went on to complete an internship at the VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center in San Diego. The following year she joined the Drake Center for Veterinary Care. Dr. Moore has a family of two Boston terrier’s, Beau and Luke. She loves traveling, being outdoors and has a special interest in scuba diving.
Our Support Staff
Reception We consider our front staff to be your customer service advocates. They work hard to get you what you need whether it is phone time with a doctor or an urgent appointment that must be squeezed into the schedule. Our front staff personnel are very knowledgable in preventative care and can get you the answers you need.


Lorraine Hollweg	Sunny Baxter	Jackie Armstrong

Chris Spencer, Hospital Administrator

Technicians

You have probably noticed many of the same faces here over the years. Our technicians combined years in this practice numbers close to 50. The technicians in our practice have a very strong passion for providing the best nursing care in a compassionate environment. They are a very important part of our health care team. Our technicians are well educated and continue to seek out continuing education in all areas of nursing care.


Kim Prunty, RVT	Peggy Gralish, RVT	Mary McHugh, RVT	Loree Cook, RVT

Melissa Miller	Mike Berry	Angel Mejia	Cathy Wheeler

Sascha Field

Technician Assistants

A wonderful team of compassionate pet providers will ensure your pet’s ultimate comfort while in our care. Pet interaction is their primary responsibility at the Drake Center and they can often be found outside in the play yard tossing the ball with one of our boarding pets. The kennel team is also responsible for all bathing services and does a fantastic job making every pet look and feel wonderful.

Amber Loretto
Andrew Scott
Krysta Moffitt
David Reihm