Meet Our Skilled Team

Learn Who We Are

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    Dr. Lynda Gould
    Owner and Veterinarian

    Dr. Gould, a northern Illinois native, received her veterinary degree from the University of Illinois in 2009. She also completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois, graduating with her name on the Bronze Tablet in 2005.

    She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), and sits on the board of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA). She is active in her church and has been identified as an Emerging Leader by the Northern Illinois Veterinary Medical Association (NIVMA). Dr. Gould participated in the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program, graduating in 2014.

    Dr. Gould enjoys caring for all animal species, and her special interests include reproductive services, ophthalmology, and livestock management.  In her free time, she enjoys jogging and cooking.  Most of all, she enjoys spending time with her daughter Ellie, son Hudson, and husband Austin.

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    Dr. Heather Sperfslage
    Associate Veterinarian

    Dr. Heather grew up in Bettendorf, IA where she spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses. She was active in 4-H and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age. She graduated from Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and began working for Ashton not long after. 

    Dr. Heather enjoys both small and large animals but her main areas of veterinary interest include equine medicine and preventative medicine for all species. Dr. Heather and her husband, Shawn, live on a small acreage where they have 2 dogs, cats, a horse and honey bees. 

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    Dr. Whitney Webb
    Associate Veterinarian

    Dr. Webb grew up in Cherokee, Iowa. She graduated from Iowa State University Veterinary Medicine in 2020. She worked at a small animal practice in LaSalle/Peru for the first couple of years before joining the Ashton team in 2023. 

    Dr. Webb enjoys working with dogs, cats, and some small mammals, and her special interests are ophthalmology and ultrasound. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking and fishing and spending time with her husband, Riley, and their dog and cat.

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    Dr. Natalie Craig
    Associate Veterinarian

    Dr. Craig grew up in Pelham, NY a small suburb outside of New York City. From a young age she knew she wanted to work with animals. During her time in college, she rode for her college equestrian team and worked on a dairy farm, which sparked an interest in equine and ruminant medicine. She graduated from Midwestern University, College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a large animal rotating internship at Iowa State University following graduation. 

    Dr. Craig enjoys working with small and large animals with a special interest in cardiology. In her spare time, she enjoys riding horses and hiking with her dog. 

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    Tara Hendren
    Office Manager, Certified Veterinary Technician

    Tara graduated with a degree in Veterinary Technology from Rockford Career College in 2017, and joined our staff that same year. Tara shares her time between both the Ashton and Kaneville locations. Tara was born and raised in Paw Paw, IL and enjoys working with both small and large animals. Tara's favorite area of interest is oral health and anesthesia for both canines and felines. Her personal pets include two dogs and three cats. In her spare time, Tara enjoys taking her dogs to the dog park and playing recreational volleyball.

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    Mallory Streit
    Certified Veterinary Technician

    Mallory joined the staff at Ashton Animal Clinic in May 2011. You will find Mallory working at both our Ashton and Kaneville locations. She earned her degree in Veterinary Technology at Rockford Career College in 2009. Mallory enjoys her position as a veterinary technician because it gives her the chance to educate clients on pet care and nutrition. Mallory enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 children, and their dog Krypto. 

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    Cat Gonzalez
    Certified Veterinary Technician

    Cat graduated with a degree in Veterinary Technology from Rockford Career College in 2016 and joined our team later that same year. She did her internship at River Ridge Animal Hospital in Dixon, IL. Cat’s favorite thing to do is assisting with surgery and helping pets through the recovery process. In her down time, she enjoys spending time with her dog and three cats. 

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    Neva Lauer
    Certified Veterinary Technician

    We welcomed Neva to our team in 2020. She received her Veterinary Technology degree from Rockford Career College. Neva enjoys small and exotic animal medicine. She enjoys spending time with her personal pets which include; 1 dog, 1 ferret, 3 ducks, 4 goats and 4 rats. 

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    Kaitlynn Niemczyk
    Certified Veterinary Technician

    Kaitlynn graduated from RCC in 2022. She complete her internship with us and decided to stick around full time! Kaitlynn loves working with all species but dogs are her favorite! In her free time she likes to hike with her two Labrador Retrievers, Daisy and Molly. 

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    Kaitlyn Sikkema
    Certified Veterinary Technician

    Kaitlin began working at Ashton Animal Clinic in 2021 and has been in the veterinary field for 4 years previously. She is attending Rockford Career College and earning her degree in Veterinary Technology. She has a special interest in digital imaging/radiology. She has one dog, two cats and two chinchillas.

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    Amy Lauer
    Veterinary Technician

    Amy has been a veterinary technician with the Ashton Animal Clinic since 2008. She offers multiple years of experience and knowledge in canine breeding and showing to our clients. Amy enjoys working at Ashton Animal Clinic because it gives her the chance to help educate owners on pet care. Amy lives on an acreage with her husband John and their 4 children. Her personal pets include dogs, cats, horses, goats, and ducks. 

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    Katie Harmata
    Veterinary Assistant

    Katie is our veterinary assistant and has been with us since 2019. You will see Katie mostly at the Kaneville Office but she does help at the Ashton Office occasionally! Providing care and attention to all of our boarding patients is the best part of her job. In her spare time she loves to garden and volunteer at TAILS. Her personal pets include 2 dogs and 2 cats. 

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    Meredith Liedberg
    Receptionist

    Meredith joined us as a receptionist in 2022. She loves interacting with all of our clients and greeting each pet that comes to visit. Meredith likes to spend time riding her horse, Gypsy, going on walks with her dog, Walter, and traveling when she can. 

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    Michelle Hunt
    Receptionist, Veterinary Assistant

    Michelle moved to the area in 2013 and started working as a bather at a local pet store. With her love of animals, she wanted to become more involved with not only the pets, but the owners as well leading her to join our team at Ashton Animal Clinic in 2016. Michelle has grown up with owning dogs and cats her whole life. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time and traveling with her husband, children, and pets.

Office Hours

Our Regular Schedule

Ashton Office

Monday

7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Tuesday

7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday

7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Thursday

7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Friday

7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday

7:30 am - 12:30 pm

Sunday

Closed

Kaneville Office

Monday

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Tuesday

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday

8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Thursday

Closed

Friday

8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Saturday

Closed

Sunday

Closed

Ashton Office

Monday
7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Tuesday
7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday
7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday
7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday
7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday
7:30 am - 12:30 pm
Sunday
Closed

Kaneville Office

Monday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tuesday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday
Closed
Friday
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Location

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Contact Us

We look forward to hearing from you