Peter De Waal, DVM
Dr. De Waal is a 1982 graduate of The Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He loves all sports and is currently immersed in mountain biking.

He has been married to Merrilee for over twenty years; she is a residential Real Estate Agent. Their son, Kyle, loves sports and entertainment, plays hockey and is a recent graduate of Fort Lewis College .

Dr. De Waal's goal is to be devoted and passionate about his family, friends, work, spirituality, and life in general.

Dr. Woodley (Burkeen)
Dr. Woodley is a 2010 graduate of Massey University Veterinary School in New Zealand. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2006 and Air Academy High School in 2002. She is a Colorado Springs native and her family has been a client of Westside Animal Hospital since 1983.

She worked in a small animal clinic in New Zealand for a few years and has just returned to Colorado Springs.

Dr. Woodley is very excited to be a part of this amazing clinic and to be back in Colorado. She has a special interest in feline medicine, but enjoys working with all animals and their parents to ensure they are receiving the best care possible.

Dr. Woodley and her husband, a Kiwi native, are the proud parents of a German shepherd, Finn, and two kitties, Stanley and Callie, all from New Zealand.

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Woodley enjoys hiking, running and anything to do with the outdoors with her husband and family. She is also looking forward to watching and cheering on the Fighting Irish Notre Dame football team

Roman Dye, DVM
Dr. Dye came to Westside Animal Hospital in the summer of 2006 from Oklahoma , where he earned degrees from The University of Oklahoma, Southwestern Oklahoma State University , and Oklahoma State University for Veterinary Health Sciences.

Dr. Dye and his wife, Deanna, have two adorable sons, Dylan and Lennon, who keep them both busy at home. They are also proud parents of two dogs, Squiggie and Charlie, and two cats, Skippy and Marley.

Deanna regularly bakes wonderful goodies for the Westside staff, which we all look forward to. They enjoy spending their spare time with family and friends.

Marlin Geist, DVM
Dr. Marlin Geist joined the Westside Animal Hospital team in September 2014. He has a passion for providing high quality patient care by promoting and nurturing the human-animal bond.

He also brings many years of training and experience in advanced surgeries (orthopedic, including TPLO knee surgery, endoscopic and general surgery), pain management, emergency/ critical care, and general small animal practice.

Dr. Geist received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Debree (DVM) from Washington State University in 1996. He came to COlorado Springs by way of Washington. Oregon and California.

Dr. Geist and his wife, a professor at UCCS, chose Colorado Springs as their long-term home to raise their daughter. He is looking forward to becoming more actively involved in the community through recreational and volunteer activities.

When not working, he enjoys playing with his daughter, hiking, skiing and volunteering with search-and-rescue, among other things.

Dr. Geist is enthusiastically ready to provide your pet the quality care you've come to expect from Westside Animal Hospital.

Leslie Ornelas, Hospital Manager
Leslie has been employed at Westside Animal Hospital since February 1997.

She was in the communications field for nineteen years before leaving the "corporate world" to move on to a more rewarding and satisfying career in pet health care.

They share a home with Kiko, a male Chow Chow, and Ruby, a French Bulldog rescue. Kiko and Ruby are their "children" and they are shamelessly spoiled! In April 2014, they lost their beloved black Chow Chow, Zia (pictured), suddenly, yet she will always hold a special place in their hearts.

Leslie and her husband, Ted, enjoy traveling, hiking, and marathon movie viewing at home. Leslie loves Chow Chows, gardening and anything to do with flowers!

Sharon, Certified Veterinary Technician
Sharon is a proud Colorado native and can't imagine living anywhere else but Colorado.

After spending many years working in accounting and customer service, she decided to pursue her dream of a career working with animals, graduating from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Sciences in 1999.

Sharon has worked in the animal care field ever since and finds it very rewarding.

Sharon and her husband Mike have fulfilled their dream of living in the mountains and love spending time enjoying and working on their home. They also love to escape to Vegas whenever they have the time.

In Sharon’s spare time her passions include NASCAR racing and all auto racing, stitching, biking and camping.

Sharon and Mike’s family pets are 2 rescue dogs, Ellie Mae and Samantha.

Jasmine, Technician Assistant
Jasmine was born and raised in Astoria, Queens , New York City. She moved to Colorado Springs in 1983 and settled near her sister, Dr. De Waal's wife, Merrilee.

With her lifelong love of animals, Jasmine adopted a cat, Cindy and a dog, Nifty. They both lived good long lives and passed away when they were very old.

Jasmine's most recent addition is a cat named Skittles who came to her through adoption from the Humane Society. He has a very unique personality and provides Jasmine with many hours of companionship and enjoyment. Some of his playful antics include chasing his tail and playing with his toys.

Courtney – Veterinary Technician
Courtney was born in Massachusetts, moved to Colorado as a child, yet tries to go back to visit family every year.

Along with spending time with friends, watching movies, and enjoying the outdoors, Courtney is a big Red Sox fan.

Her pets include "Deeojee", a 4 year old Jack Russell Mix, and "Buttons", a 15 year old cat - her 11th birthday present.

In 2008, Courtney graduated from Bel-Rea Veterinary Technician School. She loves being a Veterinary Technician and can't imagine a career doing anything else!

Tara - Lead Veterinary Technician
I am a proud Air Force wife and have been stationed in Colorado for about two years. I am also a proud mother of four wonderful boys. Although, three of them happen to be our pets, they still are just as spoiled as our son.

Being raised in Texas I have always been around animals. There was not a week that went by that I was not bringing home a helpless animal. Needless to say, being able to help other people's furry family members is a dream come true.

Our family time is most always spent on the golf course where we are teaching our son the rules of the game. Our last duty station was in Misawa, Japan where I was an assistant manager of their Base kennels. I am also a student at The University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

After a year of being a full time student, I am so excited to be part of this wonderful hospital. My family pets starts with our oldest Caesar (black lab), Kane (Aussie) and the newest member Chance (DSH).

Kali, Veterinary Technician
Hi, my name is Kali and I moved here after spending the past 8 years in Hawaii. It has been quite a change for me and my best friend Titus, but I have fallen in love with the wilderness of Colorado. We spend our off days fishing, hiking, cruising on my motorcycle, and training for competitions in the Fountain Riding and Roping Club.

I grew up in Denver and was an active member in the rodeo troupe Westernaires. I eventually moved to Hawaii for school and received my B.S. degree in Zoology. After working in Zoo's I grew tired of the routine and decided I wanted something more. I pursued a career in veterinary medicine and fell in love.

I love spending my days helping and working in an environment entirely composed of those who love and obsess over animals as much as I do. I have 5 years of experience working as a Veterinary Technician and I am so grateful to have found a home at Westside and a career where I love going to work everyday.

Tonya - Technician Assistant
Hi, my name is Tonya and I grew up in Southwest Virginia in the area known as The Appalachian Mountains.

Growing up on a farm, I have been around animals my whole life. Other than working on the farm, my first paying job was working at a barn mucking stalls working my way up to head groomer. I have owned and breed my own horses, my first love.

For the past 20 years I have worked in animal hospitals, and I have loved every minute of it.

Having been a groomer, vet assistant, vet tech, kennel manager/supervisor I really cannot see myself doing anything else. Working here at Westside Animal Hospital is a real joy and the Doctors and staff have made me feel right at home.

Jessica S. - Veterinary Technician
Jessica moved to Colorado from Michigan in the fall of 2014 with her husband, currently stationed here with the Army. She is a Michigan native and graduated from an AAHA-accredited Veterinary Technician program in southeastern Michigan.

She has worked in the veterinary field for almost five years and has extensive small animal emergency experience.

Jessica loves all animals and has 3 fur-children: Molly, Indy, and Mac. She enjoys engaging in volunteer work and is an avid crafter by nature.

“I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to join such an amazing team here at Westside Animal Hospital. I really look forward to getting to know each and every client as well as their precious fur babies!”

Jessica W - Veterinary Technician
I was born in Detroit, Michigan, but have been an "Army Brat" for most of my life. I have lived and visited various places in the U.S. as well as Europe.

After graduating high school in Utah, I departed from my family to go to school in Southern Utah to study my lifelong passion, horses. There, I was majoring in Agriculture and Equine Studies.

During my stay in Southern Utah, I met my husband Bret. We had our beautiful daughter Rylee in January of 2013.

Not long after, we added a four legged creature to our household, an American Staffordshire Terrier that we named Dozer. We rescued him at six weeks old and he is exactly one month older than Rylee and they have been inseparable since day one!

In southern Utah our family has many cows and horses that we enjoyed caring for and helping with daily. As jobs got slim in our small town, we decided to move to the beautiful Colorado Springs where my parents had been stationed and are now retired.

In the various places I've lived, I always looked for jobs and volunteer opportunities working with and helping animals of all kinds. I have worked with and have been training horses since 2006. My most recent pride and joy is my Mustang that I adopted from the BLM. I adopted her as an untouched and untrained wild Mustang that I am training myself! Her name is Kamikaze.

I am very grateful Westside Animal Hospital has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge and experience with them while gaining wonderful friendships with co-workers and great clients!

Megan, Receptionist
Megan moved to Colorado Springs from Los Angeles in the Spring of 2007 to enjoy the beautiful mountains and be closer to family.

She holds a B.A. in Graphic Design yet her passion has always been to work with animals. Megan has been a Veterinary Assistant for the past 13 years and finds it very rewarding.

Together with her husband, Keith, they share a home with three rescued Greyhounds; Macy, Hannah, and Tess; and four rescued cats; Sydney , Fitzgerald, Coda, and Kinsey.

They love spending time with their “spoiled” kids; hiking with the dogs, and exploring all that Colorado has to offer.

Kim J., Receptionist
Kim “KJ” moved to Colorado Springs in 2003 from Las Vegas , Nevada . Joining the team at Westside Animal Hospital in May 2007, KJ soon discovered this was her “dream job”. “Not only do I work in a veterinary clinic, but I also get to be part of an incredibly dedicated team”.

Living in Colorado allows KJ and her husband Tom the ability to enjoy all of their outdoor interests including boating, hiking, biking, skiing, - and their newest passion – kayaking.

When KJ came to work here, she had one cat, Bradley, yet since then she and Tom have adopted a kitty, Domino, a six-year-old dachshund named Kipling, a.k.a. “Kip the kayaking wonder dog”, and last but not least, “Rudy” their second Dachshund who also loves kayaking.

Jessica, Receptionist
Jessica was born and raised right here in Colorado . She left the state for a few years to travel with her military husband, but returned as soon as she was able.

She lives with her husband, Travis, as well as her furry and feathery kids.

Her kids are her dogs: Rusty, Nikki, Lou, Sweet Pea, and Duke; her kitties: Molly, Sophie, and Midnight; and her Cockatiel, CJ.

Her hobbies include reading, motorcycling, scuba diving, and hanging out with her family.

It has been her life's dream to work around and help care for animals and this is her first position in that field. She considers her position here at Westside Animal Hospital to be her dream job come true.

Marissa, Receptionist
Born and raised in Colorado, Marissa has moved around a lot, yet ultimately decided to settle down in her beautiful home state.

Marissa met her husband Erik in 2005 and married in 2010. They hope to start a family soon but until then are happy with their two "daughters" a Maine Coon, Zuzu and Tuxedo cat, Moxie.

Marissa has been in the customer service field for over 14 years and has a passion for helping people. Since joining the team at Westside, Marissa has found she has even more fun helping animals and their “parents”.

Along with painting and reading, Marissa loves everything vintage and watching classic movies.

In the winter she is enrolling in school for Mortuary Science and hope to open her own business someday. Until then, Marissa is thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful, dedicated loving family here at Westside Animal Hospital.

Angie, Receptionist
I moved from Alaska to Colorado Springs in 2006 and have loved it here ever since. I am blessed with a wonderful family with my fiancé, Bill, whom I met in 2011, my two children Mikayla and Devin.

Let’s not forget my three furry kids, Ty, a Golden Retriever, Bella, a Pit Bull – who happily greet me when I get home from work – and Bandit, our spoiled cat.

We truly enjoy the beautiful Colorado summers by going camping and fishing, and motorcycle riding year round. In the winter, we love our movie nights and occasional TV marathon weekends.

I am so happy to be part of the Westside Animal Hospital team and look forward to creating long lasting friendships with coworkers as well as good relationships with our great clientele.

Wayne, Receptionist
Wayne comes from an Air Force family, and grew up in Colorado Springs from an early age.

After graduating High School, he moved to Montana to work in beautiful Glacier National Park.

Wayne spent many summers there, and eventually worked in many areas of Montana, including West Yellowstone, Big Sky, and Missoula. Wayne considers Montana his 2nd home, and has a cabin in beautiful and historic Three Forks.

It was in Montana that Wayne started volunteering for a special group of Karelian Bear Dogs and found his love working with animals. Upon moving back to Colorado Springs from Montana 7 years ago, Wayne continued his work with animals at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.

After resigning his position at HSPPR to work full-time from home, he also joined Westside to remain active in his love of helping animals.

Wayne has 2 rat terriers, Sophie and Lucy, and a beagle name Louie. He also enjoys spending his time traveling as much as possible to different concerts and venues around the nation, but still enjoys trips of “solitude” to the mountains of Colorado and Montana.