DR. CRISTINA VALAS
Dr. Valas was born in Madrid, Spain and lived there with her parents and her 5 brothers and sisters until she was 11, at which point the whole family moved to the United Kingdom. She was educated in a Catholic boarding school in England until at the age of 17, when she and her family made another move to the United States.
At 17, she started her career at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. There, she majored in Biology/Premed and minored in Business Administration. In the summer of 1988, she followed her (now) husband, Rory, to his hometown in Massachusetts and became a Radiology Technician at South Shore Veterinary Hospital in Weymouth. She started Veterinary School at Tufts in the Fall of 1989; four years later, she graduated in the top 10% of her class with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. For her last hurrah as an employee, she worked at Slade Veterinary Hospital and Westboro Animal Hospital before opening The Family Pet Hospital in February of 1998.
Dr. Valas is married to Rory Valas, a franchisee law attorney in Boston. She presently lives in Ashland (just 5 minutes from the practice) with Rory and their large brood: two daughters, Cassandra (20) and Natasha (15), son Justin (12), two dogs, Valentino and Tinkerbell, two Persian cats, George and Sadie, and two big bunnies, Happy and Chubbs.
CARLA MAIDER
Carla is our most senior Veterinary Technician. She has been a member of our family since August 2007. Carla was born and raised in Massachusetts and lives in Attleboro with her fiance, her beautiful children Lillianna and Aaron, her dog Pickles and recently they opened up their home to our beloved Manny. In her free time, she enjoys game nights with friends, attending Bruins games and spending time with her family (both human and furry). Her love of animals helped her to reach her lifelong dream of becoming a Veterinary Technician. You can be sure that when Carla takes care of your pet, they will absolutely have the most loving, dedicated care possible – the same care you will ALWAYS get at The Family Pet Hospital!
VENUS FELIX
Venus joined our staff in January 2010. She previously worked in the high tech industry for many years, traveling across the United States and abroad before deciding to follow her heart into the Veterinary field. She comes to our family from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, where she trained in large animal medicine with a specialization small animal anesthesia. She is currently pursuing a Veterinary Technician degree from Purdue University.
She enjoys time on the beach with her husband Kevin, and their Husky-Retriever mix, Kachina. On weekends, you will most likely find her riding her American Saddlebred horse, Romeo, enjoying trails in the woods or competing in hunter paces across New England. Be assured that when your pet is in her hands, they will be treated with great skill, love and kindness.
KRISTIN COLGAN
Kristin joined our family in July of 2012. After completing for Assosicate for Veterinary Technology at Becker College in Worcester, MA, Kristin went on to take her Veterinary Technician Certification and is a CVT. Kristin is and her fiance Jon will marry in October of this year.
Kristin enjoys her dog Gracie, a boston terrier and pug cross, and her 4 year old painted turtle named Tortoga. Recently Kristin and Jon adopted our very own Diesel, the lovely white cat the was living at the Family Pet Hospital.
Be assured that Kristin will handle your pets with the loving tenderness she shows her own pets.
FAITH KENNEY
Faith began working here at the Family Pet Hospital as a Veterinary Tech Assistant in September of 2012 shortly after completing a Veterinary Assistant program through Boston Reed College. Born in Framingham MA, Faith grew up right here in Ashland.
Faith has several furry friends of her own, a pug named Dalila, a very talkative kitty named Felix and a pair of dwarf hamsters. In her spare time, she can be found in Reading, MA where she flies through the air with the greatest of ease on the Flying Tapeze!
Faith wears several different hats at the Family Pet Hospital. You may meet her at the front desk, in the exam rooms assisting Dr. Valas, or out back assisting the technicians. Currently she is trying to learn as much as poissible and hopes to further her education in Veterinary Technology so that she can take the very best care of your pets!
OUR FACILITY
The Family Pet Hospital is 1900 sq. ft. state-of-the-art animal hospital with the most advanced technology and instrumentation available. It features digital radiology, digital dental radiology, ultrasound (allows us to quickly diagnose pregnancy 21 days post-breeding, bladder stones and more), surgical laser (means less pain, less bleeding, less swelling, etc.), tonopen (to screen and diagnose glaucoma – a serious but treatable condition), anesthesia monitors equipped with ECG, pulse oximetry, blood pressure and core temperature (making anesthesia much safer for your pet), isoflurane gas anesthesia machines and a separate, sterile surgery suite.
These features make us the most fully equipped, small animal hospital in a 10-20 mile radius, excluding only the larger, referral institutions. Our hospital revolves around our central treatment area, which is where all of our kennels (except for the isolation/infectious disease ward) are found. This setup allows us to keep your beloved pet under our watchful eye the entire time they are with us.
