Support Staff

Support Staff:

Marianna Stepniewski
Hospital Business Manager
Marianna has been with The Family Pet since October 2008.  Marianna is a 2003 graduate of Seattle University with a degree in English/Creative Writing.  Marianna grew up in Yakima, Washington and moved to Seattle in 1999.  Since then she has enjoyed working in a variety of different places - all with a focus on providing excellent customer service.  Marianna is especially interested in canine and feline nephrology which stems from her own experiences with Chronic Kidney Disease.  Marianna is currently on the waiting list for a kidney through Stanford University and is a peritoneal dialysis patient.  Marianna has two dogs - Ginger, a golden retriever and border collie mix and Molly, a very naughty Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  Marianna enjoys cooking, tennis, horseback riding, and taking her dogs to the beach.

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Faye Cluckey
Webmistress.

Lanae Miller
Patient Care Manager
Lanae attended PIMA Medical Institute in 2005 and received her veterinary assistant license.  Lanae came to The Family Pet to do her externship and has been here ever since!  Lanae has lived in Seattle her whole life and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.  Lanae is passionate about every animal she meets and loves getting to really know our clients.  Her special interests are geriatric care and behavior issues.  Someday Lanae hopes to realize her dream of opening an adoption clinic for all animals that deserve a second chance and need a new home.  Lanae lives in Ballard with three cats whom she absolutely adores.  Lanae also has an adopted a pitbull named Roscoe and enjoys taking him to dog parks and training him.  In her free time, she likes to read, dance, attempt to cook, and hang out with friends. 

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Kristin Ishibashi
Senior Nursing Supervisor

Michelle Ness
Livestock/Senior Veterinary Assistant
Michelle attended PIMA Medical Institute in 2010 and received her Veterinary Assistant Certificate and Certificate of Award for Honor Roll. Michelle completed her externship at The Family Pet and was hired soon thereafter. Michelle has lived in Seattle for 15 years and her interests include animal behavior and the inner workings of the human-animal bond. Michelle aspires to one work for an organization that shares a common passion - a love for animals and people - particularly the training of "social dogs" that assist children and adults that can benefit from the therapeutic benefit of an animal. Michelle has a pistol of a dog named Jack, a cantankerous 19 year old cat Stan, and a forever hungry cat named Baxter who she adopted from The Family Pet! In her free time, Michelle enjoys gardening, reading, cooking, and re-finishing old furniture.

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Aubrey Halvorsen
Veterinary Assistant
Not a day has gone by that Aubrey has not been an animal lover. She is an east coast/west coast hybrid and has been working with animals professionally for over six years. Aubrey has been an animal mother since childhood and currently has two cats and a very large, goofy dog named Lucas. Aubrey spends her free time playing music, doing artwork, being outdoorsy, and of course spending quality time with her pets.

Rachel Rivera
Receptionist
Rachel has been with The Family Pet since March 2010. She received a BA in film production from the College of Santa Fe. After working for several years in various film and media outlets, she started working at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society and fell in love with the animal care/medicine field before moving to Seattle in the fall of 2009. She is planning to return to school with a focus on animal medicine. Her interests include animal behavior and diabetes care and control for pets. Rachel lives in Queen Anne with her husband, a feisty kitty and two zany fish. In her free time she enjoys exploring Seattle and the surrounding areas, reading, watching movies, golfing, and baking.

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Miri Ruthford
Receptionist
Miri joined The Family Pet in October 2011. She graduated from the University of Victoria in 2002 with a Biology degree and has been working in the animal field ever since including a boarding kennel, a veterinary clinic, a wildlife rehab, and three zoos. Miri is especially interested in animal training and the care of big cats and marine mammals, and when not at The Family Pet can be found working as an assistant zookeeper at Point Defiance Zoo and an animal care volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium. Miri and her husband live in Maple Valley with their herding dog Jisa, who loves to chase anything that squeaks, flies or is remotely ball-shaped. In addition to making Jisa a happy girl, Miri and her husband participate in long distance bike rides, go on day hikes, and explore tidepools on the many rocky beaches in the area.

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Phillip Mick
Kennel Attendant
Phillip is a senior at UW majoring in Neurobiology. Phillip will be graduating in spring 2012 and plans on applying to veterinary schools as well as volunteering in Costa Rica and to help provide free healthcare for dogs and cats. Phillip has a dog and a cat and in his free time enjoys bicycling, hiking, swimming and spending time with his friends.