Emily Sullivan, DVM, joined the Riverside team in the Summer of 2016. She grew up on the Eastern Shoreline of Connecticut and earned her undergrad at the University of Vermont. She then went on to earn her DVM at Atlantic Veterinary College on Prince Edward Island. After obtaining her DVM, Dr. Sullivan worked as a small animal vet in Pittsfield, MA, before moving to Vermont.

Dr. Sullivan has a Border Collie/ Aussie mix named Keirin. When she isn’t helping pets and their people, she enjoys mountain biking, Nordic, downhill skiing, backcountry skiing, and anything else outdoors!

What is Dr. Sullivan’s favorite about working at Riverside?
“Forming long-lasting relationships with clients and their pets and working in a friendly, fun, caring environment.”

Dr. Heidi Crane grew up in the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes area of New York but has called Vermont home for the last 14 years. After earning her undergraduate degree at Tufts University, she graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She initially practiced in Colorado for a few years before making her way back to the east coast and happily settled in the Rutland area.

As a veterinarian, she loves working with owners to keep their pets healthy and enjoys the variety of day-to-day veterinary practice – you never know what you’re going to see, diagnose and treat on any given day! While she thrives on the challenges of veterinary medicine, Dr. Crane also cherishes the relationships she makes with owners and their pets through their care.

Outside of work, two children keep Dr. Crane and her husband busy, and they enjoy skiing, swimming, and exercising their Australian Shepherd, Masha. They also have a cat named Weezie, and thanks to the kids, a hamster, 1 beta fish, and 3 guppies!

Alycia’s journey at Riverside started with her internship in October 2015. She was officially hired in June 2016- she had two weeks off after graduating from high school and was then thrown right into full-time teching!

Alycia graduated from Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, VT in 2016. She was a dual-enrolled student at Stafford Technical Center in Rutland in the Health Careers program both her Junior and Senior year. It was through that program she was able to become a Licensed Nursing Assistant. Soon after becoming a LNA, Alycia realized that it wasn’t the job for her. She still wanted a career in the medical field though. So, she tried out veterinary medicine- here she is 8 years later!

Alycia has 2 dogs and 4 cats. Fig is a Shih Tzu/Corgi cross. Lui is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi- Fig’s half brother! Jonas is a random, but handsome, longhair cat that she adopted from Homeward Bound in Middlebury in July 2018. Juniper is a Siamese mix that was brought into the clinic in rough shape. She was run over and had extensive injuries. She needed a lot of nursing care, and being her main nurse she quickly won over Alycia’s heart, so she made sure to call dibs! Julian is an orange tiger kitten. Last but not least, Mikey is an almost 12 year old long haired Siamese.

When Alycia isn’t helping pets and their people, she enjoys being outdoors., camping, kayaking, swimming, hiking, you name it. She also enjoys baking and cooking for her family and friends. Alycia grew up and resides in Brandon.

Renee has been a part of the Riverside team since 2006. She was born and raised in Rutland VT, where she earned her high school diploma. She has worked for a variety of companies in and around the Rutland area over the years before finding Riverside.

Renee has a 7-year-old lab/beagle mix named Rocco. In her free time, she enjoys cooking family dinners and fishing.

What is Renee’s favorite thing about working at Riverside? “My favorite thing is all the great people I have met over the last 17 years, past/present employees and clients.”

Bekah joined the Riverside team in 2023. She grew up in a small town in Mississippi, on a farm with many different animals. She started working there at 8, and she has worked in customer service most of her life. She has been a receptionist for 3 years.
Bekah has three cats; a male tiger striped domestic long hair named Sassafras; a female tiger striped domestic shorthair named Fernando; and a female white and gray domestic medium hair named Penny. She also has a black female mystery breed dog named Lady Bug.

In her free time, Bekah enjoys spending time with her husband and son; she also enjoys crocheting.

What is Bekah’s favorite thing about working at Riverside? “Getting to meet all of the different types of animals and having amazing coworkers who enjoy being at work every day.”

Shelby joined the Riverside team in October 2023. She grew up in Stamford, Connecticut and moved to Granville, NY in 2017. Shelby graduated from Granville High School in 2019 and was working as a kennel assistant at Granville Small Animal Hospital. That was her first job, and made Shelby realize how much she loved working in animal care. She is currently attending Penn Foster College to obtain her Veterinary Technician degree.

Shelby has four cats and a rabbit. Odd Thomas is a 6 year old flame point siamese; Bones, a 3 year old black domestic shorthair (she’s the halloween kitty); Mr Magoo, a 7 year old tuxedo; and Pixie, a one year old polydactyl calico. Shelby’s rabbit is named Bowser and he is a 3 year old velveteen lop. In her free time, Shelby likes to go hiking and roller skating. She also enjoys going to conventions and playing video games! She spends most of my freetime with my cats and partner.

What is Shelby’s favorite thing about working at Riverside? “My favorite thing about working at Riverside is interacting with all the pets and their owners! I love building relationships with our clients and patients and getting to know their stories. I love being able to help our patients be comfortable and happy through their visits. I also just love animals in general, and will never complain about getting to see pets all day!”

Michelle is a Rutland native and joined the Riverside Team in March of 2014.

Her first job at 15 years old was working in the kennel department at a local veterinary clinic. She found it to be a lot of work, however she loved her job because she was able to care for animals every day. After gaining 3 years’ experience there she joined the Riverside team 10 years ago, and was promoted to Kennel Manager.

Michelle has a white kitten named Frosty who is deaf; a one year old black and white mix breed dog named Archie; two guinea pigs: Penelope (a brown Abyssinian) and Gus (a black and brown American guinea pig); and lastly, two parakeets: a white male named Snow, and a blue and white female named Tiki.

If you don’t see Michelle at the clinic, she is usually at her other job- working as a cosmetologist! On her days off, she loves spending time with family and friends, venturing out on her kayak in nice weather, hiking, and just spending time outdoors!

What is Michelle’s favorite thing about working at Riverside?

“My favorite thing about working at Riverside would have to be the sense of accomplishment I feel day to day working with animals. Being one of several people to help make the patients feel comforted, safe, and assist in bettering their lives. I love that everyday is different and that we get to see all the adorable little faces. As Carol would say ‘I think everything is cute!'”