AMBLESIDE ANIMAL HOSPITAL - Key Persons
The wonderful Dr. Wilkie graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College, with honours, in 1992. Her decision to study veterinary medicine came easily, as her father was also a vet. She has been at Ambleside Animal Hospital since 2001. She has a passion for surgery, and has been opening up a more diverse scope of medicine to our patients for many years - she is also a licensed veterinary acupuncturist, licensed veterinary chiropractor, and most recently, she became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist. She enjoys spending the weekends with her husband, Pete, exploring the great outdoors (especially surfing in Tofino!). Sometimes her cat, Bobbie, joins them on riverside walks in Squamish, where they live.
The magnificent Dr. Niegos graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1998. She received her Canadian certification in 2009 and worked in a mixed equine and small animal practice in Ontario for a couple of years before making the decision to move back to Vancouver. She has been practicing at Ambleside Animal Hospital since 2011, and has become a regular and valued member of our team. Her amazing surgical and dental skills make her sought after by the other veterinarians at Ambleside. She has two cats - shy Timmy, the (very) outgoing Poppy, and most recently has added Brody - the hilariously svelt Dachshund to her clan. Dr. Niegos also loves to travel whenever she gets a chance.
The passionate Dr. Cathy El-Hinn was born in Taipei, Taiwan. She graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine with a special interest in dentistry, surgery, and animal behaviour - she has been a wonderful addition to the Ambleside Animal Hospital team since 2018. Prior to obtaining her DVM, she received a Bachelor's degree in Applied Animal Biology from UBC. During the final year of vet school, she completed an externship at a behaviour clinic down in Washington. Growing up in Taiwan, Cathy is fluent in English and Mandarin, and offers consults in both languages. Her ultimate goal as a veterinarian is to give back to the community and educate the public about animal welfare. When not at work, Cathy enjoys hiking, photography, and traveling.
Dr. Booth has owned Ambleside Animal Hospital since 1996 and loves practicing veterinary medicine on the North Shore. He feels so fortunate to be able to work with our great team everyday - as he should! We are awesome! He spends most of his days off with his wife, three lovely children, 3 dogs and their cat Friskie. He loves Biking - especially the ‘Gran Fondo' (Whistler AND Penticton!).You will find Dr. Booth and his wife hiking the North Shore every morning with their dogs Wolfie, Satchel & Ghetti - no autographs or pictures please!
The spectacular Dr. Anne Irwin was born in Vancouver and has lived on the North Shore since 2007. She graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine with great distinction in 1992, and completed a Clinical Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Minnesota. In 1993, she moved home and became part owner of North Burnaby Pet Hospital before taking a permanent position here at Ambleside. When not working, you can find Dr. Irwin on the trails of the North Shore with her husband Mike and goofy dog Wade or attending sporting events with her two sons Matthew and Kevin. We also can't forget her handsome cat Tompkins!
Dr. Gabrielle Lunter was born and raised on the North Shore. She received her veterinary degree from The University of Edinburgh and is currently living in Squamish. She works in small animal general practice, and has a special interest in the dermatology and internal medicine cases. In her free time she enjoys skiing, mountain biking, and spending time with her two dogs Charlie, Dustin, and cat Oakley.
The fantastic Dr. Jay Bridges was raised on a farm in Northern BC with his cat Grub! He went to university in Ottawa, then UBC where he completed his BSc in Agriculture. He went on to Vet school in Saskatoon, graduating in 1995. He returned to Vancouver to practice. Jay joined the Ambleside Animal Hospital team in 2016. Although a friend to all creatures great and small, he adores cats, and has made them his special area of interest. While not working, he can be found on his mountain bike, on a golf course swinging a club, fishing or hanging out with his two cats Fat Tony and Ariel!
The talented Dr. Liz Sang was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Prior to working as a vet, she gained a PhD in Molecular Biology and worked in research at Oxford University. After graduating with her veterinary degree from Bristol University in 2009 she worked in small animal practice (dogs, cats and exotics) in Bristol and Newcastle in the UK before making the decision to move to Vancouver in 2013. Her free time is spent with her husband and daughter. She enjoys running and skiing and feels very privileged to live and work on the beautiful North Shore. Well Liz, we feel privileged to have you here and think you are nothing short of FANDABIDOZI!
Even though she is a self proclaimed ‘dog-person' her only pet is a super fancy and sassy cat named Karen from HR. She is new to Vancouver, but not to Veterinary medicine. While being trained in Ireland she decided that even though she loved cows, her passion for emergency medicine, minimally invasive surgery, and rehab work meant that a career in small animals was in her future. For her first year in practice she attended a fancy emergency and critical care internship in the states. After mastering saving lives and being an overall Queen, she decided to take her ‘special set of skills' to the most dangerous place on earth - Australia. It was the only place in the world that she was going to be able to save a dog that had been bitten by a venomous snake after getting heat stroke and also had a cheeky sneaky surprise deadly tick attached to it that the owner hadn't found yet. Ahh Australia! After a few years of fun in the sun, the snow and her nagging mother were calling her home. While working in swanky downtown Toronto, she mastered minimally invasive surgery, and very high end general practice. But something was missing, and that something was 50 cm of fresh powder. Now happy and thriving in BC, she is very excited to meet your fancy and complicated cats, as well as your energetic powder hounds.