Zachary Johnson, DVM, Owner
Dr. Zachary Johnson was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan and became the owner of the Melville Veterinary Clinic with his wife Kylie in June of 2016 after purchasing the clinic from Dr. Dale Cochrane.
A Western College of Veterinary Medicine graduate of 2016, Dr. Johnson worked for Dr. Cochrane as a 3rd and 4th year student before making the permanent move to Melville, SK in April of 2016. Dr. Johnson continues to treat both large and small animals, just as the Melville Veterinary Clinic has done for many years.
When not working with animals, Dr. Johnson enjoys spending time at home with his wife Kylie, children Sophia and Benjamin, and their dogs Gunner and Eider.
Kylie Johnson B. Ed. P.D.C.
Kylie is one of the owners of Melville Veterinary Clinic along with her husband, Zachary. She is our Practice Manager and keeps all of the behind-the-scenes operations of the clinic going. Kylie grew up on a mixed animal farm just outside of Thorsby, AB and loved helping her parents and grandparents with cattle and pigs, especially during calving season. When Kylie was 12 her family moved to a grain farm just outside of Saltcoats, SK. Kylie loves people and it shows in both our staff and customer relations. She is always brainstorming and implementing ideas to better take care of our staff, clients and community. Kylie graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Education in 2012 and completed her Special Education Certificate in 2021. Kylie worked as a grade 7/8 teacher for 5 years as well as in Student Support and Success before falling in love with the support and educational role that she plays at the clinic that helps us to best care for our clients, patients and each other. We love having her around and her infectious positive attitude!
When shes not at the clinic you can find Kylie spending time with Zachary, their kids and dogs! They love adventuring together whether that be in the backyard or further away!
Barbara Evans, BSc, DVM
Dr. Barb Evans is a small animal veterinarian and small animal and equine acupuncturist. Dr. Evans has the longest educational history of anyone at the clinic. She graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1985, received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Winnipeg in 1994, Graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1998 and then in 2010 received her Masters of Education. Her curiosity then creeped in again and she went back to school to receive her Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) in 2015.
Dr. Evans grew up on in Holland, MB on a mixed animal grain farm with her three brothers. Dr. Evans loved working with animals from a young age but when she first graduated high school, going to university was not an option. She pursued a hospital-based RN program. After working in a large teaching hospital for 5 years she started pursuing science and realizing her childhood dream of working with animals was not out of reach. Barb has worked at Melville Veterinary Clinic since 2005 when the practice was under the ownership of Dr. Dale and Nora Cochrane. Dr. Barb’s love of learning is infectious in the clinic and she loves having volunteers and students. Dr. Barb loves working with a variety of species allowing each day to be different. She also really enjoys integrating acupuncture and non-traditional methods of medicine to our patients care plans.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with Garry and is always looking for new opportunities to learn. She is still a Registered Nurse, she has taken her blacksmithing course and she teaches at Parkland College (usually Animal Agriculture and Food Science, Anatomy and Physiology) and is always taking on different courses to keep her learning! She also loves gardening and studying Taekwondo.
Charlotte Tyson, BSc, DVM
Charlotte Tyson is a mixed animal veterinarian. She graduated from the Univeristy of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science in 2015 and from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019. Dr. Tyson started with us as a second-year veterinary student in the summer of 2017 and hasn’t looked back! She grew up on a mixed animal farm in Dysart, Saskatchewan, after her family sold their dairy farm in England when she was 6 years old. Dr. Tyson was always interested in animals and has never wanted to be anything other then a veterinarian. She loves seeing the difference she can make in her patients lives, seeing a sick animal come in and a healthy animal leave is very rewarding for her. She also thinks we have the best team to work with every day!
In her spare time, Dr. Tyson enjoys hiking, going to the gym and hanging out with her husband Logan and their two dogs, George and Lulu.
Brandi Bakken B.Sc DVM
Dr. Brandi Bakken is a mixed animal veterinarian. She graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022. After spending two summers with us as a veterinary student she was excited to join our team! She loves this community and has always wanted to work in a rural area as a mixed animal veterinarian. Throughout her time working in the veterinary industry she has also developed a passion for helping people through helping their animals. Dr. Brandi loves that each day is different and nothing is predictable! Dr. Brandi is Fear Free Certified, Recover CPR Advanced Life Support Certified, and at her graduation in June 2022 received the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology Award, Dr. Richard McLean Award in Large Animal Practice, Zoetis 1st General Proficiency Award and the Dr. Ted Smith Memorial Scholarship.
Dr. Brandi grew up on a mixed grain and cattle farm near Craik, SK. She always had a love for animals and has wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé Broden, doing jigsaw puzzles, baking, riding her horses two horses Blaze and Sailor, going to the lake and spending time with family and friends.
Jess Murray DVM
Dr. Jess Murray is a mixed animal veterinarian. She graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. After moving to our area to farm and run cattle with her husband Trygve, Dr. Jess joined our team in September of 2021. She loves that every day at the clinic is different. She has a special interest in the livestock industry and loves being around horses, helping with their care and comfort.
Dr. Jess grew up in the Lumsden area and has always been an animal person. When she was 4 she decided that she would be a veterinarian and her family’s first vet was one of her vet school references! In her spare time Dr. Jess enjoys raising her kids, riding horses, checking cows, and travelling. Dr. Jess wins the award for having more animals than anyone else in clinic! She has lots of horses, cows and some sheep as well as dogs; Tesla, Razz, Mae, Ivory, Lazey and Mala and cats; Sid Vicious, Dipstick and Bill.
Breanna Issel, AHT
Breanna has been with the Melville Veterinary Clinic since September of 2016. Her knowledge and dedication to great client and patient care is noticed by many. She had worked with the previous owner and veterinarian, Dale Cochrane as a student and volunteer which had sparked a passion in her for veterinary medicine. She knew that veterinary medicine was where she wanted to be after being around Dr. Cochrane’s infectious love for the profession and great mentorship. Breanna attended Lakeland College in Vermillion, AB obtaining her Registered Veterinary Technology diploma in 2009. Breanna grew up on a cattle farm near Dubuc, SK and has had a love of animals from a young age. Breanna loves our amazing team at the clinic and enjoys that no two days are ever the same. She is our go to team member for bovine vaccine protocols and is great at sharing her knowledge in this area. Breanna has been acknowledged for her contributions to our field on the Think Ag website for the Government of Saskatchewan (2015), a featured article in the Sask AG Relevance Magazine (2016) and was the SVMA Technician of the year (2015). Breanna now runs a cattle operation of her own so really does not have much free time but when she does she enjoys going to Madge Lake to spend time with her family. She is always spending time with her animals which include: Colby (Golden Retriever), Tookie and Walter (Great Danes), Jett (Lab X), Suzy (Heeler X), as well as her horses, donkeys, cows, pigs and farm cats.
Kimberly Berger, AHT
Originally from Arcola, Saskatchewan, Kim grew up with a passion for animals and knew she wanted to have a career that involved them one day. After receiving a Diploma from the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan with a Major in Animal Science, she decided to enroll in the Animal Health Technologist Program at the Lakeland College in Vermillion, Alberta where she graduated with distinction in 1996.
Post graduation, Kim worked in a couple different clinics and a feedlot before moving back closer to home to work at Stoughton Veterinary Services in March of 1999. After 18 years of dedicated and compassionate service to the clients in the Stoughton area, Kim joined the Melville Veterinary Clinic Team in December of 2017. Kim has enjoyed being a leader in the 4H Canine program and currently lives with her partner Rick on a farm near Grenfell, SK.
When not busy with work or chores on the farm, Kim enjoys painting, photography, cooking, and playing the guitar.
Nadine Bjornerud
Nadine was born in Victoria, British Columbia and grew up on the lower mainland in B.C. Always having a passion to work with and rehabilitate animals, she attended Fairview College in Alberta and graduated as an Animal Health Technologist in 1987. Nadine was able to experience many different aspects of veterinary medicine such as Emergency and Critical Care, Small Animal Practice, a Mixed Practice, as well as the Edmonton Valley Zoo and Wildlife Rehab Centres.
After years in the field of veterinary medicine, Nadine left her career to focus on her family and raise her 5 children. Nadine began working at the Melville Veterinary Clinic in July of 2017. She loves all animals but has a special place in her heart for cats and the rehabilitation of all animals in need.
Nadine currently lives in Melville with her partner Rod and their 6 special needs cats.
Monica Sawley
Monica was born and raised in Nanton, Alberta.
Coming from a strong background with cattle, Monica grew up on a cow/calf operation and also worked in a feedlot for 10 years experience all aspects of animal handling and health.
In 2012, Monica made the move to Melville along with the rest of her family to start up a cattle ranch here. Still actively involved in cattle and the family farm, her, her husband, and kids also raise sheep and chickens.
Monica started with us as a full-time receptionist in May 2019 and is excited to be part of the team!
Shauna Schmidt AHT, Communication and Community Outreach Coordinator
Shauna Schmidt celebrated 15 years as an RVT in 2021. Following graduation from Lakeland College, Shauna started her career at the Deep South Animal Clinic in Ogema. From there she worked at the Associate Pet Hospital and South West Animal Health Centre in Swift Current, followed by the Melville Veterinary Clinic. Shauna then spent 6 years working at Grasslands National Park and then rejoined the Melville Veterinary Clinic team in 2020. Shauna grew up on a farm and has loved animals from a very early age. She was lucky to be involved in raising livestock growing up and was especially interested in animal health. Becoming an RVT in mixed animal practice was a perfect fit for her. Shauna’s favourite part of being an RVT is helping people by providing care for their animals, support, and education. Shauna loves spending time with her husband and three kids – working with their cattle, riding horses, using their team, and just being together. She also enjoys camping and hiking, photography, and reading.
Kiana Campbell AHT, Quality Assurance Coordinator
Kiana became a registered veterinary technologist in 2014. Most of her career has involved emergency and critical care of small animals at the University of Saskatchewan and the 24HR Animal Care Centre. Wanting to gain experience with large animals and settle down in a rural area, she now works at the Melville Veterinary Clinic. She enjoys assisting with surgery, dental and tending to the inpatients. When work is done for the day, Kiana likes to spend her time baking, painting, going to the gym, and of course hanging with her pets.
Shanae Lingelbach AHT
Shanae grew up on an acreage near Abernethy, Saskatchewan with her two younger siblings and various critters. She, with the rest of her family, were actively involved in their mixed family farm south of Abernethy. Since the beginning, she knew she wanted to work with animals one day. After high school, Shanae attended the University of Saskatchewan with an interest in soil sciences and animal genetics. She soon realized she wanted a more hands on career with animals and decided to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She went on to complete her Veterinary Technology Diploma through Saskatchewan Polytechnic in 2022 and joined the Melville Veterinary Clinic team in June of 2022. Shanae now resides on a farm near Balcarres with her fiancé, Mason, where they raise beef cattle and run a custom spraying company. When not at work, she enjoys kayaking, hunting, riding horses, and going on adventures!
Katha Pettinger
Katha is one of our Veterinary Assistants. Katha grew up in Seifhennersdorf, Germany where people had little farms inside of the town. Her best friend growing up had cows, pigs, ducks and sheep and she loved going to her farm and getting to see all of her animals. Katha came to Canada after marrying her husband Jon and now have three children together. Trained as a Pastry Chef and Birth Doula, veterinary medicine is new to her but she is a quick learner and her passion for taking care of others shines through in all areas of her job! Katha wanted to work in veterinary medicine as she loves working with animals, people, and making a difference in their lives. Everyday is different which makes it exciting and she loves learning how to best care for our clients and patients. In her spare time Katha enjoys spending time with her friends, walking her dog, Kumbu, as well as foraging and hunting for food and then learning new ways to prepare it.
Madison Harold AHT
Maddy became a Registered Veterinary Technologist (RVT) in 2021 after completing the Veterinary Technology program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Maddy decided to become an RVT because she has always loved animals and is interested in animal health and medicine. She completed her 5-week practicum with us and has been part of the team ever since. She enjoys assisting in surgery, working in the in-house lab, and tending to patients. When not at work Maddy enjoys spending time with her husband, two dogs, and two cats.
Krystal Baxter
Krystal is one of our Customer Service Representatives. Krystal joined our clinic with Dr. Jess in the fall of 2021. She was excited to join a growing team known for excellent patient and client care. Krystal grew up in Estevan and has always had a connection with critters from the time she was old enough to walk dogs at the local animal shelter. As she grew up she realized that helping people connect with their critters was rewarding. She started working with people and their horses and found her passion! Krystal loves helping our clients connect with their animals and their animals with them. She also appreciates all of the learning opportunities that she has at the clinic. Krystal spent the last 11 summers working as part of an enthusiastic team at the Motherwell Homestead offering hands on events and experiences around Field to Fork, heritage livestock, homesteading and historic farming. These include such things like demos with horse drawn equipment and a 1912 tractor. In her spare time Krystal enjoys riding horses, teaching riding lessons and various creative projects. She also enjoys time with her German Shepherd, Arie, Dally her saddle horse, and her black and white Clyde team Frosty and Frazier.