Dr. Erin Bennett, DVM. Practice Owner

Dr. Erin Bennett grew up in Terra Linda, attended Marin Catholic High School, and graduated from the University Of Colorado at Boulder. She spent many years facilitating veterinarians, one of which was Dr. Jeff Williams, before deciding to go to vet school herself in 2003. After spending the next 5 years at University College of Veterinary Medicine Dublin in Dublin, Ireland, she worked as a vet in Dublin for 3 and ½ more years, married her husband and moved back to California in 2011. After working as Chief Of Public Medicine at Sonoma Humane Society for 3 years, she decided to join San Marin Animal Hospital in 2014 and has been here since. She and her husband and their 2 little kids live in Sonoma County, with 7 cats, 3 dogs and 3 goats, 2 sheep and the list continues to grow. In her spare time…well, she cleans up after her kids and animals.

 

Dr. Jeff Williams, DVM. Practice Owner

Dr. Jeff Williams was born and raised in Fairfield, CT and graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 1984 and Tufts University of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, MA in 1990. He worked in private practice in Derry, NH after graduation until moving to Marin County in 1993. He was in private practice in San Rafael and Larkspur. While there, he met Dr. Bennett 10 years before accepting the job as Veterinary Medical Director at Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. in 2003. He lived in Novato for 8 years before moving to Woodacre with his wife and 5 year old son. They have a rescue dog named Amigo, a GDB breeder named Angela, Mr. Jones the cat and two chickens. He is an avid mountain biker, hiker and gardener.

 

Dr. Monica Ortiz, DVM. Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Monica Ortiz graduated from St. George's University, Grenada. She did an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey. She then practiced in Massachusetts for about 5 years before returning the the Bay Area in 2017. She has since been practicing in Sonoma and Marin Counties. She is owned by 2 dogs and 2 cats. She enjoys spending her spare time with her family, traveling and reading true crime.

 
 

Dr. Polly James, DVM. Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Polly James grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and graduated from Brown University in Providence RI with a degree in Biology. She then headed to the west coast and spent several years in the Bay Area pursuing experience as a wildlife biologist. Ultimately she realized that veterinary medicine was her true calling. She attended UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine followed by an internship at Ventura Medical and Surgical Group before heading back to the Bay Area. She worked for over 20 years at a 24 hour emergency and general practice (SF SPCA Pacific Heights - formerly Pets Unlimited) before joining the great team at San Marin Animal Hospital. She lives with her husband, son and rescue dog Archie in Fairfax and enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, snorkeling, reading, and basically anything related to water and outdoor activities.

 
 

Kelly Pasero, RVT. Practice Manager

Kelly was born and raised in Marin County. She worked for many years at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe. She also worked in the restaurant business before following her true passion of working with animals. She graduated from the RVT program at the Santa Rosa Junior College. Kelly is married with one stepson and is owned by a wonderful chocolate lab named Reba and their cat Fancy. In Kelly’s free time she enjoys snow and water sports in her favorite place, Lake Tahoe. Kelly truly loves what she does and can’t imagine doing anything else!

 
 

Samantha Wilson, RVT

Samantha was born and raised in Sonoma County where she still resides. She lives with her boyfriend and their tuxedo kitty, Jimmy. Sam has been working as a veterinary technician for 5 years in general practice but has been working / playing with horses for most of her life. Sam attended the Santa Rosa Junior college for Equine Science and Animal Health certificates. She passed her RVT test in May 2020! In her spare time she enjoys camping, fishing, hiking, pet sitting, wine tasting, and spending quality time with friends and family. Samantha is a dedicated technician who loves caring for animals like they are her own and couldn't imagine a life without them!.

 
 
 

Blair Behrendt, Veterinary Nurse

Blair was born and raised in California. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2004. The last 10 years have been in shelter medicine and rescue work. Blair continues to help Compassion Without Borders by fostering dogs and helping out with their monthly spay and neuter clinic. She currently lives in Oakland with her two rescue dogs Chuleta and Ilsa and her rescue cat Twiggy. Blair’s passions in veterinary medicine are nutrition, surgery and behavior.

 
 

Lisa Torres, Veterinary Nurse

Lisa was born and raised in California. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2009. She starting working in a shelter spay and neuter clinic before moving on to emergency work and now general practice. She is currently studying to be an RVT at the Santa Rosa Junior College. Her passions in the field are dentistry and surgery. She is owned by three Pugs (Bernard, Emily and Baby Pug) and an English Bulldog (Hannah).

 

Caitlin Rainey, Veterinary Nurse

Caitlin was born and raised in Petaluma. She has always had special love for animals, especially horses. She attends Santa Rosa Junior College where she is finishing a degree in equine science. She has also started the SRJC Veterinary Technician program. She currently lives in Petaluma with her 2 cats Cally and Jewel and her dog Levi. As a second job she works at a barn with horses, exercising, feeding and mucking their stalls. Caitlin’s passions in the veterinary field are radiology and surgery.