Our Team

Dr. Jennifer Evans joined Animal Care Clinic in July 1997. She is a Santa Barbara native and Cal Poly SLO graduate. Dr. Evans earned her DVM from UC Davis in 1997. Her special interests include small mammal medicine and behavioral medicine. She most enjoys getting to establish life-long relationships with all of her patients and their families. When Jennifer was 3 years old she told her mom she wanted to be a doctor for dogs. “I don’t really remember ever wanting to do anything else. I love working with pets and their people.” Jennifer brings a special compassion and empathy to our practice.

Jennifer enjoys all outdoor activities including camping and horseback riding, along with church and family activities. She has two dogs, Ventana who is a career changed Guide Dog Labrador Retriever and Lexi, a Rhodesian Ridgeback; she enjoys both as her hiking buddies. They all live with 2 cats, Pippin and Tryg that she raised from 3 weeks of age. Jennifer also raised a Lab for Guide Dogs of America and plans to do it again.

Dr. Bonnie Markoff is the owner and founder of Animal Care Clinic. She is almost a San Luis Obispo native attending elementary and high school in SLO. Dr. Markoff graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in Animal Science and then went to UC Davis for veterinary school, earning her DVM in 1988. She is a Board Certified specialist in Canine and Feline Practice, a Diplomat of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and is certified in Veterinary Family Practice & Fear Free Practice. In 2001 she had the special honor of being named a Fellow at UC Davis in small animal abdominal ultrasonography. Dr. Markoff’ s special medical interests include internal medicine, oncology, pain control, diagnostic imaging and figuring out the tricky cases. When asked about why she became a veterinarian she said, “I can’t remember a time when I did not want to be a veterinarian. I was born into a household full of animals – everything from dogs to lizards! I had pet rats, rabbits, tortoises, snakes and tarantulas as a kid, and I thought my dog was my sister! With my love of science and the outdoors, there seemed no other path to follow! I now find myself most intrigued with the human interactions involved in veterinary medicine – how people bond to their pets and manage the emotional difficulties in caring for sick pets, and how to lead and manage teams of people dedicated to caring for people and their pets. I have been so completely blessed by this diverse profession!”
Bonnie lives with her Australian Shepherd, Zeke; Catahoula cross, Teague; plus her 3-legged rescue kitty Vinny. She enjoys photography, landscaping, hiking, traveling, kayaking, & singing in the church choir. She sits on the advisory board for the Animal Science Department at Cal Poly. Bonnie also works often on short-term missions for Christian Veterinary Mission and other faith based groups to bring veterinary care and leadership skills to people in need throughout the world. She most frequently visits Mongolia and Zambia on these trips. She is also leading Animal Care Clinic in a partnership with the University of Baja California to bring both veterinary medical and leadership training to the students in Mexico.

Dr. Taralyn Meusel graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. She earned her undergraduate degree in Animal Physiology & Neuroscience from UC San Diego. In addition to her DVM status, she is VetStem and FearFree certified. She enjoys the problem solving aspects of veterinary medicine and helping people navigate the many stages of their pet’s lives, considering both their physical and emotional wellbeing in the process. Taralyn grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains where her home was a safe haven for any dog, cat, turtle, rabbit, guinea pig, etc who needed help. She credits her mom with teaching her the value of veterinary medicine during their many trips to the hospital with the members of their menagerie.

She loves puzzles, art, and of course, animals and their people. Veterinary medicine has allowed her to combine all of this with special interests in geriatric medicine, surgery, behavior, oncology, and dermatology, “I like to think of surgery as an art form with layers that most people will never see.”

Taralyn enjoys hiking, swimming, gardening, and time at the beach with her dog “Bentley.” Six cats round out her home. She loves cooking and has recently picked up the violin again to the great enjoyment of her cats. “Animals give our lives so much richness and meaning. Being a veterinarian is my way of giving back to them, whether they are loved in someone’s home, living in a shelter, on a farm, or out in the wild.”

Dr. Brooke Barber is the newest veterinarian at Animal Care Clinic, having joined in 2019. She recently graduated from Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and is also Fear Free Certified. Dr. Barber completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Science with a minor in Biology from Western Kentucky University. Her passions within veterinary medicine include soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, pain management, and small mammal medicine.

Brooke grew up in Central Kentucky surrounded by farmland and worked for a few years at her neighbor’s horse farm. However, her true love for small animal veterinary medicine started at home through the two dogs, two cats, and guinea pig that were a part of her family growing up. In her kindergarten journal, Brooke drew a picture of herself as a veterinarian under the caption, “What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?” As a child she read all the Animal Ark books and loved hearing her dad’s stories about life on the family farm.

Outside of the clinic Dr. Barber enjoys hiking, playing tennis, traveling, spending time with her family, and exploring the beautiful Central Coast. At home she has three rescued animals: one dog, Dove, and two cats, Rabbit and Lizard.

Certified dog trainer, Stephanie Ruggerone, came to ACC in September 2000. She has an extensive background in many facets of animal care including behavior, training, grooming and pet assisted therapy. Following Studies in animal science and agriculture at the University of Arizona, she settled in San Luis Obispo County in 1980 after growing up in Whittier, CA. She has raised and trained Golden Retrievers under the Autumngale Obedience kennel name. After training two dogs for the county humane education program she became an animal control officer, then quickly promoted to the position of Animal Services Director. She served many years as Practice Administrator.

Gustavo currently works as a Registered Veterinary Technician at Animal Care Clinic, and has been here since May 2002. Gustavo grew up in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. He graduated with his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in Mexico from the Autonomous University of Baja California. Gustavo is studying now, so that he may eventually be boarded as a DVM in California. He loves living in San Luis Obispo County and is glad that his children have had the opportunity to grow up here. Gustavo has 3 children in college, whom he is always involved with in their activities and schools. Aside from being a busy, working family man, Gustavo is developing a website, http://accuabc.webs.com.

Melissa originally joined the Animal Care Clinic Team in July 2006. She moved to San Luis Obispo from Southern California in 2004 to attend Cal Poly. She graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science then acquired her Registered Veterinary Technician license.

Her passions include riding her horses, running, and spending time with her family and dogs.

John joined the Veterinary Nursing team June 2013. He grew up an Air Force “brat,” so has moved around quite a lot early on. His recent plans have been to attend RN school, but is keeping his options open as his time spent with Animal Care Clinic could change things as he is finding veterinary medicine as a new challenge and very rewarding. He was drawn to this position by the joy of working with and caring for pet’s. John and his wife do not currently have any pets, though they have plans to add some furry family members in the future. John also has children that love to play with their Boston Terrier.
John loves to camp, hike, kayak, fish, bike and practice photography. Of course, living in SLO County he also enjoys wine tasting. Experimenting with cooking is another hobby that the rest of us at Animal Care Clinic are happily awaiting to benefit from! John also spends his time volunteering with his church working with homeless people and working with the local veterans service office.

Kristina joined the Animal Care Clinic team in April 2015. She is originally from the Bay Area where where she was born and raised until moving to SLO two years ago. She moved out here to live with her fiance, Luke, who is attending Cal Poly. They plan on getting married and staying in the area for a few more years. Animals have always been a passion of hers. As a child she wanted to either be a marine biologist or veterinarian. She now hopes that her career here helps guide her into the right direction of where she should be working in the animal field.
Kristina loves the outdoors, especially if it getting out means camping, hiking, and rock climbing. Yosemite and Bishop, CA is where she likes to travel the most. Now that Kristina lives on the central coast she really looks forward to exploring places like Big Sur. She loves going to the beach but mostly to explore the reefs. Kristina grew up camping along the coast with her family who goes abalone driving every year.

Jasmin joined our veterinary nursing team in October 2017. Originally from the San Gabriel Valley, she has recently relocated to North County with her husband and two Miniature Pinschers. They are loving everything the central coast has to offer, especially the bicycling trails, fishing, and swimming.

Jasmin has a broadcasting degree from the Academy of Radio and Television Broadcasting. During her time in school she obtained her first job in a veterinary hospital through the school’s student program. She enjoyed it so much that after completing her degree work, she changed her focus to helping companion animals. She has now worked in many aspects of the veterinary field, including veterinary nursing, customer service, and administration. Her wide range of experience makes her a valuable asset to ACC. Jasmin continually strives to learn and grow and is currently enrolled in the Penn Foster RVT Program. “Obtaining certification is important to me as a culmination of all the skills I’ve attained and all that I hope to still learn.”

Jade joined our medical staff in March 2019 and graduated with a degree in animal science from Cal Poly. Growing up in San Francisco with a dog and three cats, Jade knew working with animals would be part of her life. She really enjoys the hands-on aspect of veterinary work and plans to pursue her RVT license.

Jade volunteers as a track coach for the Special Olympics of Southern California. She spent 6 weeks in South Africa working with wildlife & companion animals, and even got to assist in the collaring of an elephant and vasectomy of a lion. She enjoys hiking, fishing, going to the beach, and relaxing with her boyfriend. The have a cat named Simba and hope to get a puppy soon.

Nat joined our veterinary nursing team in August 2019 and brings with her over 5 years of nursing experience. She began her veterinary career volunteering and working for rescue groups and humane societies. She has since decided to become a veterinarian and is currently taking classes at Cal Poly. She has a strong interest in animal behavior and is excited to join the large group of Fear Free Certified Professionals at ACC. “There is nothing I enjoy more than helping to calm a nervous or sick animal.”

At home Nat has a 10yr old Cattle dog named “Lady” and two 3-year-old cats, “Kitty” and “Nicholas”. She also has a thoroughbred/Percheron cross horse named “Indigo”. She has been working and training horses in natural horsemanship for over 10 years and likes to focus on trust, bond, and communication. She first discovered her love for horses while volunteering for an equine therapy program in Moorpark, CA.

Fun fact: Nat can speak Dutch.

Susie joined our veterinary nursing team as an assistant in January 2020. She grew up in Downey, CA and moved to San Luis Obipso to do her undergraduate course in Animal Science with minors in Biology and Spanish at Cal Poly. She hopes to go on to do a Masters degree concentrating on Conservation Biology.

Susie would like a career where she can integrate her work experience in animal medicine with conservation through research, education and public policy. She is very interested in anatomy and physiology, which has guided her course into Veterinary medicine. Susie is fascinated to see how veterinarians solve puzzles and interpret physical signs in order to diagnose and treat animals. She has a particular interest in conservation and wildlife, which is very much influenced by the current world's natural status. Susie hopes to join these two interests to pursue a career.

Susie has a large family, which includes her mom, dad, two brothers and a sister. Her mom is a Registered Nurse who has been practicing for 23 years, her dad works for Boeing as an Engineer, designing parts for satellites. She has 3 family dogs, Sam a 12yr old German Shepherd who has the energy of a puppy and just loves to talk and Athena a 2yr old German Shepherd who loves squeaky toys and would rather play than cuddle. Last but not least is Molly, their Miniature Poodle who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself to the big dogs and, although a lady, loves to get dirty.

In her spare time Susie loves to skateboard, paint, find new music and relax. She also loves to learn about new discoveries within humans and animals in the natural world.

Ashton joined ACC in January of 2020 and will be working on our nursing team. She was born in Iowa and moved to Monterey when she was 12 with her family before moving further down the Central Coast to San Luis Obispo in 2017.

Ashton went to school and gained an EMT certificate, however in doing so she realized that animals were her true calling. Upon this realisation, Ashton made the decision to make her passion her life’s work. She grew up with a wide range of animals in her younger years, even emus!

Ashton aims to train working and personal protection dogs at some point in the future. This is a huge passion and interest for her and her husband. They plan to use canines for protection and bite work as well as search and rescue. When she was young she answered the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up’ with ‘police dog’!

Ashton lives with her firefighter husband and her cat Hans who enjoys naps, purring, and most of all, attacking your legs as you walk. As a couple they have a passion for adventure and the outdoors. Ashton has climbed two mountains scaling over 14,000ft; one of which was Mount Elbert, which is the 2nd highest in the continental US at 14,439ft. Ashton enjoys rock climbing, rappelling, horse riding and anything involving the beach. Ashton loves art, craft beer, baking, fishing and has even competed in mountain biking and archery.

Linsey joined our Customer Service team in November 2016. She is a SLO County local having grown up in Arroyo Grande. Growing up around horses, pigs, llamas, ducks, chickens, dogs, and cats, Linsey knew from a young age that she wanted to work in the veterinary field. "Being able to work with dogs and cats everyday is a dream come true. If I could, I would have 20 dogs." Not only does Linsey enjoy working directly with our clients and their pets, she has also been key to improving processes behind the scenes and is constantly striving to make ACC better.

Linsey and her husband Trent, who also works in the medical field, enjoy spending time outdoors with their Labrador Retriever Bianca. They also have an adorable cat named Dolly. Linsey is an avid baker, dog treat maker, and a DIY-er.

From all the way across the pond, Kate joined our Customer Service Team in October 2017. She moved to San Luis Obispo after meeting her husband Sonny while on vacation in the Philippines. In England Kate received a degree in Equine Performance at Hartpury College in Gloucester. She has always loved horseback riding and was the National Dressage Champion in 2016 with her horse “Dollar”. She is also an advanced open water diver and explored the shipwrecks in the Philippines from the US attack on the Japanese Navy from WWII.

Kate is looking forward providing the best customer service for all of our clients and patients and maybe one day learning Veterinary Technician skills.

Logan joined our customer service team in March 2019. Hailing from the Hawkeye State, she’s proud of her Iowa roots and still has family there. It’s important for Logan to make a positive and impactful difference in our community and she enjoys working with both her head and her hands. She studied business at the University of Iowa and has taken beginners harp at Cuesta College. She loves music and is classically trained on the flute and piano. Asked about her pit mix named Boomer, “He’s my first child. He challenges me in all the right ways and has been my biggest teacher in life.” A cat rounds out her home.

Logan loves time in the garden and has gotten good at propagation. She enjoys photography, video editing, and baking cookies. In Iowa her mom joined a crew club at age 50 and since runs an adaptive rowing program which makes the sport accessible for people with disabilities.

You may recognize Lauren, who joined our Customer Service team in January 2020. A ‘SLOCal’ native, she’s lived in San Luis Obispo County her whole life and spent 7 years with Thousand Hills Pet Resort. Growing up she did Civil War reenacting, participating in mock battles as a Union soldier. She’s always loved animals and people and is excited for opportunities to help strengthen the bonds between pets and their families. She plans to transition to veterinary nursing and work towards her RVT.

Lauren is an award winning photographer and has been recognized several times in the New Times Annual Photo Contest. She also does fine art portraits, one of which was given to former first lady Betty Ford. Along with her husband Nathan, Lauren’s gone on several mission trips to the Philippines serving the Aeta people. They even helped build a church using materials hauled up a mountain by water buffalo. A great dane named Scooby Doo and tabby cat named Twitty Twatt round out her family.

Fun Fact: Lauren once found Melissa Gilbert’s (Laura Ingles from Little House on the Prairie) wedding rings and returned them to her.

Shannon joined the Animal Care Clinic team in June 2018. Initially part of the lodge team, she is also now assisting in surgery. The team just loves the quirky things she always has to say.

She is originally from the Bay area but she like to say she grew up in San Luis Obispo since she has been here for the past 6 years. She is currently a student at Cal Poly studying Animal Science and hopes to one day be a large animal veterinarian.

Shannon also works as a staff member at Grace Church with the middle school group. During her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking with her dog Jasper and exploring the Central Coast.

Fun Fact: Shannon has an identical twin sister.

Giana joined our lodge team in October 2019. Originally from Valencia, CA. Giana is studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. Her love of animals began early and her family noticed she was always first to volunteer to hold snakes, scorpions, or any other reptiles. She began riding horses at age 6 and feels that lead her to veterinary medicine. Giana hopes to learn more about international animal care with the goal of becoming a small animal or exotic veterinarian.

Other than small animal medicine, Giana has a passion for Marine Biology. As part of her Grey Whale Ecology class, she traveled to San Ignacio, Mexico and was immersed in their culture. While there, Giana was able to view these gentle giants in person, saying it “was an experience I will never forget!” At home she has 3 younger sisters, 2 dogs who love agility and cuddling, and a Green Cheek Conure who loves giving kisses. An avid basketball player, Giana also participates in the annual Relay for Life.

Fun Fact: Her dogs, Romeo & Juliet, have over 2,000 Instagram followers (@romeoandjulietadventures).

Ryan joined ACC as a new member of our lodge team in January 2020. He is currently a senior at Cal Poly majoring in Animal Science and hails from Bakersfield California.

Ryan dreams of working with wildlife and hopes to one day become a wildlife veterinarian. He had the opportunity to volunteer in South Africa on a game reserve in 2019 where he fed cheetahs in a rehabilitation center. This experience only grew his love of big cats and gave him an up close opportunity to fuel his interest in animals’ adaptations for the wild.

In his spare time Ryan enjoys a quiet evening to ‘Netflix and chill’ with his friends. He also loves driving through the beautiful central coast scenery with the windows down and his favorite music on. He has two brothers and a French Bulldog, Fiona, who loves going to the beach. In his spare time Ryan loves to frequent live music events especially country music.

Fun Fact about Ryan: he had a very outdoorsy childhood during which he broke his arms 3 times.