Dr. April’s earliest memories seem to always involve animals. As a young girl, she helped her dad care for family pets and felt that love and connection that only a companion animal can bring. Growing up in a small town in rural West Virginia, she spent lots of time outdoors and most childhood games and adventures involved at least one dog. Starting school exposed her to even more dogs in her neighborhood and many new friendships developed. Her dad could always tell when the school bus was about to arrive by the gaggle of neighborhood dogs which would assemble at the bus stop, waiting for her to get off!

Dr. April and her dad had their own rescue even before it was popular! She and her dad would find abandoned dogs and she nursed them back to health, then she and her dad worked to find them good homes. After initially thinking she wanted to be a human doctor, her passion for animals led her to realize she was destined for veterinary medicine.

Dr. April attended Potomac State College, then a year at West Virginia University before heading off to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, she practiced in Huntington, West Virginia for a year, then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Ten years after leaving veterinary school, she was proud to be able to open up her own practice in the Cincinnati area. In 2004, Dr. April and her family decided to move to California to experience the wonderful weather, beaches, and mountains and have become spoiled!

Meeting Dr. April today, you probably wouldn’t know that she is shy but it’s true. In veterinary college, she had to find a way to communicate with pet families and she realized that there’s a common bond with everyone she meets in the office—that passion for animals! Talking with the animals as she had done all her life led to conversations with their human companions and relationships blossomed. Dr. April loves every day at work because she is working with people passionately committed to caring for animals and together, they are able to make a difference in the lives of the animals and the people visiting the office. Celebrating, sharing and protecting that bond between people and animals is a unique joy. She enjoys bringing integrative elements into her practice that many practices don’t offer, such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal therapy, and laser therapy.

Dr. April is an avid athlete: she played basketball in college and still enjoys coaching her daughter’s team today. She loves spending time with her family whether it’s projects around the house, working out, swimming, playing with the pets, or simply doing nothing. In her free time, she loves reading, writing, and photography. She is a passionate Cincinnati Bengals fan. Dr. April and her wife Cathy met in 1999 and have been together ever since. They adopted their daughter Shen from China in 2002.

The family has two cats: Buddy, who came home with Dr. April for a long weekend and never left, and Cleo, who was rescued from a dumpster and hissed at everyone – but now purrs every time someone gets close enough to pet her! They also have three dogs: Stella, a pittie who loves to snuggle and adores children; Zoe, a bossy, but loving Boston; and Mea, a Boston who has never met someone she didn’t like & loves to sneak in as many kisses as she can every day!

Kim previously owned a property management company before retiring in 2006. One day, her veterinarian and friend, Dr. April Linson, called her and said she had the opportunity to buy a practice. Kim jokingly asked her if she wanted a partner; without hesitation, Dr. Linson said yes! In January of 2007, Woodland Hills Pet Clinic opened their doors to the public.

Kim has always felt she has a knack for calming animals down, and firmly believes that animals should never be afraid to come to the vet’s office. It’s still one of the cornerstones of Kim and Dr. Linson’s practice beliefs, and they do everything they can to make animals and their owners as comfortable as possible in the clinic.

At home, Kim keeps several pets of her own. She has a Golden retriever, a ragdoll cat, a senior cat rescued from an alley, and two Tuxedo cats.

When she isn’t working or caring for her pets, Kim enjoys drawing, gardening, and building things. Kim actually designed and built the clinic’s reception desk!

Zaneta is originally from the Czech Republic where she grew up on a ranch that had many farm animals. She learned to milk a cow when she was only five years old. She came to the United States as an exchange student in 2000.

She has been studying to be an RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) at Pierce College and has volunteered at Spunky’s Ranch and for the Hope Foundation, which cares for the pets of homeless people.

Zaneta is happily married with two children, ages twelve and four. She has a dog, two cats, a bearded dragon, and two lab rats that she adopted from school.

She enjoys cooking, baking, playing board games with my children, and reading the classics. She also likes to watch documentaries of any kind but, especially, ones on space, oceans, and the supernatural.

Lory was born and raised in Southern California. Lory’s father immigrated from Havana, Cuba in his mid-teens and established a bakery in Glendale, Ca, helping to instill in her a firm work ethic and strong integrity. Lory graduated from Pierce College with a double AS in Animal Science and Equestrian Science as well as a Certification in Barn Management. Lory went on to work as a horse trainer for several years before she moved to Loudon County, VA. While in Virginia, Lory made a horizontal move in the animal industry from the barn to the clinic and started working as a veterinary assistant. 3 years later, Lory returned to Los Angeles, continuing to work as a veterinary assistant.

She has over 20 years of experience in the animal care and pet industry. She is degreed and certified in Animal and Equine Science with 10 years experience working in veterinary clinics across the Los Angeles Area, including emergency hospitals.

All my life, I have had a deep seated passion for companion animals and their needs, and love to help people keep their 4-footed friends healthy and happy.

Crystal is a Veterinary Assistant. She started her veterinary career at the Arizona Humane Society in animal care and soon became a veterinary assistant. She has a cat named Maya and a Cory catfish that she traveled with from Arizona. On weekends she likes to go hiking and taking naps.

Melaney has been in the field going on 4 years, starting at the bottom and working up to a vet assistant. She started her path in vet medicine by volunteering, then getting hired on as a kennel tech. After about a year and a half, she got moved up to vet assistant. She has worked in both general practice and in ER. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her boyfriend and their puppy Sofie, working on their cars, going to car meets, driving through the canyons, and spending time with their car crew.

She graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Administration but was originally an Animal Science major. She was glad to have found her way back to this world after a long detour. She has always felt an affinity for animals ranging from horses & snakes to dogs & cats.

Melissa was born and raised in Southern California. She has been working in the Veterinary field for four years. She has two children and three fur babies. She spends her free time going to the beach with her fur babies.

I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and have been involved in the veterinary field for more than 6 years. Throughout the years, I have been fortunate enough to be involved in general, shelter, and emergency medicine, with a greater interest leaning towards emergency veterinary medicine. Recently graduating from California State University, Chico, with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, my passion and commitment for veterinary medicine have since evolved. After 2 1/2 years up north studying for my undergraduate degree, I am back in Southern California and have landed this amazing opportunity with amazing people here at Woodland Hills Pet Clinic! My hopes and aspirations for the years to come are to learn and help as much as possible while at the same time preparing for the next chapter in my life, the College of Veterinary Medicine.