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.

Karen started with Animal Care Clinic as a Registered Veterinary Technician in 2001 for a few years. After pursuing other ventures she is back on our veterinary nursing team as of February 2015. Karen has a long family history in Paso Robles and SLO County. She went to school at the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Denver, Colorado. She interned at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, which is where the television show Emergency Vets was filmed from Animal Planet. You can even see her on several episodes! Karen was initially interested in becoming a paleontologist in grade school but later realized she loved warm, fuzzy animals more than their fossils! “I work in this field because I want to make the animal’s experience as smooth and pleasant as possible, and to give back the comfort and affection pets have given me through my life.” Karen’s favorite areas of veterinary medicine include surgery and radiology and she plans to retake the California RVT exam this year.
Family is very important to Karen. She spends a lot of time with her nieces and nephews and her two cats, Ike and Frances. In her free time she loves to read sci-fi and biographies and write. She loves old, weird movies from the 1930’s. The Bride of Frankenstein is a personal favorite.

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.

Julie came to us from Los Angeles, California and joined the Lodge Team in July 2012. Julie is attending Cal Poly as an Animal Science major, with the goal to eventually attend vet school. Julie has two dogs; a pit-bull mix named Maya and a Boston Terrier named Nara. She also keeps herself busy at the beach kayaking, practicing yoga, cooking, baking and volunteering for dog rescue groups. Julie is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a community service based co-ed fraternity.

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.”

Henry joined our medical staff in March 2019. Originally from the Los Angeles area, when his long term girlfriend was accepted to Cal Poly, Henry made the move to SLO. While working with a large animal veterinarian, Henry found his calling and is working towards becoming an RVT. With a strong love for animals, he’s intrigued by knowing how they work and strengthening the bonds between pets and their owners. He hopes to someday open a clinic in Oregon with his girlfriend.

He loves to hike with his dogs and almost always has his camera with him. In addition to two dogs, two gecko’s, and a bearded dragon, four fish tanks round out his home. Henry even builds custom terrariums for his reptiles.

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.

Shereen joined our Veterinary Nursing team in August 2019. She was born in Egypt and moved to SLO County at the age of 5. She is drawn to the veterinary world because of the challenge that comes with caring for animals. “Because we cannot verbally communicate, we must find other ways of connecting and understanding our patients.” Shereen has completed the Registered Veterinary Technician program at Alan Hancock and hope to complete the certificated process soon.

Shereen has a dog named “Autumn”, a Mexican street dog rescue that she describes as her child. She loves to spend her free time collecting rocks and crystals, surfing, snowboarding, painting with a glass of wine, and watching ‘The Office’.

Natalie has been with Animal Care Clinic as a part of the Customer Service team since January of 2012. Originally from Fresno, Natalie is a California native, though she has also previously lived in New Hampshire and Washington states. She most enjoys spending time with her two children. Currently, a brown tabby names Simpkin rounds out the household. Natalie also is very interested in keeping up with the latest marine conservation issues.

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.

Karla joined the Animal Care Clinic Team in October 2017, relocating from Sonoma County, CA. She comes to us with experience in both human and animal medicine. She previously worked as a surgical technician in dermatology and as a veterinary nurse for both large and small animal medicine. Karla found that she missed working in the animal industry and has since found a place on our Customer Service Team. “I really enjoy client education and helping pet owners to understand animal heath.”

Karla participated in FFA on a state and national level showing steers and sheep. She was honored with an American Agriculture Degree with a focus in Agriculture Business. Karla went to Chico and studied Animal Science & Agribusiness. She hopes to continue her education in parasitology and pharmacology. “I love to study how medicine works in the body and how it affects our pets and livestock.”

This girl loves to spend her free time on the ocean surfing or paddle boarding with her pup. She can also be found hiking and backpacking across the west coast or traveling the world.

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.

Priscilla joined the ACC team in June 2018 and has been using her skills as part of our lodge care, nursing, and customer service teams. Currently an Animal Science major at Cal Poly, she’s originally from Southern California. Her love of animals showed at a young age and growing up she was the kid who always brought home stray animals. One day she went into Woods Humane Society just to pet the dogs and came home with her now best friend Jesse!

Priscilla has an older brother who is currently a computer engineer. Her father is a dentist and her mother is a stay at home mom. Cooking and eating are some of her favorite activities and she learned to cook traditional Chinese dishes from her mother. Currently her favorite things to cook are desserts and pastas.

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.

Joanna joined the Animal Care Clinic lodge team in November of 2018. She is currently a student at Cal Poly studying Animal Science. She hopes to one day become a veterinarian at a small animal general practice. Reproduction has been her favorite class so far at Cal Poly. She has known from a young age that she wanted to work with animals.

She is a founding member of Delta Gamma at Cal Poly, being a part of the first member class of Winter 2018. Joanna volunteers with SLO Guide Dogs to help raise money for people with vision impairments.

In high school she was part of the swim and tennis team. She comes from a family of almond ranchers, having worked on the ranches with her family as a young kid. She grew up camping and spending time with family on the ranches.

Ciaran joined the Animal Care Clinic team in November of 2018. A current Cal Poly student studying Animal Science, she’s been raising service dogs through Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) since 2016 and has been friends with our own Stephanie Ruggerone through this program. Her experience with dog training and behavior make her an excellent addition to our lodge team and you’ll often see her helping in Puppy Kindergarten or Etiquette classes.

Ciaran is excited for the opportunity to work with Cal Poly’s foaling enterprise and assist with mares giving birth. Her goal is to work in the field of veterinary reproduction and genetics, with UC Davis and Cornell being her top choices for veterinary school. A SLO native, 3 dogs, 3 cats, and 1 horse round out her family. In addition to volunteering with Central Coast Partnership for Animal Welfare helping the homeless population of SLO with veterinary care and food supplies, she also finds time to fosters kittens for the Department of Animal Services.

You just might see Ciaran at the beach riding her horse Ocean. She’s often asked if her parents named her after the Japanese beer Kirin, since they’re pronounced the same. The answer is no.

Madison joined our lodge team in March 2019. A current Cal Poly animal science student, she’s planning to pursue a career as a veterinarian, a goal she set at age six. Madison grew up in Palos Verdes in a house full of animals and knew she wanted a career caring for animals and their people.

She loves spending time with her family and they enjoy going on hikes, visiting tide pools, and camping in Yosemite Valley. When not hanging out with her dog Cowboy, the two family cats or two snakes, you’ll find Madison helping out at her grandmother’s knitting store, playing soccer, or gardening. She also volunteers at Doggy Days at Prado Day Center and helps provide care for pets of displaced members of the community.