Our Team
Boss Cat
Callie
Callie used to live on a cattle feedlot outside of Calgary. A local pet rescue organization took pity on her because she had developed a large tumor on her nose. This tumor was making it difficult for Callie to eat and even to breathe. Callie was brought to Falconridge Animal Hospital for surgery. The surgery went well and the tumor was removed, so Callie was returned to her home at the feedlot.A month later, the tumor was back and it was larger than before. The rescue organization brought Callie back to Falconridge Animal Hospital to be euthanized. But we couldn’t bear to euthanize her, so we tried to remove the tumor again. This time, Dr. Rix removed part of Callie’s nose as well. While Callie was recovering, she made herself quite at home at Falconridge Animal Hospital and she never left! Callie’s tumor never came back and she now rules the clinic. She has the run of the entire facility and will likely greet you at the door. She is very good with all pets, but she does love watching our bird patients!
Veterinarians
Dr. Ann Marie Rix, BSc, DVM
Dr. Rix is the head of the clinic, after Callie cat, that is. Callie regularly dictates Dr. Rix's schedule and duties, especially when it involves food.Dr. Rix was born and raised in Calgary! She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Calgary. From there, she went to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon for vet school. While studying for her vet degree she also took courses in Aquatic Animal Medicine through Cornell University. After graduating, she moved to the United Kingdom, and worked in a private, mixed animal practice for two years. She spent another year as a vet locum all over Britain.
In 2006, Dr. Rix moved back to Calgary and has been working at Falconridge Animal Hospital ever since. She has helped build the exotics side of the practice, since she loves the challenge of seeing different species.
Because of her fondness for them, Dr. Rix's animal alter-ego is the guinea pig; they are gentle, yet inquisitive and love the smell of freshly-cut grass!
Dr. Jiselle Crittenden, BSc, DVM
Dr. Crittenden is Callie's second go-to. She always lets Callie lick out her yogurt carton, so that makes her A-OK!Dr. Jiselle Crittenden completed a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. As a vet student, Dr. Crittenden spent time volunteering in Nicaragua where she provided a wide range of surgical and medical treatments to companion animals. She also had the opportunity to complete a 6-week rotation in Tanzania, where she worked on parasites with the Maasai peoples and their herds. During her fourth year in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program Dr. Crittenden developed a special interest in ophthalmology.
Dr. Crittenden always pursues her goal of providing exceptional medical care to a wide variety of companion animals. She has always had a love for animals of all kinds and grew up owning fish, reptiles, and rodents.
If she could be an animal, Dr. Crittenden would choose to be a Leopard Gecko, like her pet, Lemon. There is nothing like being fed fresh food from a platter with delicate tongs!
Dr. Delaney Schofer, DVM
Dr. Delaney Schofer joined Falconridge Animal Hospital in February 2024. Dr. Schofer has a special love of all things related to cats, so there is no better clinic for her to be at than the one run by Boss Cat, Callie.Dr. Schofer grew up in Calgary, and went to the University of Western Ontario for her undergraduate studies in Kinesiology and Biology. She then went on to obtain her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. After graduating, she worked In Strathmore at a busy rural mixed animal practice, where she saw everything from dogs and cats, to donkeys, horses, cattle, alpacas, ducks, and rabbits! Dr. Schofer is excited to be joining the outstanding team at Falconridge Animal Hospital, and it’s an added bonus that moving back to Calgary means she will be closer to her family.
Dr. Schofer's special interest is feline medicine, and she is a certified AAFP Feline Friendly Practitioner. Growing up with Siamese cats means that her favourite cats have blue crossed-eyes. She currently lives with her own little Siamese kitty named Lewis (or rather, he is the master of the house that she happens to live in).
While not at work or catering to her cat at home, you can find Dr. Schofer playing hockey with her husband, birding, or hiking/camping in the mountains. If she could be any animal, Dr. Schofer would be a Loon. She admires their beautiful colours and distinctive song. And like the Loon, she would love to spend her winters on the Gulf of Mexico.
Technologists
Jackie, Registered Veterinary Technologist
This is Jackie, our fabulous, dedicated, long-standing technician. Callie loves Jackie because Jackie is her breakfast head chef.Jackie has been a Registered Veterinary Technologist for over 20 years, graduating from Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon in 2000. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Edmonton to start her career at a small animal clinic. After working in private practice for six years, she decided to change paths and began working for the City of Edmonton Animal Care and Control.
After moving to Calgary in 2010, Jackie started working at Falconridge Animal Hospital and has been here ever since! She loves being a “nurse” to furry friends, and she really enjoys surgery and anesthesia.
If Jackie could be any animal it definitely would be an Italian Greyhound, which is the pet she currently has! Italian Greyhounds are energetic, but can be calm. They are sun worshippers and are very loyal to family, just like Jackie!
Megan, Registered Veterinary Technologist
Meet Megan, another one of our wonderful technicians. That means she's a nurse for animals and Callie! So when your fluffy or scaly or feathered friend needs to come in for anything from a nail trim to surgery, it’s her responsibility to make sure they’re properly taken care of. And she takes that pretty seriously!Megan started working at Falconridge Animal Hospital in 2009 as a receptionist and inventory manager. Her enthusiasm for learning and her love of animals prompted her to study to become a technician. She graduated from Thompson Rivers University in 2017! Her duties at the clinic, include being a technician, managing the inventory, and supporting the vets, all of which keep her busy. But she is sure to sneak in snuggle time with our patients (and with Callie) whenever she can.
If she were to be any animal, she would probably choose to be her own lazy, spoiled house cat. It can't get much better than that, except for the part where she would have to eat mice!
Dakota, Registered Veterinary Technologist
This is Dakota. She's the most recent addition to the technician team! Good thing she loves cats, otherwise Callie would never have approved!Dakota was a tech student from Olds College and came to do her practicum with us in 2021. Turns out, she loved it so much here, she decided to stay on after graduating as a technician. She has been a super-star in coordinating our staff COVID monitoring and testing. She also really enjoys monitoring anesthesia and keeping up with all the surgery paperwork. And most of all, she loves exotic animals.
Currently, Dakota has three cats and a corn snake. In the past, she’s had skinny pigs (house hippos).
Not surprisingly, Dakota’s animal alter-ego is a dog because she loves to learn new things and tends to be loyal to a fault!
Client Care Team
Meg, Client Care Advisor and Technician Assistant
Meet Meg, one of our fun-loving, dedicated Client Care Advisors. While she spends a lot of time on the reception desk, she is also Callie's Sous-Chef and helps the technicians with tasks in surgery and the treatment area. She is our go-to person for lugging big bags of pet food.Meg was born and raised in the Philippines, and came to Canada when she was just eight. She has owned pets her whole life, even rescuing two kittens from a canal when she was only six years old! She loves taking care of animals and building a bond with them.
Meg thought she wanted to be human nurse, but after a term at Bow Valley College in the nursing program, she found out she didn't want to care for humans after all! Animals were her calling, so she went to Robertson College and completed the Veterinary Office Technical Assistant Program. During that course, she joined our team to do her practicum and has never left! She likes to help your pets to be healthy and wants clients to leave with a smile!
If Meg were a domestic animal, she would be her cat, Yumi. Yumi loves to sleep all day and cuddle with her cat-friends. This would be a perfect existence for Meg!
Melanie, Client Care Advisor
This is Melanie. She is our front-line person on the reception desk and serves as Callie's personal massage therapist. She is one of the first people you may speak with on the phone. She's really great at providing advise and directing calls and booking an appointments.In university and college, Melanie studied biological sciences with an emphasis on animal biology and animal management. She has had many animals throughout her life and has really enjoyed learning to care for them all. Currently, she has a Great Pyrenees cross, 2 frogs, fish, a bird, and a bearded dragon.
Early in her career, Melanie worked for Fish and Wildlife, helping collect data on the Bow River for a Fisheries survey. Shortly after that position, she was employed at a Fort McMurray animal hospital, where she worked on reception, as well as assisted with surgeries, helped with dentals, and performed lab tests. In Fort McMurray, she also sat on the Board for the SPCA, which allowed her to contribute to animal welfare. She has worked for over 20 years in administration.
If Melanie were a domestic animal, she would be a cat. They are independent, loving when they want to be, and enjoy the company of the people they love; all of which fit Melanie to a "T".
Blake, Veterinary Assistant
Blake has lived and worked all over Alberta in a variety of different fields. He has always had a passion for caring for animals and a deep respect for domestic and wild animals alike. After re-evaluating his career, he decided to go back to school to learn about veterinary care and working with animals. This led him to take the Veterinary Health Care Assistant program at CDI College, which he finished in 2023.Blake’s favorite part of the job is coming to work every day to help sick or injured animals in any way he can. And, of course, he loves snuggling all manner of furry, feathered, and scaled friends.
With two cats and a chihuahua of his own, Blake’s ultimate dream is to own a huge property to be able to adopt many, many animals and give them a quality life.
If Blake could be an animal, it would be his one of his own cats. He would really enjoy a life of napping in the sun, snacking, playing, and cuddling with no responsibilities or cares in the world.