Sarah Lavelle

Owner

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A native of the United Kingdom, Dr. Lavelle earned her professional degree in Veterinary Medicine from The Royal Veterinary College, London University in 2001. Growing up on a working dairy farm that helped train many veterinary students from Liverpool University, inspired her to pursue her passion of working with animals. Upon graduation she spent several months on the epidemiology team of DEFRA (Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs) in the British government to address the Foot and Mouth Disease crisis. While completing her professional curriculum she successfully completed the NAVLE (North American Veterinary Licensing Examination) and was licensed to practice veterinary medicine and surgery in North America. She chose to pursue further education and was invited to complete a 1 year large animal internship teaching senior veterinary students and gleaning from professors at Washington State University. After completing her work at Washington State University, she chose to take a position as an associate mixed animal veterinarian in Bozeman and successfully completed her Montana licensure examination. After tasting the outdoor lifestyle of the Rocky Mountains, the unlimited trails to explore and the wholesome quality of life, she settled down to call Bozeman her home. Dr. Sarah is no stranger to the Gallatin Valley. She has practiced mixed animal veterinary medicine in Bozeman full time since 2002, not only at local veterinary hospitals, but also at the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter and on various wildlife research teams. In February 2011, she opened Ark Veterinary Practice, with the vision of creating an integrative veterinary hospital that treated all species — one which not only provides the most current technology and medical techniques, but also offers nutritional counseling, acupuncture, laser therapy and chiropractic, while maintaining a family atmosphere with personal care. Dr. Sarah is devoted to promoting the powerful human-animal bond and the special relationship that exists between people and their pets. Her professional interests include internal medicine, exotics, preventative care, feline medicine, soft tissue surgery, dentistry and senior wellness care. With over 15 years of full time clinical experience Dr. Sarah still enjoys learning at continuing education seminars around the country and internationally. Sarah has the privilege of being an active member of our community by volunteering her time at the local animal shelters, teaching GED in the detention center, helping with the Annual Bozeman Christmas stroll and serving a the Community Cafe. She has also had the opportunity to serve overseas in Europe, Bolivia, Turkey and Tanzania. During her free time, Sarah loves spending time with her friends and family and enjoys spending as much time in the great outdoors as possible. If you see her out on a trail, she’s sure to be accompanied by her border collie Jessie Jane. Her favorite activities include horse riding, dancing, floating the rivers and back country skiing.

Stevie

Animal Care Coordinator

Stevie is a Montana native who has grown up with a love and passion for helping a wide variety of animals. Stevie knew from a very young age that she wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and so has made it her life long pursuit. She showed a variety of animals in 4H including horses, pigs, poultry, goats llamas, rabbits and even a chinchilla and a gecko. Stevie spent several years competing in rodeo and enjoys barrel racing in her free time. Stevie is currently attending Montana State University to gain her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and plans to apply to veterinary school in the Fall of 2019.  Stevie joined Ark Veterinary Practice in 2016 and plans on spending the next 3 years growing with the practice. Her special interests are in equine reproduction and surgical assisting. Stevie is a great asset to the Ark Care Team because of her large animals skills, her IT skills, her persistence to get deadlines met, and her determination to give every patient the very best of care. Stevie enjoys spending time with her family on the weekends and helping with chores at her parents ranch where she keeps her menagerie of animals including 6 mini donkeys and her miniature zebu.

Nicole

Veterinary Technician

Nicole came to Montana on a full-ride Honors Program Scholarship from Minnesota and graduated from Montana State University in Bio-engineering with a minor in Spanish in 2015. After volunteering at Ark Veterinary Practice in 2014 during her engineering degree she realized her life dream of pursuing veterinary medicine as a career. While working full time at the Ark she continued her studies to complete her prerequisites for veterinary school and began her degree in veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin in the Fall of 2016.  With her first year of veterinary school under her belt, Nicole received a grant to complete a primate research project in Columbia. She continues to work seasonally at the Ark and hopes to return to Bozeman to continue serving the animals and their owners that she has grown so fond of over the past 3 years. Her current special interests are in exotic medicine, zoonoses and the human-animal bond. Nicole continues to be a great asset to the Ark Care Team because of her exotic animal interests, her research skills, her great memory, and her compassion. She looks forward to reconnecting with everyone again this Summer in the beautiful Gallatin Valley.

Jenn

Jenn is a Scranton, Pennsylvania native who moved to Montana in 2014 in hopes of growing her roots and being surrounded by beautiful landscapes. She earned her B.A. in Professional Writing in 2013 from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in Cultural and Media Studies, and a minor in Public Relations. She has two children, Cora and Roran, as well as two dogs, a cat, and four chickens. Jenn found her love for working in veterinary clinics in 2017 at Livingston Veterinary Hospital. She loves the fast-paced environment, being a resource for clients, and the continual opportunities for education that Ark Veterinary Practice has to offer. When she isn’t at Ark, you can find her either playing with her kids, at the dog park, lost in the mountains, in her art studio, or doing yoga.

Ansley

Ark Veterinary Practice welcomed Ansley to the team. She was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, where she grew up riding horses, competing in 3 day eventing, equitation, sportsmanship, etc. She has always desired a future in veterinary medicine and is currently pursuing her degree in biology at Montana State University.
She is excited about the hands-on experience she has been exposed to since starting work at The Ark. As she begins to work alongside her careteam mates, who she now considers family, she is grateful for the opportunity to meet and serve all of the Arks clients. Every day, she is challenged by seeing and learning something new. In her spare time, Ansley likes to hike throughout the local mountains as well as spend time with her friends and family. She has a menagerie of 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a hedgehog named Bilbo, who all contributed to her ever-growing love for animals.

Kyra Wisherd

Kyra is a Montana native and grew up with an appreciation for animals of all shapes and sizes. She is currently studying Animal Science at Montana State University and plans on graduating in the spring of 2023. The inspiration to work with animals was solidified into Kyra’s mind during her time working at the Maclean Cameron Animal Adoption Center in Great Falls where she would often get to pass by surgeries in progress. After joining the Ark Veterinary Practice team, she has since learned her passion for surgery and enjoys space observing a variety of surgeries performed by her mentor, Dr. Lavelle. Being exposed to many exotic cases has inspired her and she plans on becoming an Exotic Animal Veterinarian in the future.
Kyra is an avid camper and says she would spend her life in the woods if she could, noting how much she loves the wildlife in particular. Her tortoise Harold and dog Rambo accompany her on her educational journey here at Ark Veterinary Practice and she says that they inspire her to work harder every day. She has hopes for a future in Veterinary medicine and to one day be a Veterinarian living in Seeley Lake Montana, where she grew up.