Croydon Pet Hospital Staff Profiles
" Passionate About Pets "
Croydon Pet Hospital Clinic Veterinarians
Dr. Peter Verhoef (BVSc) - Practice Manager & Senior Veterinarian
Peter is the practice owner, manager and senior veterinarian of the Croydon Pet Hospital. He has been part of the veterinary industry since 1978 and has successfully managed and owned practices throughout Victoria and Queensland. Peter has spent most of his working career as a small animal veterinarian, but he has also done some work with large animals.
Peter and Wendy opened Dorset Road Veterinary Clinic in 1996, which is now known as the Croydon Pet Hospital. Due to Peter and Wendy's hard work and dedication the clinic has changed dramatically from the time it was opened. Their dream and expectations for our clinic is to always provide the clients and pets with outstanding care, and these values have been passed on to the team they have built around them today.
Peter loves ALL aspects of his job and has a special interest in small animal surgery.
Here, Peter is picutred with a patient of ours "Jesse."
Dr. Jessica Hubbard BVSc
Jessica graduated from Melbourne University in 2001 and has been working with us at Croydon Pet Hospital since January 2009. She worked at the Coldstream Animal Aid Vet Clinic for seven years, managing the clinic for her final two years before coming to work with us.
Jess is extremely dedicated to her veterinary work and is a lover of animals both big & small.
Jess' furry family is made up of a cheeky Golden Retriever "Lara," a lazy Labrador "Lily," two cats ("Minky" & "Mia") & a rabbit who goes by the name of "Henry." Her most recent addition, inspired by our waiting room, is a family of tropical fish! Jess has had a strong interest in horses since she was a very young girl and now owns two horses which reside on her parent's farm.
Here, Jess is pictured with one of our patients "Holly".
Croydon Pet Hospital Veterinary Nurses
Sarah Donald - Senior Veterinary Nurse
Sarah has been working at the Croydon Pet Hospital since 2001 (she refuses to leave us) and is our longest serving nurse.
Sarah works at the clinic full time and is a fully qualified Veterinary Nurse who is very passionate about what she does. She has also gained her certificate in Equine Nursing and has a strong interest in equine medicine. Sarah hopes to further her skill levels and knowledge in all aspects of the veterinary industry where she also has a keen interest in emergency and critical care nursing.
Sarah works to support her furry family - "Charlie," "Bubba," "Murphy," and "Kelly" (four very pampered cats!)
Here, Sarah is pictured with our clinic cat "Gidget".
Celeste Harding - Veterinary Nurse
Celeste has been working full time at the Croydon Pet Hospital since 2005. She trained and qualified as a Dental Nurse before making the switch to Veterinary Nursing.
Celeste is currently working on completing her Certificate IV in Vet Nursing & thrives in providing excellent customer care and helping clients with their pet's nutritional management. Whether it be maintenance diets, senior pet health or weight loss diets, Celeste is great at working out what will best suit you and your pets' needs!
Celeste loves everything to do with German Shepherds and has an extra soft spot for larger breed dogs! Celeste owns a German Shepherd named Roxy who she loves spending time with.
Here, Celeste is pictured with one of our patients "Darcy."
Beau Grunfelder - Veterinary Nurse
Beau has a passion for animal welfare and veterinary medicine which motivates him in futhering his career as a Veterinary Technician. More importantly, he takes particular pride in customer service and ensuring that the public is well informed in providing the best care for their pets so as to promote healthy animals and satisfied clients.
At home, Beau’s work continues in keeping his own pets happy. He has two dogs - a Maltese named ‘Magic’ and a Pug whose name is also...‘Pug.’ Two cats to even the odds - ‘Spunky’ AKA ‘Boots’, and ‘Mum’zie’. The menagerie is extended by feather and fin as he also owns canaries, finches, fish and a turtle.
Ash Chaffer - Veterinary Nurse
Ash is currently in the process of completing Certificate IV in Vet Nursing and is a member of the Veterinary Nurses Council Australia. She has always had a great love for all creatures and has known from a young age that animal nursing was the job for her.
The animals in Ash's life consist of her adorable terrorist dog "DeLilah" the Bull Terrier, "Hekta" the German Shepherd, and "Ginge" the suitably named ginger cat who both belong to her partner.
Ash spends most of her spare time dancing, relaxing at home with her boyfriend, eating and sleeping.
Ellie Sweet - Animal Attendant
Ellie has been working with us part time on a Thursday morning for the last few months. Showing much enthusiasm and passion for her job, Ellie was offered a full time position (which she has happily accepted!)
Ellie has grown up around animals both big and small and has always shown a keen interest in pursuing a career in the Veterinary Nursing field. She has 3 dogs of her own, a Golden Retriever "Digger," a Border Collie "Max," and a Jack Russell x "Winnie."
Ellie is heavily involved in her family's hobby farm where she assists with the care and management of their cattle & often lends a hand during the delivering of calves!
Here, Ellie is pictured with one of our patients "Rusty."
Wendy Verhoef - Veterinary Nurse
Wendy has been a Veterinary Nurse for many years now, she opened the Croydon Pet Hospital with Peter 13 years ago and helped greatly in establishing the clinic to be what it is today! She has nursed in varying practices throughout Victoria and Queensland, and has a special interest in patient care and making animals as comfortable as they can possibly be!
Wendy is also very pasionate about customer service and customer care, and ensures that all of our nurses work towards clients receiving the best possible service at all times.
Wendy works on a casual basis at the clinic now, filling in for our other nurses as required. She has a very spoilt little dog named Abby who she loves taking for walks in her spare time. If you are lucky enough you may get to meet and greet little Abby whilst she is at work with Mum!
Gidget the Clinic cat
Gidget is the Croydon Pet Hospitals clinic cat. She was born at the clinic along with all her siblings, after her mother was here being cared for as a stray cat. All the other kittens quite easily gained new homes, however Gidget was very reluctant to leave! As they say the rest is history, and Gidget found her true home was here with us! She is now 10 years old. Her special interests are food, food and more food, and the occasional good nap! If you are lucky enough she may grace you with her presence at the front desk. She makes sure all of us girls are keeping in line and keeps everything running in smooth order!