We’d like to send a warm welcome to our newest veterinary intern in Colorado Springs, Dr. Marisa! Dr. Marisa started with HSPPR at the end of June. She graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, with her clinical year at Oregon State University. Her professional interests include shelter medicine, low income medicine, and rehabilitation.
We sat down with Dr. Marisa to get to know her a little better:
How did you become interested in being a veterinarian?
Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved animals. When we got our first dog I wanted to be really involved and I remember going to vet appointments with my parents and just being so fascinated by everything having to do with veterinary medicine. I knew that was what I wanted to do.
What made you choose shelter medicine versus private practice?
I wanted to work somewhere where I really felt I was making an impact on the lives of animals. To me, working with animals who don’t have owners to help them get the care they need is how I can to achieve that.
Do you have a favorite animal? If so, what is it and why?
It’s so hard to pick just one, but some of my favorite animals are definitely wolves. I think they are absolutely beautiful, and I love that they are such social animals.
Tell us about your personal pets!
I have two dogs, Farrah and Thingy. They are both mutts that I ended up rescuing while in school in the Caribbean. They have traveled all over with me and their favorite activities are hiking and going to the beach.
What is a story about a family pet you remember from your childhood?
One time our dog followed my dad out into the garage without him noticing and went out front to play in the snow. We didn’t realize right away and then frantically looked for her only to find she was on our front porch playing in the snow waiting for us to open the door.
What is a fun, random fact that stands out from your education?
I was able to go Africa and interact with endangered animals like Rhinoceros and African wild dogs.
Why did you choose HSPPR?
I choose HSPPR because of how much it offered. I was so impressed with the Wellness Waggin’, the animal law enforcement contracts, and the caseloads. I knew there would be so much for me to learn!
What are you looking forward to the most?
I am really looking forward to learning more about veterinary forensics.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge of working at HSPPR?
I think the biggest challenge will be improving my spay/neuter skills.
What is one random fact about you?
I am a certified scuba diver!
We are so excited to have Dr. Marisa on our team for 2021-2022!
