 Dr. Laura Monahan
Dr. Monahan is an alumna of The Ohio State University and a transplant from the Midwest. She’s been “doctoring” bugs and small critters from the yard since the age of 5. As a teen, she decided to follow the path of community service and leadership, and developed a strong desire to help people by caring for their pets. Veterinary medicine has been her passion since.
Dr. Monahan has practiced in the Seattle area since 1996 after moving here with her husband. They have two young sons and a furry four-pawed menagerie of rescued pets, cats “Gato” and “Chica,” and goofball Labs “Jester” and “Bogart.”
Dr. Monahan’s professional interests include cat behavior, dignified hospice care, nutrition, and handling challenging cases where careful detective work can lead to an answer.
Continuing professional education is critical to Dr. Monahan. She chaired two national veterinary conferences in 2009 and attends conferences regularly. For fun, she enjoys hiking and skiing with her family, as well as reading, cooking, gardening, and participating in triathlons.
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 Dr. Robert Echentile
Dr. Echentile grew up in upstate New York. He moved to Seattle in 1992 after graduating from the University Of Tennessee College Of Veterinary Medicine. His special interests include internal medicine. He practiced in Renton and Shoreline before he joined Atlantic in January 2010, and is known for his gentle way with pets and people.
Away from work, Dr. Echentile is an avid skier, swimmer, golfer, and traveller. He also enjoys remodeling his Rainier Valley home. He shares his century-old bungalow with “Sony,” one of three kitties left in a box on the stoop of a clinic where he used to work.
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 Dr. Christine Wilford
Since childhood, Dr. Wilford knew she’d be a veterinarian. She received her veterinary medical degree from Texas A&M University in 1987, and then completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Virginia Tech. She moved to Seattle in 1990 and considers herself a naturalized Washingtonian.
Dr. Wilford’s professional passions range from animal welfare to tending the unique needs and diseases of geriatric cats. During 16 years at a feline-only practice north of Seattle, Dr. Wilford developed her special interest in geriatric cats, particularly kidney disease, high blood pressure, heart disease and intestinal disease. She enjoys fine-tuning the care of older cats to gain the highest quality of life with the least intrusion. She’s also grown to realize the value of helping beloved kitties pass on with comfort and care when the time arrives.
As part of her animal welfare efforts, Dr. Wilford founded the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project in 1997, for which she received the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association Achievement Award in 2004. She has led the continuing education program for the Seattle-King County Veterinary Medical Association since 1991 and will become President of SKCVMA in 2012.
Outside of work, she enjoys time with her husband (also a veterinarian) of 20 plus years, two wonderful teenage daughters, three rescue horses, five rescue cats, and one dog who believes she’s a cat. She has lectured nationally on feral cats issues and high volume/high-quality spay and neuter programs. Her latest educational endeavor is natural horsemanship.
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 Elma – Office Manager/Receptionist
Elma has her finger on the pulse of the entire hospital, from patient care and client communication, to inventory management and our reminder system.
Originally from Bosnia, she moved to Seattle in 1999 with her family, unable to speak English. A determined young woman, she’s become fluent in English, earned an associate’s degree in business management, and worked her way up to serve as our office manager. In her free time, Elma enjoys dancing and spending time with family and friends.
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 Teri, LVT, Lead Veterinary Nurse
Our lead nurse, Teri, brings 20+ years of veterinary nursing experience to Atlantic Veterinary Hospital, including several years experience in emergency and intensive care nursing at a local veterinary referral and emergency hospital. She is a wonderful mentor to our staff and a very caring nurse to our patients.
Teri and her young son share their home with their rescued pets, cats “Bug” and “Newman.”
Away from work, Teri enjoys hanging out with her son, hiking, and the challenge of New York Times crossword puzzles.
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 Kari, LVT, Veterinary Nurse
Kari recently earned her associate’s degree in veterinary technology at PIMA Medical Institute and passed her national board exam. Kari is a quick learner and a wonderful patient advocate for the pets we serve.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cheering on the Seattle Sounders soccer team, and loving on her kitties, “Joey” and “George.”
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 Christy “CJ”, LVT, Veterinary Nurse
Christy, affectionately known as CJ, comes to us with 20+ years’ experience in veterinary medicine. She’s been a licensed veterinary nurse since 1998 and is especially adept at making our cat patients feel comfortable.
CJ also has a part-time business providing home nursing care for feline patients with special needs. In her spare time, CJ enjoys vegetable gardening, and she also loves to fish and camp on Harstine Island with her husband. They have three kitties, rescue bunnies, a hamster, and several fish. |
 Jamie, Receptionist & Boarding Manager
Originally hailing from Southern California, Jamie serves our clients and patients as both a receptionist and boarding manager.
Jamie completed her veterinary assisting education in 2010 at PIMA. She plans to continue her education to become a licensed veterinary technician (nurse), fulfilling her childhood dream. Jamie’s love of animals is evident every day as she interacts with our patients, and her efficiency and positive attitude have helped us organize some of our office functions. She will be a leader in our future efforts to implement our electronic records system as we go “paperless.”
Jamie loves the outdoor- and social opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, and is happy to make Seattle her new home. She currently has no pets at home, but spoils our clinic cats every day.
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 Lisa, Kennel Assistant
Another Midwestern transplant, Lisa also cares for our boarding guests and ensures their comfort and cleanliness.
Lisa has a degree in graphic arts, but her love of animals has taken her career path in a different direction, and she aspires to be a veterinary assistant.
In her free time, Lisa loves to camp and volunteers at a local animal shelter. She shares her home with her significant other and their torti cat, “Kitty.”
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 Buford “Bubba” Jones, Public Relations Officer
Bubba, our youngest clinic cat, is a favorite amongst clients. He came to us in 2010 from the streets of Lynnwood after a previous career as a man-about-town.
His official duties include greeting, comforting, and amusing our clients, and occasionally taunting curious dogs with a practiced look of disdain while remaining just their out of reach. He is quite adept at coaxing everyone – including clients, staff, and the mailman – into opening the treat jar for him, and is thus on a perpetual diet to keep his manly figure.
His hobbies include working on his tan in the lobby under the skylight, morning naps, purring, watching the action in our Treatment Room from atop the refrigerator, afternoon naps, and running laps through the pharmacy after hours. He’s decided that his position at Atlantic is one of importance and privilege, and he has no plans whatsoever to return to his former life on the streets.
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 Dr. David Batteiger
After helping pets and their people at Atlantic Veterinary Hospital for 25 years, Dr. Batteiger retired to the peace and quiet of Eastern Washington to fish, garden, drive his new team of Belgian draft horses, and collect antique tractors.
He still serves as our mentor and friend, and we enjoy keeping up with his fishing exploits. |
