Meet Our Team

College: University of California at Davis, B.S. Biology, Cum Laude

Veterinary School: University of California at Davis, 1990

Memberships:

• California Veterinary Medical Association
• American Veterinary Medical Association

Dr. Pachorek has lived in the Santa Clara Valley since 1990. She is married to a Cupertino native and has two children. She started with LGD&C right after graduating from veterinary school in 1990. She loves cooking and gardening as well as hanging out with her family. She has a Doberman named Jax and two Shih Tzu named Dottie and Daisy.

College: University of Delaware, B.A. Biology

Veterinary School: University of Missouri, 2015

Memberships:

• American Veterinary Medical Association
• American Association of Feline Practitioners

Dr. Davison was born in Leicester, England, and moved to the US when she was in 7th grade. She then lived on the East Coast before moving to the Midwest for veterinary school. She later followed her husband out to California.

Since graduation, Dr. Davison has been working as a small animal veterinarian in the Bay Area. She is Fear Free level 1 certified and has a special interest in feline medicine.

de of work, she enjoys spending time with her son, husband, 2 cats (Tessa and Cleo), and 2 guinea pigs (Merry and Pippin). Her hobbies include reading, baking, hiking, and whale watching.

College: University of California, Davis, B.S. Animal Biology

Veterinary School: Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, 2019

Memberships:

• American Veterinary Medical Association
• California Veterinary Medical Association

Dr. Shweta Shaikher wanted to be a veterinarian for as long as she could remember. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of California-Davis, she attended Oregon State University for veterinary school. Dr. Shaikher and her family have always lived in the South Bay Area, so she was thrilled to return and join the team at Los Gatos Dog & Cat Hospital. At work, she enjoys educating pet owners and fostering the precious human-animal bond among her clients. Outside of work, Dr. Shaikher loves to travel and try new restaurants. She also loves to spend time with her sweet Pomeranian named Rufus, a patient she nursed back to health during a rotation at the Oregon Humane Society in veterinary school.

Dr. Jenny Hsu brings 14 years of experience in both general practice and urgent care, providing thoughtful, skilled veterinary care to her patients and their families. She is a proud graduate of the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and has spent most of her career serving the Bay Area community she calls home.

Dr. Hsu is passionate about the human-animal bond and finds deep meaning in helping pets live long, healthy lives. Her professional interests include dentistry, ultrasound, soft tissue, and orthopedic surgery, and she practices low-stress handling and holds certifications in acupuncture through Colorado State University.

Outside of work, Dr. Hsu enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and young son. A dedicated traveler and cultural enthusiast, she has visited 15 countries and is always dreaming of her next adventure.

Sandra grew up in Santa Clara. After many years in the high-tech industry, she decided to study veterinary technology at Foothill College. While in school, she interned at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. Sandra started at Los Gatos Dog & Cat Hospital as an intern in December 2006. After graduating from Foothill in June 2007, she started working here full-time. Sandra passed her state board exam two months later and became a Registered Veterinary Technician. She lives in San Jose with her sister and their cats.

Stephanie graduated and became a Registered Veterinary Technician in 2016. She has worked in emergency medicine but found her career more rewarding in general practice. Stephanie devotes her skills to surgical procedures and providing exceptional care to all her patients.

Stephanie, at heart, is comfort-driven and spends most of her time with her eight cats and two dogs. Her heart is full of love and fur for “Jake”, “Capone”, “Lobster”, “Mac”, “Milo”, “Mayhem”, “Smeagol”, “Jupiter”, “Willow”, and “Lucky”.

Desirée’s career in veterinary medicine began in 2004 as a kennel attendant, then eventually as a veterinary assistant. She has been licensed since 2013.

Over the years, she has developed a strong interest in pet oral health care and dentistry and finds great satisfaction in partnering with clients to ensure their pets’ well-being. Desirée is also passionate about low-stress handling and is Fear Free Certified.

Outside of scrubs, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband of 17 years and three chihuahuas, Dani, Taylor, and Levi. When she is home, she has three cats, Bradley, Logan, and Hiro, who keep her on her toes, plus she tends to the needs of her goldfish, Ofelia, Fulgencia, and Marisol.

Education/Certification:

• University of California, Davis, Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, 2017
• Foothill College, Associate Degree of Science in Veterinary Technology 2021
• RVT since 2021

Nanami has lived in the Bay Area since 2000. She has worked with small animals (mainly dogs and cats) since 2015. Nanami, when not working, enjoys going to concerts, trying new food, going on adventures with her boyfriend, and playing and hanging out with her two labs. She has owned labs since she was 11, so we consider her to be an experienced lab owner!

Tori has been with LGDC since 2021, but has been in the veterinary field since 2013. She has experience in emergency, specialty, and alternative medicine. Tori loves building connections with clients, thanks to her degree in business communication.

Tori has 2 fur babies that rule her house: a chihuahua named Madison Bumgarner, a Ragdoll mix named Hunter Pence. When Tori’s not working, you can find her nose deep getting lost in a book adventure or at a local Bay Area sporting event with her daughter and husband.

A Campbell native, Jaymi graduated from San Diego State University, where she met her husband, Rob. They have one son, Kyle, and 1 cocker spaniel, Hudson. All of them make her laugh every day. High on her list of favorite things to do are spending time with family, working out, hiking, and reading. Jaymi was a client of LGDCH for 15 years before she joined the team in 2010.

Education:

• Foothill College, A.S., Animal Health Technology, 1993
• Honors graduate of SFSPCA Dog Trainers Academy

Certification:

• RVT – Board of Veterinary Medicine
• CPDT (Certified Professional Dog Trainer)
• CTC (Certification in Training & Counseling)

Memberships:

• North American Veterinary Technician Association
• Association of Pet Dog Trainers
• Veterinary Technician Dental Society
• International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management

Sandi has been passionate about animals her whole life. Since she was 5 years old, she knew she wanted to work in the veterinary field. At the age of 16, Sandi began working for a veterinarian who treated dogs, cats, and birds, and continued working there while studying animal science at Cal Poly Pomona.

She joined the team at LDG&C in 1992 and feels she has found her home. Sandi has been teaching puppy preschool and adolescent dog classes here at the hospital since ’99. In addition, she counsels clients about pet behavior problems.

As an RVT, my goal is to keep growing in every corner of veterinary medicine. I’m especially interested in pursuing a specialty in dentistry and spending more time working with aquatic animals—because why stop learning now?

When I’m not at work, you’ll usually find me chasing after my one-year-old, managing a household ruled by four cats, and keeping up with my energetic husky–shepherd mix who ensures life is never boring. I also love spending quality time with my husband, getting outside for a good hike, and disappearing into a mystery or thriller novel.

Fun Fact: Thanks to years in veterinary medicine, I’ve trained myself to be ambidextrous with my technical skills—because sometimes two hands just aren’t enough.

Melanie has been a smiling face at our front desk since 2016. She is a San Jose native with a love of all animals. She herself as many cats, a gecko named “Heimdall”, and a sweet black Labrador named Ace. In her downtime, Melanie enjoys being creative and embracing her talent for art. She also loves to read and spend time with her family and friends. Any opportunity for a good road trip, Melanie is in the driver’s seat, ready to go.

Nava has been in the veterinary field for 8 years, bringing her passion and experience to both general practice and emergency/specialty medicine. She’s also a certified Medical Assistant (MA), because one job helping others just wasn’t enough! At home, Vanessa is a proud mom of two amazing girls and the devoted human to Apollo, her American Bully with a big personality. When she’s not at the hospital, you’ll find her soaking up family time.

Rose is a proud mom to two teenage girls and loves spending time with them whenever she can. A lifelong animal lover, she’s been in the veterinary field for years, driven by her passion for caring for both pets and their people. When she’s not at work, you’ll likely find her dancing to her favorite songs or curled up with a good fantasy novel, especially anything by Sarah Maas. She’s also a self-proclaimed cat enthusiast (okay, obsessed!) and never passes up a chance to talk all things feline.

I’m a huge animal lover—especially when it comes to cats! When I’m not at work, you’ll most likely find me hanging out with my cats, Miska and Mookie, or spending time with my fiancé. I also love playing guitar, singing, and getting creative with different crafts whenever I can.

Eileen has been part of the team for 5 years and brings a big heart and a curious mind to everything she does. Her love for animals is what brought her to the veterinary field, and she enjoys learning something new about medicine every single day.

When she’s not at work, Eileen is all about family time, hanging out with friends, and spoiling her dog. She’s also a big fan of Korean and Japanese music.

Lily has been volunteering in training classes here since 2015, when she was 14 years old. She then became an official member of the LGDC team at 16. She loves all breeds but has a special place in her heart for Dachshunds and German Shepherds.

Lily is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). Lily teaches all classes and is a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator! She is also a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Lily has a special interest in canine mental stimulation.

Raeann was born and raised in the Bay Area. She’s always had dogs in her life and a love of animals in general.

She now lives in Hollister with her husband, Wayne, and their furry “kids”: Emma, the total Heinz 57 mix, and Lando, the Anatolian mix.

In her free time, Raeann loves to go on hikes, go to the movies, draw, and read. Plus, being a total geek, she loves to go to comic and sci-fi conventions as often as possible.

She and her husband are also long-time San Jose Sharks fans.

Vanessa was born and raised in San Jose and has studied biology and health. She has been around dogs her entire life and cannot imagine life without them. Vanessa was introduced to the veterinary field when she was 17 years old and has been in the field ever since. She has a special love for Cocker Spaniels.

Vanessa lives with her son, Akili, and her furry kids include Javen the Chihuahua, as well as Ivy and Gilbert the cats, and plenty of fishies!

Alyssa, whose animal obsession began with helping her father bottle feed the calves at their ranch at the young age of 4 years old and matured into helping her sister at her goat farm. After high school, she fell in love with the medical side of animal care. When she isn’t obsessing over the veterinary field, she is hiking with her 3 dogs: Yondu, Symmone & Savanna (2 Dobermans and 1 Australian Cattle dog), cuddling with her Siamese cat: Lilith, listening to her favorite true crime/horror podcasts, and camping with her partner/friends.

Annie has been part of the Los Gatos Dog & Cat Hospital family for 18 years. Before joining us, she worked in the ICU at UC Davis, handling advanced critical care and internal medicine. Basically, she’s seen it all.

By day, Annie is one of our rockstar veterinary assistants plus inventory manager, keeping things running smoothly. By night, she’s a full-time super mom to two awesome kids (and one husband, who’s pretty great too).

She lives locally with her crew, including her dog, Frederick Mercucio, and two cats who may or may not rule the house.

When she’s off the clock, Annie loves hiking, camping, reading, and spending time with her family.