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Small Animal Medicine & Surgery
Call us today! 704-636-6613
Call us today! 704-636-6613

3200 Sherrills Ford Road
Salisbury, NC 28147

Our Careteam

Your pet’s emotional and physical well-being is prioritized with every visit. We put the patients first!

Karrie

Karrie

Practice Manager

Karrie’s entire family has a background in human healthcare, so she’s been exposed to the medical field since she was young. She’s also had another lifelong passion: the world of animal care. For Karrie, a career in veterinary medicine is the perfect combination of her fascination with the medical field and her adoration of animals!

Karrie is from Concord, North Carolina, and started working here at Small Animal Medicine and Surgery when she was still a high school student in 2007. After serving at another clinic for a number of years, she returned in 2015 and is thrilled to continue caring for the area’s pets as a member of the hospital team. As a Veterinary Assistant, Karrie particularly enjoys making sure all visiting pets are comfortable and forming lasting bonds with their loving owners.

When she has free time, Karrie enjoys fishing, camping and hiking. She lives with her loving husband, Brandon, daughter, Scarlett and six pets of her own: Skittles, a cat who acts like a dog; a Chihuahua named Riley who is terrified of Skittles; an energetic Puggle named Scooby; Bella the Staffordshire Bull Terrier; Nala the Chihuahua; and Ellie the Standard Poodle

Katlyn

Katlyn

Office Manager

Katlyn has owned pets all her life, and she’s never taken for granted the true value that our animal companions provide. Katlyn is proud to serve the area’s pets and animal owners as one of the clinic’s front-desk receptionists.

Originally from Florida, Katlyn moved to Salisbury with her family at a young age and has been here ever since. She joined the Small Animal Medicine and Surgery team in the summer of 2016, and is thrilled to begin her journey in pet care right here at the clinic. Katlyn particularly likes meeting the area’s pet owners on a daily basis and getting to interact one-on-one with their beloved companions. She’s also fond of learning something new nearly every day.

Katlyn and her husband, Josh, have two loveable black Labradors at home: Essie, a Lab puppy who loves chewing up socks; and Ansley, who never fails to find a stick when she’s spending time outdoors. In her free time, Katlyn loves going drag-racing, eating, traveling, and going to the beach.

Jamie

Jamie

Receptionist

Jamie spent five years managing a dog kennel in Harrisburg before she decided it was time to find something a little bit closer to home. Following her passion, Jamie joined the SAMS team in September of 2022 and has enjoyed every moment of her time here since!


Jamie’s veterinary career began in high school when she took some preliminary vet med classes. She also spent a few summers working at a family member’s practice. Surprisingly, Jamie transitioned over to the corporate world, where she worked for about 15 years before starting a family and becoming a stay-at-home mom. Once the kids were old enough, she knew it was time to go back to the field she’d loved.

As one of the awesome receptionists here at Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Jamie is one of the first and last faces our clients and their pets encounter during their visits with us. She loves getting to know the patients that come into the clinic, speaking with their owners, and hearing all the fun stories they have to share about their pets. She also appreciates the fact that every day there is something new!

Outside of work, Jamie is happily married and a mom to four boys. The family pets include a Maltese mix named Cappuccino and a Great Pyrenees named Henry, both of whom help keep the backyard clear of any rogue bird, squirrel, or raccoon. Then there’s their feline friend, Mo, who likes to leave mice (dead or alive) in Jamie’s shoes, and a Bearded Dragon named Mars who enjoys basking on his hammock.

When she’s not busy manning our front desk or tending to her family (two-legged and four), Jamie enjoys reading, hiking, camping, and learning new skills on how to be self-sufficient. Her lifelong goal is to hike through the AT.

Gina

Gina

Lead Kennel Technician

Gina always enjoyed watching the interaction between the staff and animals at her local vet’s office, and dreamed of one day providing that level of compassionate service, comfort, and reassurance to pet owners herself. Gina is fortunate enough to do just that—she’s been a part of the Small Animal Medicine and Surgery family for over 10 years!

Originally from Rockwell, North Carolina, Gina worked in customer service, accounting, and data entry before deciding to follow her dream of working in veterinary medicine. She joined the clinic team in January of 2005 after applying for an assistant position, and was quickly cross-trained in the kennel. Gina fell in love with her kennel work, and now serves as the Kennel Supervisor! She’s particularly fond of greeting pets and owners when they visit the clinic, as well as seeing how excited pets get when their owners come to pick them up.

Outside of work, Gina is a passionate baker and loves bringing in birthday goodies for her coworkers. Having been pet parents to a Rottweiler previously, Gina and her significant other, Tim, share their lives with their young Rottweiler and playful bundle of joy, Cara, as well as, newest addition, Vader, an Akita.

Lucy

Lucy

Veterinary Assistant / Kennel Technician

When Lucy was just five years old, she discovered the true story of Winter, a bottlenose dolphin whose tail had been lost in a lobster trap. Fortunately, Winter was rescued and ultimately fitted with a prosthetic tail which allowed her to swim normally and live a long, happy life in captivity. Upon learning of Winter’s story, Lucy knew she wanted to grow up to work with animals one day. Today, she is living her childhood dream and loving every minute of it!

In July of 2022, Lucy was looking for an internship, which she needed in order to apply to veterinary school. She joined the Small Animal Medicine & Surgery team as a kennel technician and has since been cross trained as a veterinary assistant. Professionally, Lucy loves the unpredictable aspect of the job. No two days are the same, no two patients are the same. She also enjoys learning from Dr. Kirk and her colleagues.

In her spare time, Lucy can usually be found at the bowling alley. She and her family play on multiple leagues throughout the week and are very competitive. Lucy plans on attending Catawba College, where she will major in pre-veterinary science with a concentration on biochemistry. Her long term goal is to go to veterinary school and earn her DVM.

David

David

Kennel Technician

David credits his deep love and respect for animals to his mother, who showed him time and time again how important it is to help and nurture these precious souls. Whether it was carefully arranging a blanket in her bedroom for their cat to give birth, or gently nursing his brother’s sick dalmatian, Miss Pebbles, back to health, David’s mother’s compassion for animals has always stuck with him. In fact, it ultimately inspired him to seek a career in the animal care industry!

David joined the Small Animal Medicine and Surgery team as a kennel technician in September of 2022. Professionally, he enjoys being around other people who share the same dedication to the wellbeing of animals. Through his daily duties of cleaning, feeding, monitoring, medicating, and providing exercise to our kennel guests, David is able to play a role in improving their lives – something for which he is immensely grateful.

Outside of the clinic, David enjoys spending time with his wife, Janie, and their son, Zachary. The family has two rescue dogs: Butch-E, a pit bull mix, and Oreo, a lab mix. Butch-E is David’s shadow and loves to accompany him to the local coffee house as often as possible. In addition to his passion for animals, David has always had a love of sports, from soccer to basketball. In his spare time, he likes being outdoors in nature, fishing, and cooking on the grill.

Vern

Vern

Branch Manager

Thanks to improper lighting and diet, Vern suffered from metabolic bone disease and a fractured leg in his previous home. Fortunately, he overcame these painful ailments and is now basking in the glory of his very important position here at Small Animal Medicine and Surgery!

Vern has been with Dr. Kirk since 2011. His branch management skills are second to none! A graduate of Jungle University, Vern’s interests include sunbathing, leaves, and green energy.

Sophie

Sophie

Complaint Department Director

Sophie comes to us from deep in the Amazon (Okay, she was actually born in Florida, but she is a Yellow Nape Amazon parrot). She spent her first few years in Virginia, where she first “worked” for Dr. Kirk as Entertainment Committee Chairbird. Sophie was a natural at this position, but felt that she needed to broaden her skills. She took on the challenge of the Complaint Department Director at SAMS in June 2017. It’s a good thing that SAMS doesn’t receive very many complaints, because Sophie is much better at talking than listening, and her rendition of “Wheels on the Bus” sure won’t resolve anyone’s complaints!