Bio Coming Soon!
Bio Coming Soon!
Bio Coming Soon!
Rivkah might be small, but don’t let that fool you—this dynamo has been working with animals since she was 15 and can juggle a barking beagle, ringing phone, and client smile all at once.
When she’s off duty, you’ll probably find her at a hockey game, out for a run, or hanging with her boyfriend and their dogs, Cooper and Denver. Fueled by coffee, kindness, and canine cuddles—Rivkah keeps our pack smiling.
Mac is our fearless (and furry) Chief Purr Officer, keeping morale high with his nonstop motorboat purr. He has a flair for the dramatic—whether he’s arching his back and hopping sideways at big dogs, or sprinting through the clinic triumphantly carrying his latest prize: a straw.
Most of all, Mac adores attention. He lives for pets, thrives on company, and makes sure everyone who visits leaves with a smile (and hopefully still their straw).
Fiona Lawrence has been fascinated with animals since she was a child. One of her first memories is with her childhood cat, Mowgli, playing dress up and learning his boundaries the hard way.
Outside of work, she studies Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Cornell College and hopes to go to veterinary school after she graduates. She enjoys hiking with her friends, going to museums and aquariums and taking naps with her cat, Betsy.
Kamren was raised in Georgetown, Texas but moved to Virginia as a young adult. He discovered his passion for working with animals when he was employed at a boarding facility while living there. Eventually he found his way back to Texas and moved to McKinney in 2024 where he decided to follow his passion further by joining our team at ACC. Kamren quickly acclimated to his role as a Kennel Technician and is working towards cross-training as a Veterinary Assistant in the hospital. His goal is to expand his knowledge and skills in caring for pets by pursuing formal education to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician.
Julian joined ACC in 2022 and settled into his role as Kennel Technician among a hospital full of women quite naturally given his love of animals and coming from a family of 5 sisters. Julian’s experience goes back to when he was 15 working his first job in a kennel. For as long as he can remember, Julian has been captivated by dogs and loved watching cartoons like Scooby Doo and movies like Space Buddies growing up. Some of his fondest memories as a child were playing with his grandparents’ dog Poppy, and it was then he learned how special it was to bond with an animal.
His favorite aspect of working here is meeting new animals everyday and getting the opportunity to help them. “The job isn’t always the most glamorous but at the end of the day I enjoy my job, the people, and our team. Animal Care Center has always made me feel more welcome than anywhere else I’ve worked.”
Although Alanna Copado’s veterinary career has only just started, her love for animals has always been an integral part of her life. Growing up in Dallas and McKinney, Alanna was constantly surrounded by dogs throughout her childhood. Influenced by her mother’s deep love for animals, Alanna treated every dog she came across as a close friend and companion.
Alanna is ambitious and hard-working. She brings her best to work every day and tries to constantly improve at her job. Her favorite aspect of working at Animal Care Center is being able to interact with dogs every single day. As the receptionist, she also enjoys interacting and helping patients and clients.
Avery was born in Lewisville, Texas, and raised in McKinney, Texas. She finds comfort in building trust with clients and providing her best knowledge to help the clinic’s patients. As a child, she became observant and learned a lot about communication. She realized how a single tone could affect everything that followed. Growing up in a tense household, she naturally began to read people more deeply, trying to understand non-verbal cues. With this experience, she enjoys providing positive interactions attending to our clients and patients.
When not at ACC, Avery is likely hanging out with her friends, going out to eat, shopping, or napping at home with her dog Odin.
Audrey is a small-town Texan with a big heart for furry friends. Her formative years were filled with outdoor adventures and life on family farms. Growing up in a household that shared a deep love for animals, Audrey developed a passion for ensuring the wellbeing of all creatures.
Through hard work and dedication, she gained knowledge and skills from her colleagues, evolving into the veterinary assistant she is today. Her unwavering dedication to animal welfare is evident in her belief that their comfort and care should always be the top priority
Born and raised Texan, Emily, has had a passion for animals ever since she could walk. She always knew she wanted a career involving animals, but was initially unsure of the exact career path to follow. In 2012, when her chihuahua Roxie had three puppies, Emily took charge of their care, which was a pivotal experience that solidified her career choice in the veterinary field at the age of 13.
Outside of work, Emily enjoys discovering new coffee shops (she highly dislikes chain coffee places), traveling with her family, especially to Colorado for snowboarding season, and channeling her creativity by refurbishing furniture to resell.
Rachel Miller grew up in the rural area of Artesia, NM, which allowed her family to have all types of animals. At a very young age her eyes were set on going to college to become a veterinarian.
During her time in the program, she completed several internships in different specialties. She fell in love with emergency medicine during her rotations. Rachel has worked in veterinary medicine for the last 11 years and part-time at Animal Care Center. She loves the aspect of having a growing relationship with clients in all stages of their pet’s life.
Amanda Hill started with her love and passion for animals at a very young age and it grew stronger at the preschool she attended that had a small farm on property. She was the first child to go out and gather eggs, feed and love on all the animals, and first to hop on the horse for a ride. Amanda was born in Houston, Texas but moved to Highlands Ranch Colorado when she was in the second grade. Because of her love for animals, her 7th birthday wish was to go on a trail ride. This one trail ride led her into a deeper passion of horses, and not just trail rides, she started taking riding lessons at a hunter/jumper barn, where shortly thereafter, she became the proud owner of an Arabian gelding named Pecos.
Amanda is passionate about senior care. Growing up around hunting dogs (Vizslas), she always said she would never own a small breed. Little did she know she would fall in love with a tiny dachshund that she helped deliver during an emergency c-section. Amanda is known around the clinic as the Dachshund lover! When Amanda steps away from work she can be found enjoying the company of her 5-year-old daughter, husband, 6 dogs, 2 cats, 2 horses and 2 fish tanks. Amanda enjoys going fishing and being outdoors.
Born and raised in the Midwest, Kari found her way to southern hospitality here in McKinney in 2018. Her professional experience expands from small animal clinics in the greater Chicagoland area and DFW Metroplex, to work abroad in conservation, rescue, and rehabilitation with The Green Iguana Project, Cayo Animal Welfare Society, Belize Bird Rescue, the Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic, sanctuary work with ARCAS Peten in Guatemala, and even an externship at the Dallas Zoo hospital.
After caring for our patients here, Kari goes home to four of her own pets, all of which are rescues: a female DSH tabby cat named Bueller, a male Turkish Van cat named Elvis, a female Pit Bull mix named Ruca, and a male Golden Retriever named Forrest.
The conductor of the orchestra that is ACC, is our hospital manager Brandy. She is a DFW native and could be considered a clinic native as well because she’s been here from almost the very beginning.
We often refer to her as “smooth jazz” for her ability to calmly handle any situation and ease the concerns of patients, owners, and staff members alike. As a manager, Brandy is fair, understanding, and genuinely cares about every animal and person she helps.
Sasha, an outdoor cat, hobbled his way into our hearts after a daring escape from a bobcat, which left him with a broken leg and a messed-up eye. After saving his leg (and trying but failing after 7 years to save his eye), Sasha declared Animal Care Center as his own personal treasure island. (Read: indoors and bobcat-free) With his trademark swashbuckling spirit and take-no-prisoner attitude, he embodies the true essence of a pirate – minus the rum of course.
His hobbies, when not on the job, are: on demand testing of water flow in sinks, engaging in impromptu “meetings” (read:naps) in his decorated pirate lair, and keeping an eye out for all door dash deliveries, after which he is likely to perform a surprise lunch inspection. His favorite foods are bananas, eggs, and whipped cream.
Originally from San Antonio, Dr. Aubree Lee learned to fish and found her love of animals before she could walk. She grew up riding horses and spending summers with her grandparents in Fredericksburg where any animal she met instantly became a friend. Dr. Lee always knew she wanted a career with animals and at 8 years old decided becoming a veterinarian was the way to go. She checked out as many animal and pet care books from the library as possible, attended workshops, and volunteered at animal shelters…anything that would bring her closer to her calling as a veterinarian! Dr. Lee completed her undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University. During her time at Texas A&M, she trained five service dogs for disabled veterans, served as an officer for Vets Without Borders, and was an active member in the Corps of Cadets.
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Lee enjoys baking, hiking, fishing, water sports, and quality time with her husband Andrew and their pets. Dr. Lee has three dogs, Oualie (Coconut Retriever), Leia (Coconut Retriever), Kimber (German Shepherd mix) and one cat, Artemis.
A native of McKinney, Dr. Stephanie Barden developed her passion for veterinary medicine early when she helped care for rescued dogs. Those early days ignited a passion that she describes to be a calling and not merely a career choice. Dr. Barden’s focus since childhood had been finding a pathway to becoming a veterinarian which included applying for a job at a veterinary clinic the very day she turned 16. That clinic was the Animal Care Center at Stonebridge Ranch where her journey began!
Dr. Barden aspires to provide high quality individualized care for each patient and build trust-filled relationships with her clients. “As a veterinarian it is my desire to partner with you in your pet’s health care. My goal is to be a guide and advocate for your pet in every stage of life. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing pets experience healing.” Dr. Barden enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine and has special interests in internal medicine, dermatology, and geriatric care.
Dr. Grand was born and raised in a little town just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. As a child, she had an innate love for animals and a curiosity about how things worked. She spent her days (when not in school) outside, swimming, rowing, hiking, fishing or just hanging out under a tree reading with her dog and her horse. Her nights were spent on homework or taking apart clocks, radios and other small electronics, much to her mother’s dismay. Her favorite author was James Herriot and she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian when she grew up.
After working in the defense industry in Fort Worth for 5 years, Dr. Grand realized that having a career in something you love is worth more than a job. So, she decided to go back to school. She graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1996, finally realizing her childhood dream. “Helping pets and their owners is a passion I will never tire of.”
In 2015, frustrated with the limitations of western medicine when it came to treating pain in pets, Dr. Grand sought a more natural, non-invasive approach and started taking acupuncture courses at Chi University in Reddick, Florida. “Chi University taught me so much more than acupuncture. It taught me the tenets of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. How to use herbal therapy, food therapy and acupuncture; not just to treat pain, but to treat all the chronic diseases that patients can have. It taught me that balance is the key to health. I feel that with TCVM in addition to western medicine, I have so many more tools to help my patients”
Beyond her passion in veterinary medicine, Dr. Grand is proud to have raised her children in McKinney. She is the mother, stepmother, and stepmother-in-law to six amazing young adults; Ryan, Kate, Megan, Matt, Erica and Andrew. She enjoys cooking for humans and dogs, reading, traveling, taking photos, and cuddling on the couch with her Frenchie’s, Bucky and Birdy, and her husband, Chuck. But truthfully, she spends most of her free time trying to figure out where her glasses went…
