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.

Rex Johnson, DVM
Dr. Johnson is a 1997 graduate of Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He practiced in Oklahoma and Texas before moving to Colorado in January 2004.

Dr. Johnson has a special interest in surgery, cardiology, and exotic animal medicine.

Dr. Johnson and his wife Shannon are the proud parents of a baby girl named Teagan. Their furry kids include Courage the Boxer, Gunner the Lab mix, and Jagger the cat.

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Johnson enjoys snowboarding, backpacking, cycling, golf, and most other sports. He and Shannon enjoy going to the movies and concerts together.

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 the proud parents of a dog, Squiggie and a cat, Scoobey.

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.

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.

Leslie and her husband, Ted, enjoy traveling, hiking, and marathon movie viewing at home. Ted is a successful sales associate at Red Noland Cadillac. Leslie loves Chow Chows, gardening and anything to do with flowers!

They share a home with Kiko, a red male Chow Chow born October 2002; Zia, a black female Chow Chow born November 2004; and Ruby, a French Bulldog, born February 2007. Kiko, Zia, and Ruby are their "children" and they are shamelessly spoiled!

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 include 2 rescue dogs, Ellie Mae and Sandy, and their cat Allison.

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.

Jasmin – Tech Assistant
Originally from Germany, Jasmin has always loved animals; she kept a miniature “zoo” at home. Formally trained in childcare, she worked for ten years at a school for special needs children.

From Germany, Jasmin and he husband moved to Hawaii where Jasmin followed her lifelong passion and began working with animals at a doggie daycare facility.

While in Hawaii, Jasmin and her husband adopted a mixed breed stray from the Humane Society. “Cocoa” is the love of their lives!

You can find Jasmin and her family out and about exploring all that Colorado has to offer.

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 - 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).

Danielle, Certified Veterinary Technician

Danielle is a Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology graduate and has been a Certified Veterinary Technician since 2007. She loves being a technician and looks forward to helping clients and their pets everyday.

Danielle, a Colorado native, loves doing anything involving the outdoors. She loves camping, hiking, watching movies, and most of all, spending time with her daughter, Aubrey.

Her four-legged family includes “Nina”, a five years old lab mix, and a six-month old kitty her daughter named “Tinkerbelle”. Danielle also loves horses; she rode every summer at horsemanship camp as a child. Although Danielle has less opportunity to ride now, she loves to go whenever she gets the chance.

Roynan, Certified Veterinary Technician
Roynan has been fascinated by the medical field her entire life. She grew up with a menagerie of animals including dogs, rats, canaries, iguanas, a ball python, guinea pig, and fish. When it came to choosing a career, having one that involved animals was a no-brainer.

In 2010, Roynan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and planned to move on to veterinary school. To first get more hands-on experience in the field, she decided to complete the veterinary technician program at Bel-Rea Institute, graduating in December 2012. Roynan finds working with animals very rewarding and absolutely loves being a veterinary technician at Westside.

Outside of the hospital, Roynan enjoys reading, gardening, and hiking in the beautiful Colorado outdoors with her husband, Josh, and their miniature Schnauzer, Bronco. Roynan and Josh are avid Denver Bronco fans and love to watch football in the fall.

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.

Piper, Receptionist
Piper, a proud Army wife, moved to Colorado Springs from Peoria, Illinois. She and her husband, Adam, who is stationed at Ft. Carson, enjoy all the outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer.

Piper and Adam have a special place in their hearts and home for rescue Pitbulls; currently, they have three: “Zoe”, “Lexi”, and “Sable” – and a “Bernoxer” (St. Bernard/Boxer cross) named “Rollie”.

Working at Westside is definitely an advantage when raising such a large “family”.

Piper’s two children, who reside in Illinois, love to visit Colorado whenever possible. Her daughter, Tianna, 14, enjoys quiet time at home reading, watching movies, and of course, “hanging with her friends”. Her son Atley, 19, is preparing to join the Navy and proudly serve our country.

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.

Jessica Q., Receptionist
Jessica was born and raised in Colorado. After graduating from Doherty High School in 2001 she continued her education by getting her Certified Nurse Assistant license.

After many years of working as a Certified Nurse Assistant, she decided to become an independent contractor who cared for adults with disabilities. Jessica then returned to school through Penn Foster in 2009 to become a Veterinary Assistant.

She has always wanted to work with animals and was excited to join the Westside team.

Jessica and her husband, Adolfo, met in 2003 and later married in 2008. They have a beautiful one year old girl named Zayla and 3 dogs: Jackson (Min Pin/Pomeranian), Woody (Beagle), and Kiko (Min Pin).

As a family they enjoy: movies, bowling, hiking, water sports, fishing and most of all spending time together.