Peter De Waal, DVM
Dr. De Waal is a 1982 graduate of The Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He loves all sports and is currently immersed in mountain biking.

He has been married to Merrilee for over twenty years; she is a residential Real Estate Agent. Their son, Kyle, loves sports and entertainment, plays hockey and is a recent graduate of Fort Lewis College .

Dr. De Waal's goal is to be devoted and passionate about his family, friends, work, spirituality, and life in general.

Rex Johnson, DVM
Dr. Johnson is a 1997 graduate of Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He practiced in Oklahoma and Texas before moving to Colorado in January 2004.

Dr. Johnson has a special interest in surgery, cardiology, and exotic animal medicine.

Dr. Johnson and his wife Shannon are the proud parents of a baby girl named Teagan. Their furry kids include Courage the Boxer, Gunner the Lab mix, and Jagger the cat.

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Johnson enjoys snowboarding, backpacking, cycling, golf, and most other sports. He and Shannon enjoy going to the movies and concerts together.

Roman Dye, DVM
Dr. Dye came to Westside Animal Hospital in the summer of 2006 from Oklahoma , where he earned degrees from The University of Oklahoma, Southwestern Oklahoma State University , and Oklahoma State University for Veterinary Health Sciences.

Dr. Dye and his wife, Deanna, have two adorable sons, Dylan and Lennon, who keep them both busy at home. They are also the proud parents of a dog, Squiggie and a cat, Scoobey.

Deanna regularly bakes wonderful goodies for the Westside staff, which we all look forward to. They enjoy spending their spare time with family and friends.

Leslie Ornelas, Hospital Manager
Leslie has been employed at Westside Animal Hospital since February 1997.

She was in the communications field for nineteen years before leaving the "corporate world" to move on to a more rewarding and satisfying career in pet health care.

Leslie and her husband, Ted, enjoy traveling, hiking, and marathon movie viewing at home. Ted is a successful sales associate at Red Noland Cadillac. Leslie loves Chow Chows, gardening and anything to do with flowers!

They share a home with Kiko, a red male Chow Chow born October 2002; Zia, a black female Chow Chow born November 2004; and Ruby, a French Bulldog, born February 2007. Kiko, Zia, and Ruby are their "children" and they are shamelessly spoiled!

Tami, Technician
Tami joined Westside as a technician assistant, then was promoted to Technician in 2006. She is a biology major at UCCS and plans to attend Veterinary school in the near future. She has lived in Colorado Springs her entire life.

Tami is the "mommy" of four very happy Labs; Bailey, Coal, Chance, and Hunter, and three beautiful cats named Riley, Ziggy & Dinah.

In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her dogs and nights out on the town.

Sarah, Veterinary Technician
Sarah has lived in Colorado Springs all her life. Since the tender age of nine, Sarah has wanted to work with animals.

After completing High School, she decided to pursue her dream by attending Pima Medical Institute, graduating one year later. Sarah has been a veterinary technician since 2002.

Sarah’s pet family members include five cats: Emily, Angel, Lucy, Devon, and Shammy; and two feisty Welsh Corgis, Jack and Jill.

In her spare time, Sarah enjoys camping, fishing, hunting, watching movies, skating, and nights on the town with friends.

Jasmine, Technician Assistant
Jasmine was born and raised in Astoria, Queens , New York City. She moved to Colorado Springs in 1983 and settled near her sister, Dr. De Waal's wife, Merrilee.

With her lifelong love of animals, Jasmine adopted a cat, Cindy and a dog, Nifty. They both lived good long lives and passed away when they were very old.

Jasmine's most recent addition is a cat named Skittles who came to her through adoption from the Humane Society. He has a very unique personality and provides Jasmine with many hours of companionship and enjoyment. Some of his playful antics include chasing his tail and playing with his toys.

Sharon, Certified Veterinary Technician
Sharon is a proud Colorado native and can't imagine living anywhere else but Colorado.

After spending many years working in accounting and customer service, she decided to pursue her dream of a career working with animals, graduating from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Sciences in 1999. Sharon has worked in the animal care field ever since and finds it very rewarding.

Sharon and her husband Mike have fulfilled their dream of living in the mountains and love spending time enjoying and working on their home. They also love to escape to Vegas whenever they have the time.

In Sharon’s spare time her passions include NASCAR racing and all auto racing, stitching, biking and camping.

Sharon and Mike’s family pets include 2 rescue dogs, Ellie Mae and Sandy, and their cat Allison.

Meredith, Veterinary Technician
I’ve lived from Cali to New Orleans but always seem to end up back in colorful Colorado . Great family, great friends, a ton of great memories with both and now a fantastic job loving the animals!

Good things may come to those who wait, but great things are given to those who stand up and take them!

I completed my degree as a Veterinary Technician in early 2011, and I’m thoroughly enjoying my new career.

In my miniscule spare time I enjoy rock crawling in my jeep, hiking, camping, dirt bikes, snowboarding and summer concerts at Red Rocks! The ants in my pants and my 3 pound pups Tera-bull (my pocket size pitbull), Creasy Pants (Heinz 57) and Re-pete (German Shorthair) keep me running!

Amber, Veterinary Technician ~ bio is coming soon ...

Jasmin – Tech Assistant
Originally from Germany, Jasmin has always loved animals; she kept a miniature “zoo” at home. Formally trained in childcare, she worked for ten years at a school for special needs children.

From Germany, Jasmin and he husband moved to Hawaii where Jasmin followed her lifelong passion and began working with animals at a doggie daycare facility.

While in Hawaii, Jasmin and her husband adopted a mixed breed stray from the Humane Society. “Cocoa” is the love of their lives!

Newly transplanted to Colorado Springs, you can find Jasmin and her family out and about exploring all that Colorado has to offer.

Jessica - Veterinary Assistant
Jessica was born and raised in Colorado. After graduating from Doherty High School in 2001 she continued her education by getting her Certified Nurse Assistant license.

After many years of working as a Certified Nurse Assistant, she decided to become an independent contractor who cared for adults with disabilities. Jessica then returned to school through Penn Foster in 2009 to become a Veterinary Assistant.

She has always wanted to work with animals and was excited to join the Westside team.

Jessica and her husband, Adolfo, met in 2003 and later married in 2008. They have a beautiful one year old girl named Zayla and 3 dogs: Jackson (Min Pin/Pomeranian), Woody (Beagle), and Kiko (Min Pin).

As a family they enjoy: movies, bowling, hiking, water sports, fishing and most of all spending time together.

Megan, Receptionist
Megan moved to Colorado Springs from Los Angeles in the Spring of 2007 to enjoy the beautiful mountains and be closer to family.

She holds a B.A. in Graphic Design yet her passion has always been to work with animals. Megan has been a Veterinary Assistant for the past 13 years and finds it very rewarding.

Together with her husband, Keith, they share a home with three rescued Greyhounds; Macy, Hannah, and Tess; and four rescued cats; Sydney , Fitzgerald, Coda, and Kinsey.

They love spending time with their “spoiled” kids; hiking with the dogs, and exploring all that Colorado has to offer.

Kim J., Receptionist
Kim “KJ” moved to Colorado Springs in 2003 from Las Vegas , Nevada . Joining the team at Westside Animal Hospital in May 2007, KJ soon discovered this was her “dream job”. “Not only do I work in a veterinary clinic, but I also get to be part of an incredibly dedicated team”.

Living in Colorado allows KJ and her husband Tom the ability to enjoy all of their outdoor interests including boating, hiking, biking, skiing, - and their newest passion – kayaking.

When KJ came to work here, she had one cat, Bradley, yet since then she and Tom have adopted a kitty, Domino, a six-year-old dachshund named Kipling, a.k.a. “Kip the kayaking wonder dog”, and last but not least, “Rudy” their second Dachshund who also loves kayaking.

Deanna, Receptionist
Deanna, a Little Rock native, graduated magna cum laude from John Brown University with a degree in organizational management and spent 15+ years in non-profit development.

In 2003, Deanna left the “working world” and volunteered for three years with her husband, Chris, in Mexico, directing a program constructing small homes for poor Mexican families.

After achieving their goal of turning the program over to community members to run for themselves, Deanna and Chris started a real estate brokerage company in South Texas, which they sold four years later and moved to beautiful Woodland Park to enjoy a slower-paced life in the mountains they love. Together, they have four adult children in Little Rock, Dallas, and Minneapolis.

Deanna enjoys all things outdoors, especially cycling and hiking with Chris, and distance running on her own. A lifelong runner, she enjoys distances from 5K to 50 miles. Some of her most memorable events include duathlons in South Texas, her hometown Little Rock Marathon, the Rocky Raccoon 50-Mile Endurance Trail Run, and, of course, the Pikes Peak Ascent.

Piper, Receptionist
Piper, a proud Army wife, moved to Colorado Springs from Peoria, Illinois. She and her husband, Adam, who is stationed at Ft. Carson, enjoy all the outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer.

Piper and Adam have a special place in their hearts and home for rescue Pitbulls; currently, they have three: “Zoe”, “Lexi”, and “Sable” – and a “Bernoxer” (St. Bernard/Boxer cross) named “Rollie”.

Working at Westside is definitely an advantage when raising such a large “family”.

Piper’s two children, who reside in Illinois, love to visit Colorado whenever possible. Her daughter, Tianna, 14, enjoys quiet time at home reading, watching movies, and of course, “hanging with her friends”. Her son Atley, 19, is preparing to join the Navy and proudly serve our country.

Jessica, Receptionist
Jessica was born and raised right here in Colorado . She left the state for a few years to travel with her military husband, but returned as soon as she was able. She lives with her husband, Travis, as well as her furry and feathery kids.

Her kids are her dogs: Rusty, Nikki, Lou, Sweet Pea, and Duke; her kitties: Molly, Sophie, and Midnight; and her Cockatiel, CJ.

Her hobbies include reading, motorcycling, scuba diving, and hanging out with her family.

It has been her life's dream to work around and help care for animals and this is her first position in that field. She considers her position here at Westside Animal Hospital to be her dream job come true.

Kim E., Receptionist
Kim moved to Colorado Springs in March 2010 from Fargo, North Dakota. She spent 17 years in the “corporate world” before joining the Westside Animal Hospital team.

Her love and passion for animals led her to a career in pet health care. Kim has a special place in her heart for animals and is ecstatic to be able to help our four-legged companions each and every day.

Kim, her husband John, and their adopted Great Dane mix, Rico, have settled into beautiful Colorado. They enjoy long hikes in the breathtaking mountains, jogging and biking on the spectacular trails, and traveling throughout the gorgeous state of Colorado…..not to mention the mild winters.

Kim sincerely feels blessed to be able to work with all the great people at Westside Animal Hospital and their wonderful clients and pets.