Dr. Brian Hougentogler has been with us since February 2017. Dr. Hougentogler is originally from Wilmington, Delaware. He graduated from St. Vincent College in 1999, and he received his veterinary degree from the University of Illinois in 2003. After graduation, he worked for two years at a small animal emergency clinic in Dormont.  Then he spent 11 years at a veterinary practice near Murrysville. Not only does Dr. Hougentogler give you another experienced veterinarian to rely on at K. Vet, but he is also one of our 4 certified in Veterinary Acupuncture by the Chi Institute (where, many of you know, Dr. Konegger teaches). When he is not in the office, Dr. Hougentogler enjoys reading, going to the gym, and playing music. He and his wife are also busy with their two children and their cats.

A native Pittsburgher, Dr. Wong graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. She then worked in small animal private practice for several years prior to joining the K. Vet team. Dr. Wong has a strong interest in integrative medicine, and is certified in Veterinary Acupuncture by Chi University, as well as Veterinary Massage and Rehabilitation Therapy and Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy by the Healing Oasis. In her free time, Dr. Wong enjoys biking, hiking, reading, and spending time with her family, which includes her three cats.

Dr. Stacey Sheahan spent time for her acupuncture certification externship with us 6 years ago, then went on to practice in Somerset until her love for Traditional Chinese Medicine and all things medical brought her back to us. Dr. Sheahan is an advanced TCVM practitioner holding a Master’s degree in TCVM and has been published in the AJTCVM. Her roots are in Cumberland, Maryland with strong ties to Western Pennsylvania. She enjoys knitting, also at an advanced level, traveling and spending time with her husband, two kids and four dogs.

Dr. Ben Kinnamon grew up in the Vandergrift area and attended Allegheny College. He graduated in May 2022 earning his veterinary degree from Purdue University College. He enjoys exploring the outdoors with his crazy husky, Nova. His leisure time interests include technology, gaming, and building computers as well as exploring new restaurants in the area on weekends. Dr. Kinnamon is very excited to return to Western PA and connect with all the pets and their parents at K. Vet.

This may not come as a surprise given that Dr. Kinnamon’s favorite breed of dog is the Siberian Husky, but his favorite animals (besides dogs) are wolves! He finds them to be such beautiful, strong, and dignified creatures. And, importantly, it is from wolves that we get our beloved domesticated dogs!

Dr. Vanessa Bouch joined us as a Western Pennsylvania native, with family in the Ebensburg area, and brand-new graduate from Iowa State University June 2022. We are excited to have her share her special interest in feline medicine and launch her career with us. Dr Bouch enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with her two cats Milo and Tilly. She is looking forward to starting her dream job here at K. Vet!

Wendy graduated with honors with a B.S. in biology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and worked for 11 years in the human medical field before entering the veterinary field in 1996. She held positions of receptionist and technician at two previous veterinary practices, as well as manager of a local animal shelter before joining the K. Vet team in 2011. She first became the Office Manager and eventually Practice Manager in 2014. Wendy’s family includes her husband, three children (all Pitt grads too), their spouses, and currently four grandchildren. She has one dog, Birdie Mae, picked up in rural Alabama from the side of the road while visiting family two years ago, and one cat, Emmie, rescued 17 years ago and still sassy as ever. She also frequently pet-sits her four grand-dogs and one grand-cat. In her free time, (ha) Wendy likes reading, gardening, crafting, spending time with her grandkids, and especially traveling with her family across the US as well as abroad. If she decides to run away, you will most likely find her in the Outer Banks of N. Carolina.

Hmmmm, my superpower – I guess I’m not easily rattled because I pretty much have seen and dealt with it all in 26 ½ years!

Sharon graduated with high honors from CCAC with a degree in Radiologic Science. Before working at K. Vet, Sharon was a Board-Certified Radiologic Technologist at a local hospital. She is also a Certified Equestrian Massage Therapist, trained by Equissage in Round Hill, VA. She was a senior store manager for many years, managing stores in Greensburg, Taunton and Hyannis, MA. Sharon and her husband, Steve, share their home with their rescue dogs, Cain, a Rottweiler and Mama, a pit mix, their cats, two American Quarter horses, Mick and Bear, chickens and of course the leader of roost, The Colonel, a rooster.

Favorite animal?  Can’t pick one!  My animals are part of my soul for different reasons!  But if I must pick, I guess I would pick horses.  Because I am in my happy place when I am with my horses.

Brittany previously studied at Penn State before attending The Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh, where she graduated in 2011. She passed her National boards in December of 2011 and has since been working as a licensed veterinary technician. Brittany joined the K Vet Animal Care team in May of 2014. Brittany and her husband, Charlie, have four children Emma, Chase, Anson, and Peter. Their pack wouldn’t be complete without their 2 dogs, 4 cats, 2 hamsters and bearded dragon. Brittany LOVES all things Disney! She is also very proud of her Scottish and Irish heritage, researching ancestry and attending festivals. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies, reading, traveling, and camping.

Brittany’s favorite animal is the African Elephant because from a young age she has been fascinated with them. Her first favorite elephant was Babar. Now she admires their steadfast nature, drive to survive in tough conditions and bonds with their pack.

Samantha studied at Saint Vincent College and Sanford Brown before graduating in 2010. She became certified in 2011. Samantha previously worked at Banfield before joining K. Vet in October 2014. Samantha shares her home with her son, Gabriel. They share their home with four cats, Kilala, Fey, Freyja, and Onyx, as well as two Dachshunds, Phoenix and Leon. In her free time, Samantha enjoys gardening, reading, cross stitch, crafting and camping.

Hannah attended and graduated from the Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh 2015 and became a CVT in 2016. They started working a K Vet Animal Care in 2018 and now primarily work as the clinic’s surgical and anesthesia technician. This includes intubating patients, monitoring them under anesthesia, assisting the surgical doctors, taking dental radiographs, and performing dental prophylaxis.

Hannah’s pet family includes two dogs, Deliliah and Lumi, and a cat named Wisp. They like to spend time outdoors hiking in nature and taking road trips. Hannah also enjoys training tricks and obedience to all three pets and competes in AKC agility and conformation.

Hillary graduated from the Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh in 2006. She joined the K Vet team in November 2018. Her family includes her husband, Rick, their sons, Lyric, Miles & Coleson along with their cats Ellie & Gracie. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, hiking, crafting and interior design.
Hillary’s favorite animal is a cat. She loves them because of their personality, attitudes and beauty. They give her pure joy.

Lauryn is a Certified Veterinary Technician who graduated from the Vet Tech Institute in 2015. She passed her state boards exam in the spring of 2016. For the first 5 years of her career, she worked as a CVT at an Equine only practice and tended to horses. Lauryn joined the K. Vet team in the summer of 2020 after deciding she wanted more small animal experience and to also pursue her interests in canine rehabilitation. When not at work, you will find Lauryn hanging out with her family, her 2 dogs (Dexter and Gideon) and her house cats (Arnold and Chubbs). She also spends time each day at her family farm taking care of her horse (Dyna), 2 rescue cows (Adamma and Tallulah), as well as her group of barn cats she has spent time caring for over the years. When she can she loves to go kayaking down the river, hiking with her dogs and taking her horse on trail rides to watch the sunset.
When asked what her superpower at K. Vet is, Lauryn will say helping our patients in our amazing rehab program!

Kelly attended Pima Medical Institutes Las Vegas Campus. She graduated in March 2016 and passed her National Boards in July of that year. Kelly worked at Banfield Pet Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada before transferring home to Washington County in 2018. She joined the K. Vet team in November 2022. Kelly enjoys all things dental and is pursuing her VTS in Dentistry. In her free time, Kelly enjoys crocheting, playing video games, and doing crossword puzzles. She shares her home with her Husband, Jeff, and her son, daughter, and son in law and 2 grandchildren. They have 3 cats, Barefoot, Alistair and Calliope, and 2 dogs, Lilly, and Neo.

Kelly’s favorite animals are monkeys because they are smart, mischievous, lovable, and so very cute.

Emily graduated from the Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh in 2017. She completed her externship at Brown Equine in Somerset, PA but decided that she also wanted to work with small animals. She has one horse, America, a Rocky Mountain Horse, and two goats. Emily also has two cats Sox and Blackie and one dog, Admiral, a Bernese Mountain Dog. Emily has trained Admiral to become a therapy dog to take to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. Her main goal with him is to work with veterans in any way she can. Admiral is also a cancer survivor. Emily loves watercolor painting, watching movies, ballroom dancing, riding her horses, scuba diving and traveling.

Nicole started her veterinary career under the teachings of Dr. O’Laughlin at Grace Veterinary Clinic in 2012. Since then, she has been working in different clinics to gain experience. In 2020, she decided to start online courses at Ashworth College to become a certified veterinary technician. She plans to graduate sometime next year and take her boards. In her free time, she enjoys kickboxing, going to the gym, and binge watching her many television shows.
Nicole’s superpower at K. Vet is being the Chihuahua whisperer.

Brittany B received an Associate’s Degree in Liberal arts from Westmoreland Community College before deciding to go to Vet Tech Institute where she graduated in 2020. She has two shih tzus, a one-eyed pirate named Percy and a spunky young lady named Zola. In her spare time, she likes to read, hang out with friends and family, and spend time with Percy and Zola.
Brittany's favorite animal is the red panda because they are adorable and playful.

Monica graduated from Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh in December of 2021. She then joined the K. Vet team in January of 2022. Monica shares her home with two cats named Milo and Matrix, and a leopard gecko named Pippin. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing games with her friends.

Kari is a current student of Saint Vincent College with plans to graduate in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. Kari joined the K.Vet family in December of 2020 in hopes to gain experience in the veterinary field, in which she initially gained interest in after her travels in Liberia, Costa Rica, where she assisted in surgeries at a mobile veterinary clinic and worked at a local shelter. Kari is a current resident of Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, where she enjoys spending time with her three younger siblings, dog-Moses, and cat-Jinx. When not at K.Vet, Kari loves to hike, play tennis, attend concerts, and paint.

One of Kari’s favorite animals is the American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, because of their high intelligence and human-like abilities.

Leah is an undergraduate student at the University of Findlay where she is studying Animal Science with a Pre-Vet emphasis. Her goal is to become a vet, specializing in small animal and equine medicine. She enjoys spending time with her dog, Duchess, horseback riding for the Findlay dressage team, spending time with friends and family, archery, going to the gym, and digital art.

Leah’s favorite animal is a dog because they are the embodiment of unconditional love.

Elizabeth started her veterinary career in November of 2022. Before that, she was an animal care technician at Wildlife Works where she spent 6 years working with injured and orphaned wildlife. Elizabeth continues to be passionate about wildlife and exotic animal medicine and has a soft spot for birds and reptiles. In her free time, she likes to go to concerts, read books, craft, and cook. She currently cares for her rescue turtle and two cats.

My K Vet superpower? My eagerness to learn! The difference between a wildlife center to a veterinary clinic is huge and I've had to learn a lot, quickly. I love the challenge and it's been a very rewarding experience for me.

Gia graduated from Pittsburgh Career Institute in March 2022. Gia has two pit bulls, Hero and Miley and 3 kittens Fathead, Slim Shady, and Ghost. In her spare time, she loves to take her dogs on new adventures and spending time with her friends and family and taking vacations whenever she can! Her favorite animal is the pit bull.

Lara attended schooling in Altoona, PA where she graduated with her associate degree in Criminal Justice with the original plan to continue education and pursue Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation. In the meantime, Lara found herself in customer service. She worked her way into Retail Management and became a Visual Merchandiser for 9 years where she traveled and got to enjoy various cities. Unfortunately, her position was dissolved which led her to K. Vet Animal Care.

Outside of work, Lara enjoys taking road trips, hiking, crafting, but most of all spending time with her husband, son and two dogs Gordon, and Rocco. She devotes a lot of her spare time to her husband’s company and non-profit along with being very active in her church where she holds positions in Mission Outreach and Technology

Lara’s favorite animal is an elephant because they are loyal and supposed to bring good luck.

Laura worked her way up the ladder in retail for over 11 years before joining the K Vet Animal Care team in June of 2021. She resides in Jeannette with her enthusiastic Pitbull Terrier Mix, Ahsoka Tano and her guinea pig, Figment. In her spare time, it’s rare to find Laura without a camera in hand as she enjoys dabbling in photography, with wildlife being her favorite subject. She also enjoys spending time at the family farm, dreaming of her next Disney trip, and whether it be gaming, walking, or going to events, she’s always trying to find time to hang out with her friends (or as she calls them, her second family.)

Laura’s favorite animal is an aye-aye because they are such peculiar creatures and even though most find them “ugly” and are considered bad luck, she finds them adorable and misunderstood.

McKenzie worked in the beauty industry for 8 years while also working part time dog walking and pet sitting. She finally found her spot here with us in January 2022. McKenzie has 3 dogs, Rue, Koda and Raya and 1 cat Binx. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping, and spending time with family.

Schwartz came to us in January 2011 from a local shelter. He had severe corneal ulcers, and no one was sure his eyes could be saved. Fortunately, Dr. Konegger took exceptional care of him, and saved not only his life, but he was able to retain a good portion of his eyesight as well. He now greets clients and patients and is frequently seen lounging in the reception area.

He was given to the Catfeinated Caffe and tried making a living there but struggled with a gang of youngsters who bullied him. He is of unknown age and origin, a true mystery man, who appreciates the finer sides of life including limitless belly rubs from our CSR/Management team and hanging out on scenic window beds with a view.