Staff
DOCTORS
Virginia Ellsworth, DVM
Dr. Ellsworth joined EDVC in 2005. She is originally from Louisiana but happy to be in Texas. She received a BS in Biology from Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport. She continued her education at LSU where she received a second B.S. in Animal Science, then received her DVM at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. Dr. Ellsworth belongs to the Dallas County, Texas and American Veterinary Medical Associations. Read more…
Ken Cantrell, DVM
Dr. Cantrell started East Dallas Veterinary Clinic in October, 1972. It began in a small office space in a multi-tenant shopping center. He has practiced at the same intersection of Lakeland and Ferguson since that date. The current clinic was relocated in 1982 to a new facility built next door to the old location and the Clinic has enjoyed two physical expansions since then. Read more…
Jesica Martin, DVM
Dr. Jesica Martin recently moved to the Dallas area from Kansas. She has always had a love for Texas and always chose to visit Texas when given the choice of vacation spots. Dr. Martin completed her undergraduate requirements at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. She received her DVM degree from Kansas State University, in Manhattan, KS.
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Yvette Pedroza, DVM
Dr. Pedroza is a graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. As a native of El Paso, Texas, her passion for animal care and welfare was obvious to her family as she helped care for the small farm her parents tended, and her unending adoption of abandoned animals found on her walks home from school. As she grew older, so did her passion as she began volunteering at local shelters and zoos, then working as a veterinary kennel attendant, receptionist, and eventually an assistant.
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TECHNICIANS
Linda Jones, RVT – Registered Veterinary Technician
Linda is our most senior employee having been with our Clinic since 1978. Linda retired in the fall of 2008 but will continue to be an honorary employee at East Dallas Veterinary Clinic for her 30 years of exemplary service.
Amanda McDaniel, RVT – Registered Veterinary Technician
Amanda began at our Clinic in 1998 working Saturdays while she was completing high school. She then went through the Veterinary Technology program at Cedar Valley College (2-year program) and graduated in 2002.
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Peggy Stack RVT, CVT
Peggy joined East Dallas in August of 2009, working part time on Saturdays. She has been a licensed Veterinary Technician for over 28 years, currently licensed in Texas and Pennsylvania. She is a full time instructor for Veterinary Technicians at Cedar Valley College for both the distance learning and onsite programs and describes veterinary medicine as a passion for her. She has had many dogs and cats over the years but currently lives with three wonderful cats named Grace Kelly, Lionel, and Theodore.
VETERINARY ASSISTANTS
Ashley Ehrenberger-Lopez, Veterinary Assistant Ashley started at our clinic in 2007. She plans on working towards a Veterinary Techinican degree in the future and will be starting on the prerequisites this fall. Ashley has always had a love for animals and has grown up with many pets. She currently has 3 cats, 2 parakeets, 5 chickens, and goldfish. Read more…
Chelsea Eastburn, Veterinary Assistant
Chelsea Eastburn joined our clinic in September 2008. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and then realized her true calling was working with animals. She has over eight years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. She has worked as both a receptionist and a technician. Read more…
Laura Shinsato, Veterinary Assistant
A Dallas native, Laura has worked as a kennel assistant on a part-time basis for the Clinic since 1998. Prior to that she served as a dental assistant in her father’s office until his retirement. Read more…
Sara Vanderburg, Veterinary Assistant
Sara started with East Dallas as a Veterinary Assistant in the fall of 2010. Sara has a love for all animals. She has managed a horse farm and volunteered for a non-profit organization giving horseback riding lessons for the physically and mentally handicapped children. Sara has 2 Appaloosa horses and a chocolate lab named Heidi. During her free time Sara enjoys spending time at the lake with Heidi who LOVES the water. Sara plans on returning to school soon to complete her degree.
ANIMAL CARE ATTENDANT
Michael McDaniel, Kennel Manager
Michael joined EDVC in 2005. Michael comes from a family of seven where everybody loves dogs, and he has thirteen nieces and nephews. As Michael puts it “we have one big country family who loves fishing, eating and big dogs.” Read more…
PET STYLIST
Jason Clark, Pet Stylist
Jason Clark is the pet stylist at East Dallas Veterinary Clinic. Jason has over 6 years of grooming experience with most breeds and ages of pets. Jason owns 3 dogs — Leeroy, an 11 year old miniature schnauzer, Poodle, a five year old standard poodle, and Dexter, a 3 year old miniature schnauzer.
INVENTORY COORDINATOR
Juanita Ortiz, Inventory Coordinator
Juanita Ortiz joined us in the summer of 2008. Although originally hired for data entry, Juanita has become the go-to girl at East Dallas Veterinary Clinic. She performs a wide range of functions and has recently become our Inventory Coordinator. Prior to working at our clinic, Juanita worked for the SPCA of Texas. Juanita and her husband have Suki, a Shih-tzu.
RECEPTION
Chelsi Gilbreath, Receptionist
Chelsi joined our team working as a receptionist while attending classes at Cedar Valley College in the Veterinary Technician program. Chelsi has a degree in Psychology but found her true calling was with animals. Chelsi has a full house of pets with Marvin, a Great Dane, Nola, a Newfoundland and a cat named Sage. Chelsi adores her pets and they bring tons of joy to her life.
Gena Nelson-Mallory, Receptionist
Gena joined our team as a receptionist while working on her degree to become a Veterinary Technician. She is currently attending classes at Cedar Valley College. Gena has 3 amazing dogs in various sizes! She has a Great Dane named Kaiser, a Pitbull named Harvey and a Miniature Dachshund named Maggie.
ADMINISTRATION
Louise Southworth, Office Manager
Louise has been with our Clinic since 1998. Prior to that she served as the Firm Administrator for a large local CPA firm for more than 20 years.
Louise has Salukis, Greyhounds and Afghan Hounds. She has competed with her hounds in Obedience and Performance events (lure coursing and amateur straight and oval racing) as well as the conformation ring. She has put titles from the show ring, obedience ring and performance event venues on several hounds as well as receiving national recognition for their abilities.
Louise is very supportive of the efforts of breed rescue groups and is heavily involved with Saluki Rescue as well as helping with Greyhound and Afghan Hound Rescue.
Whispers and Louie, Official Greeters
Whispers left us in July. She had been battling health issues for the past several years and had reached a point where she could no longer enjoy her life with the Clinic and her many friends she made over the years.
A little history…. This sweet brown tabby you would see around our Clinic started out living behind us as a feral, usually pregnant cat. We tricked her and brought her inside one summer for spay and testing, then re-released her back to the wilds of the creek. One winter it was getting unusually cold and several of our staff decided to take matters into their own hands. We started bringing her in at night, then started leaving her in during the day – the rest is history. This sweet cat decided to enjoy the “good life” and made herself a fixture with us. She not only tried to greet all people and animals, she gave solace during sadness with a kind head butt or a leg rub. When we had the old-fashioned type of monitors, her spot was on top of one at the front reception, baking first one side then another. Since we modernized, she traveled around the Clinic to wherever she felt needed or wanted and frequently, she just lounged in the reception area waiting for her next visitor.
Whispers will be missed.
Louie is the lovable, laid-back black-and-white cat that also graces our Reception Area with regularity. Louie actually belongs to one of our clients and is a Delta-certified therapy cat (not an accomplishment to be taken lightly). Louie spends most of his time at the Clinic as he and the dogs at home didn’t get along too well. What most folks don’t get to see are his antics, usually later in the day, when he runs as fast as he can from the back to the front, sometimes attacking imaginary bugs on the wall, sometimes batting around fun little cat toys, sometimes opening food bags (whether or not they are his), and regularly either playing with or affectionately grooming Whispers.
We could not ask for better Official Greeters and hope each of you get as much pleasure from these two felines as those of us who are with them every day.
