Meet Our Veterinary Team

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We’re one big family.

Get to know the team that has dedicated their lives to taking the absolute best care of your pet.

Brianna Armstrong, DVM

Medical Director

Dr Brianna Armstrong believes veterinary visits should be as fun as a play date or a walk to the park! Yet, she also understands that check-ups aren’t always a relaxing experience for pets. So, she uses Fear Free tactics to create a friendly, calm, and inviting environment for cats and dogs.

She is passionate about facilitating the human-animal bond and does this through client education and prioritizing a positive in-hospital experience. Dr Armstrong understands the importance of clear communication to ensure her patient’s health and well-being. She makes it a priority that the client feels they understand the plan for their family member. She has a special interest in animal behavior and has worked with many different behavior cases.

Originally from New Orleans, Dr Armstrong got to Texas as quickly as she could. She received her undergraduate degree and her veterinary degree from Texas A&M University. When not caring for patients, Dr Armstrong spends time traveling, exercising, painting, and enjoying game nights with her husband, Tim. Their pets include two adorable cats, Rogelio and Xiomara, as well as a fluffy tripod Great Pyrenees mix named Raylan.

Phoebe Valdez
Phoebe Valdez

Hospital Manager

Phoebe values transparency, communication, and preparation. Clients love that she is a compassionate animal caretaker. Her goals are to make pets as comfortable as possible during their visit and ensure that she meets clients’ needs. Phoebe helps patients live long, healthy lives by making visits a positive experience for pets. She studies each animal’s behavior and adjusts her approach accordingly. She enjoys collaborating with clients to provide the best-individualized care.

To keep her skills current, Phoebe continues to attend training sessions. She is skilled at finding tricky veins, allowing her to draw blood or place catheters on small, scared, or wiggly pets. Phoebe attended Texas A&M University and studied Biomedical Sciences. She loves to work out, spend time outside, and hang out with her husband when not working. She also loves going on runs with her Border Collie, Jude. Nala, her cat, rules her house.

Lana Honning, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr Lana Honning knows education and clear communication are vital to exceptional veterinary care. She helps clients understand her reasoning and always offers her clients treatment options. She keeps an open line of communication so pet parents can ask questions and share concerns.

Dr Honning is passionate about preventive medicine – including vaccinations, routine bloodwork, and yearly dental cleanings. Her goal is to provide top-notch care that treats an underlying issue before it becomes a problem.

She also takes a special interest in dentistry and dermatology. It is her mission to ensure all owners understand the importance of continued and effective dental care. This ensures all pets’ teeth stay healthy and pain-free. Skin issues are also very common in Texas and she loves to dive into this topic. She can relate since she also suffers from allergies!

Dr Honning received a BS in Biomedical Sciences and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University. She loves to spend time with her senior dog, Lilla vän, and her family and friends. She also loves live music and enjoys crafting/woodworking.

Natalie Davis, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr Natalie Davis (she/her) collaborates with clients to help them understand their pets’ healthcare needs. Clients appreciate her active listening and empathetic approach. Dr Davis believes all questions and concerns are valid.

Dr Davis is Fear Free certified. She is passionate about being a voice for pets and providing them with the best level of care. Her goal is for pets to enjoy their visit.

She is passionate about preventive care for all life-stages. She takes pride in surgery and dentistry, treating each patient like her own pet. She enjoys attending conferences so she can continue to learn new skills.

Dr Davis attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she was a part of the swim team. She believes her time as a swimmer helped shape her into the doctor and leader she is today. She received her DVM from Texas A&M University.

A native Austinite, Dr Davis is thrilled to be back in Austin. Her hobbies include hiking and playing board games with her family. She is also a coffee connoisseur and stress baker. Her two adventure buddies are her dogs: Dakota, a cattle dog mix, and Yoshi, a Great Pyrenees/poodle mix. 

Aly
Aly Satterfield

Veterinary Technician

A true animal lover, Aly finds fulfillment in helping pets every day. Clients appreciate her personable attitude and believe in a transparent approach when discussing veterinary care with clients.

Aly wants each pet to feel comfortable while at Firehouse. She provides head scratches, snacks, and positive reinforcement. She gets on the pet’s level as well, going slowly to ensure the pet doesn’t feel scared.

Her passion for animals began when she was a child, and she has worked in boarding facilities before coming to Firehouse. Currently, Aly is earning her Associate’s Degree at Austin Community College for General Studies in Pre-Health Sciences. Her goal is then focus on veterinary medicine/technology.

Aly shares her heart with Chase, her Corgi/Belgian Malinois mix, and Stanley, a Korat cat. When not working, she loves to go hiking, spend time with her pets, and sing.

Sydni
Sydni Brinkley

Veterinary Technician

Sydni truly values providing exceptional care to clients and their pets. She strives to exceed expectations, anticipate needs, and keep everyone feeling safe and at ease. Clients appreciate her clear communication, collaborative approach, and how she truly loves each patient who comes into the hospital.

As a pet owner, Sydni knows that keeping pets comfortable and secure is so important. She adapts her care for each pet, provides lots of love, and follows Fear Free and Feline Friendly tips. She has a soft spot for cats, and is always happy to help cats who may feel scared or who may need extra care.

She shares her home with her two dogs: a handsome rottweiler mix named Skott, and Lola, a sweet pit bull terrier mix. She also has two cats: Butter and TigerLily.

Cyndy
Kyla Burkes 

Veterinary Technician

Kyla (she/her) believes in creating a safe space for owners and pets when they are visiting Firehouse. She is transparent, walks clients through the doctor’s plans, and works with the client to create the perfect solution. She is passionate about client education; she is always happy to answer questions and provide suggestions on things clients can do at home to help their pets live happy, healthy lives.

Kyla offers treats, pets, and reads a patient’s body language to help the animal feel comfortable while at the hospital. She wants each pet to have a good experience, so she treats each patient as if they were her own pet. She has a soft spot for cats. Kyla has fostered over 80 dogs from local shelters, which helped her discover her love of helping pets. Her goal is to begin a License Veterinary Technician program this year.

Her home is full of rescued love. Kyla has seven rescue dogs and three rescue cats. Her dogs are Dexter (a senior yorkie mix), Harley (a senior malamute mix), Lucy (a senior shepherd mix), Lillian (a Shar Pei mix), Princess and Charlie (pit bull mixes), and Xena (a hound mix). Her cats’ names are Murphy, Nebula, and Finn. In her free time, she likes to read, bake, hike, and swim.

Coming Soon
Tonya Olsze

Veterinary Technician

Tonya loves being able to make a positive impact in the lives of people and pets. In addition to providing the best care, her goal is for clients and patients to be comfortable during and after their appointment. She values transparency and always takes time to answer clients’ questions. Clients appreciate her positive attitude and passion for helping people and pets.

Tonya is Fear Free certified and adjusts her approach to keep pets safe and comfortable. She pays attention to patients’ cues so she can address their needs in a safe space. Tonya has worked with many types of animals, including livestock, wildlife, and shelter pets.

Tonya received her B.S. in Animal Science with a concentration in Pre-Vet Medicine from Texas Tech University. She and her golden retriever, Savior, enjoy going for walks when the weather is nice. She also plays the guitar.

Coming Soon
Kelsie Herold

Veterinary Technician

Kelsie (she/her) bonds with clients and pets through her outgoing personality and dedication to animal care. She collaborates with clients to learn their concerns and expectations. Kelsie understands veterinary visits can be stressful and overwhelming. She strives to make things as smooth as possible by working with the client, patient, and doctor.

Kelsie prioritizes animal comfort through a patient and calm approach. She wants pets to learn that the vet doesn’t need to be a scary place.

Kelsie loves to learn new things every day so she can improve her job skills. After doing a veterinary internship in high school, she decided she wanted to dedicate herself to helping animals. She is currently attending Austin Community College.

Kelsie shares her home with Bruno, a senior black lab. In her free time, she enjoys reading and doing anything artsy, especially oil painting and drawing.

Coming Soon
Heather Soggs

Veterinary Technician

Bio coming soon!

Coming Soon
Destiny Maddox

Veterinary Technician

Destiny loves making a difference in the lives of people and pets. She is passionate about helping pets, no matter how big or small their needs are. She listens to clients’ concerns and answers their questions. Through collaboration and empathy, she makes veterinary visits easy for clients and patients.

Destiny uses a positive, Fear Free approach to help pets stay comfortable at the hospital. She studies advances in veterinary medicine to improve her skills. Destiny enjoys helping in surgery and surgery recovery.

In her free time, she enjoys taking photographs and working on cars. Her pets include Dixie, a Boston terrier, Diego, a boxer mix, Gamora, a cat, and Spyro, a bearded dragon. She loves working with reptile patients.

Lisa
Lisa Berletch

Client Service Coordinator

Lisa creates a welcoming environment for owners and pets. By using communication training skills and Fear Free techniques, she can help clients and patients feel at ease. Clients appreciate Lisa’s transparency and collaborative approach. This allows her to build personal and professional relationships with people. She has over ten years of experience in the veterinary field.

Lisa’s calm approach and warm demeanor help nervous pets feel comfortable during their visits. She enjoys helping owners and pets in emergency situations. She knows how stressful an emergency can be, so she stays calm and offers support to owners.

Lisa graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she received a degree in Math and Science Education. She shares her home with several pets: two dogs, Dizzy, a Shetland sheepdog, and Nora, a German shepherd; a snowshoe cat named Moo-shu; and five crested geckos (Mongo, Tiger, Goldie, Ruby, and Mocha). In her free time, Lisa enjoys spending time with her favorite people and playing video games.

Coming Soon
Melissa Bruder

Client Service Coordinator

Melissa works with clients and pets to ensure that veterinary visits are safe and stress-free. Clients appreciate her kind, approachable demeanor and her ability to stay calm. Her goal is to help each pet live a long, healthy life.

As a previous veterinary technician, Melissa knows important ways to keep pets comfortable during their appointments. She individualizes her approach for each patient by reading their body language and learning their needs. Melissa loves learning new techniques and improving her quality of care.

She shares her home with three dogs, Weasel and Tuella (chiweenies) and Sir Albert Napoleon Whitmarsh (a long-haired miniature dachshund), and a Siamese cat named Drogon. For fun, she enjoys woodworking and going for motorcycle rides.

Coming Soon
Aidan McNabb

Client Service Coordinator

Bio coming soon!

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