Bethany Animal Hospital's Team

Deborah Schelkopf

DVM, Retired

Dr. Deborah Schelkopf started with Bethany Animal Hospital in 1978 as the only small animal veterinarian. Since then, Dr. Schelkopf has been instrumental in growing the two doctors' part-time companion animal portion of the practice to what it is today: a highly respected four-doctor practice with deep ties to the community. She was also instrumental in designing the current hospital layout, which opened in 1979. In 1980, she strived for and achieved the prestigious American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accreditation.

Dr. Schelkopf spent her entire career with Bethany Animal Hospital. Her special interests were internal medicine, clinical pathology, client education, and rehabilitation medicine. She was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Illinois Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association. Her philosophy of a high standard of care, continuing education and client services continue to be the foundation of Bethany Animal Hospital.



Carlos Dominguez

DVM

Dr. Carlos Dominguez is a family pet general practitioner who has been with Bethany Animal Hospital since January 2000. For his undergraduate studies, Dr. Dominguez enrolled in Kansas State University where he graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in biology and associate degrees in animal science and animal nutrition. 

That Fall, he entered Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine where he received the George W. Catt Memorial Scholarship. In 1991, he graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Dominguez's areas of special professional interest include orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, small animal and exotic medicine, and pain management. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, and the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association. He also holds continuing education certification in pain management.

Dr. Dominguez is a proud father of four children; Alexandra, Marcus, Javier, and Manuel. He also has two adored pups at home- Basil and Ivy. Dr. Dominguez's interests outside of work include sports, reading, and a deep love for music, mostly jazz.

LeAnn Gruber

DVM

Dr. LeAnn Gruber is a general practitioner who began her veterinary career at Bethany Animal Hospital shortly after graduating from the University of Illinois’ College of Veterinary Medicine in June of 2001.

Dr. Gruber attended Western Illinois University for her undergraduate studies and graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. That fall, she entered the veterinary school where she received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2001.

Dr. Gruber’s areas of professional interest are preventative medicine, nutrition/weight management and end of life care. She is a member of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, and is fear free certified.

At home, Dr. Gruber shares her home with her husband and two wonderful daughters. They also have two cats, Lanie and Olive, and a dog, Stella. Outside her home, she has an assortment of outside animals, including chickens! Dr. Gruber’s interests include cooking, baking, crafts, and gardening. She is also a “Relay for Life” participant and team captain.

Heather Brown

DVM

Alan Hertz

DVM

Dr. Hertz graduated from Iowa State University in 2005 and has practiced a variety of medicine since his graduation including mixed animal, production, and companion animal medicine. He enjoys establishing long term relationships with pets and finding ways to constantly improve their quality of life.

Dr. Hertz is married with two boys. His furry family members are a 1 year old female Bassett hound named Jude and a 3 year old female wire terrier mix named Lucy. His cats are Animagus, a 6 year old female, and Shadow, a 7 month old male. His kids have helped name and select the three youngest and are definitely their companions.

As a family, they enjoy spending time outdoors exploring nature, music, and games. They like to travel, as well as explore their community. 

Natalie

Practice Manager

Natalie Waters became Practice Manager for the Companion Animal Division of Bethany Animal Hospital in February of 2012. Prior to that, she was a part of our Large Animal Division beginning in 2002. She is a member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. 

“I am proud to be a member of the team.” Says Natalie “it is our goal to educate our clients and give their pets the best possible care available.”

Natalie is a cat lover and shares her home with many feline friends who have found her over the years.  Her interests include cooking, walking, going to movies, and playing Play-Doh and Legos with all her adopted grandchildren.

Erin

Facility Manager

Erin is our building manager. She began her career with us in September of 2001 and began her career in the animal care field in 1997. Erin worked primarily in our boarding department for many years, but has since expanded into her building manager role providing maintenance and many other duties that keep our hospital running smoothly.

“Everyone here is like a second family; very caring and thorough,” she says. “I feel everyone really wants to be here and takes pride in their job, no matter what their job is.” Erin shares her home with her daughter, a cat named Otto, and a dog named Axle- who likes to join her at work most days!

Jackie

HR Manager & Lead Director



Jackie joined Bethany Animal Hospital in the fall of 2015. She is a lead veterinary assistant and completed the Kishwaukee College Veterinary Assistant Program. Additionally, she transitioned into her human resources role after completing her certification as a Human Resources Professional through Kishwaukee College. From helping our doctors, assisting with procedures, and tackling administrative work, Jackie is a very well rounded, caring, and passionate employee. Jackie’s dedication to the team continues to show each and every day. At home, Jackie has two pets, a Chihuahua named Chloe and an Australian Cattle Dog named Mika. Jackie loves spending her free time with her husband and son.

Carly

Reception Lead & Lead Co-Director



Carly has worked professionally with animals since 2009 and especially loves working with cats and exotic pets. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Behavior from Carroll University in 2015, and began her career with Bethany Animal Hospital in 2016. Currently, Carly manages in our reception area and does many different tasks to help create the best client experience. Additionally, she helps clients with feline behavioral issues and has a soft spot for special needs cats.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her pets, husband, and family. Carly loves to hike and spend time outdoors, and she also loves to cook.

Tara

Certified Veterinary Technician Lead

Tara joined our team in June 2015 as a Certified Veterinary Technician. She performs a wide variety of administrative tasks around the hospital. “Every day is different, so you never know what is going to walk in the door,” she says. “I get to learn something new almost every day.” Tara earned her associate degree in applied science from Rockford Career College in 2012. She previously worked as a CVT at the Banfield Pet Hospital in Aurora. She is the proud pet parent of Josie the Dachshund/ Chihuahua Mix. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, knitting/crocheting, watching Netflix, and reading.

Desiree

Certified Veterinary Technician Lead

This is Desiree or Dez for short. She started at Bethany in October of 2020 after graduating from Rockford Career College in 2018. She is a Certified Veterinary Technician and previously worked in general practice and small animal emergency care.

“I enjoy the fast-paced environment. My favorite thing about my job is seeing the animals improvements from getting treatments as well as helping them recover.”

When she is not working, she enjoys hiking, especially in the mountains, traveling, and spending time on the water. If it is cold, Dez enjoys making chunky blankets, painting, or reading. Most of all, she enjoys spending time with her animals. She has two dogs, Shadow and Copper, a guinea pig named Pascal, and two cats named Furby and Amara.

Arraia

Certified Veterinary Technician

Arraia shares her home with her son, Airius, her three dogs, Ike, Louie, and Mira, and her gecko, Stitch. Arraia enjoys meeting new people and creating relationships with clients as well as her coworkers. In her free time, she likes to be outside biking, golfing, and teaching her son to play soccer and golf. She also loves puzzles and drawing.

Elizabeth

Certified Veterinary Technician



Elizabeth is a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT). She shares her home with her husband, Tony, her son, Mateo, her dog named Tucker, and her gecko named Chili. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, making crafts, and going hiking. Elizabeth most enjoys Bethany for the variety of animals she is able to work with and her relationships with her coworker

Jodie

Certified Veterinary Technician

Rehab Expert



Jodie has been with Bethany Animal Hospital since March of 2009 but began her career in the animal care field in 2007. She is a Certified Veterinary Technician and earned her degree at Joliet Junior College. Jodie is also a Certified Canine Rehabilitation practitioner certified through the University of Tennessee in 2014. Her Patience and calm demeanor are keys to providing excellent care through our Canine Rehabilitation Center.

She says that client education is an important aspect of her work. She loves working with the Rehab patients and finds it rewarding to see them recover or improve from the conditions ailing them.

Jodie loves spending time with her dogs Fern and Blossom, the loves of her life. She is also a big fan of mystery books and has a great sense of humor.

Emily

Veterinary Assistant Lead

Inventory Manager



Emily joined Bethany Animal Hospital as a Veterinary Assistant in May 2017. She earned her Certificate for Veterinary Assistant. She enjoys working with many different species of animals, as well as being a Surgery Assistant! Emily says, “I love how Bethany is growing and the variety of cases and species we see on a daily basis.”

In Emily’s free time, she enjoys baking, finding new nature trails to hike, doing crafts, and decorating her house. She also spends lots of time with her sweet dogs named Kona and Kane.

Kait

Certified Veterinary Technician

Kait graduated from Rockford Career College and has been working as a CVT for almost 5 years. She has a cat named Mooch she refers to as “basically her child”. Outside of work, she loves spending time outdoors kayaking, hiking, camping and fishing. She’s a self-proclaimed “gym rat” and if she’s not working, she’s usually at the gym or outside!

Bre

Veterinary Assistant Team

Bre works with us as a veterinary assistant. She is very inquisitive and feels like she learns something new every day working with animals. Her goal is to become a veterinarian someday. She has two beloved cats, Kiki and Monroe.

Outside of work, she loves to be outside. In the summer, she likes to hike and go for walks, and in the winter she loves to snowboard! She also enjoys puzzles and hanging out with friends.

Hannah

Veterinary Assistant Team

After losing her childhood dog her senior year of high school, Hannah believed she’d never work in the veterinary field. However, less than a year later she was working as a daycare attendant at an animal hospital and fell in love with veterinary medicine. She is currently in college as a biology major on a pre-veterinary track in hopes to be a vet in the future! She loves to read, spend time with family, and binge watch TV shows (especially her favorite show Gossip Girl!). She has three pit bulls, Gia, Jade, and Jack.

Tyler

Reception Team

Tyler works on our reception team. Tyler has two beloved cats, Bowie, a sassy senior calico, and Grover, a Norwegian Forest cat that loves time outside exploring on his harness. He is an avid sports fan, loves movies/television, coffee, a good book, and going on a walk or hike with his wife. He has a passion for Information Technology (IT) and one day hopes to be an IT Support Professional. 

Carlyn

Maintenance & Janitorial Tech

Carlyn worked with us as a Pet Care Specialist for many years before transitioning into his current role. He has a one-of-a-kind helpful, inquisitive personality as well as his thirst for learning which has made him successful in many roles around the hospital. Carlyn earned his BA in Communications from Northern Illinois University but quickly discovered that animal care was his calling. “I’ve been a pet sitter since grade school,” he says, “but this is my first official animal care job. I love it!” During his free time, Carlyn enjoys catching up on his favorite TV shows and spoiling his friends’ animals.

Chloe

Reception Team

Chloe works on our reception team. She is fairly new to IL and lived her entire life up until now in the Hudson Valley area of New York. Chloe enjoys drawing/painting, knitting/crocheting, and video games. If she's not at work she's usually spending time with her friends and crafting. She is a big fan of cats, rats, and guinea pigs!

Lindsey

Reception Team

Lindsey started at Bethany in 2009 and worked here until 2017. She took a short three-year break, joining us again in the midst of the pandemic, and does not plan on leaving again. She has three little girls and one dog at home whom she loves spending as much time as possible with. In her free time, Lindsey enjoys crafting.

Kerriann

Reception Team

Kerriann joined the Bethany team in August of 2021 as a full-time Receptionist. She grew up surrounded by animals which fueled her passion to help furry little friends however she can. The opportunity to help people and animals drew Kerriann to the veterinary field. She has two male cats, Killian and Theodore, whom she loves dearly. Outside of Bethany, Kerriann enjoys playing video games and binge-watching TV shows.

Frida

Reception Team

Veterinary Assistant Team



Frida is a Receptionist and Veterinary Assistant and is currently taking courses online to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. Frida has a dog named Bimba; a cat named Rocco; and three guinea pigs, Brownie, Hershey, and Luci. In her free time, Frida likes to color and go for drives. She loves being able to help animals, and her favorite animals are turtles and opossums!

Kaylee

Reception Team

Veterinary Assistant Team



Kaylee is a member of our reception team and veterinary assistant team. She lives with her roommate and is a cat person. She is currently residing with seven feline friends. She was a cheerleader all four years of high school. Although she is not currently in school, she did complete some classwork in psychology after graduating from high school. In her free time, her favorite thing to do is play video games. Kaylee’s favorite part of working at Bethany Animal Hospital is simply getting to see animals every day!

Rick

Reception Team



Rick works on our reception team. He attended Montana State University for Philosophy and English and has also done coursework towards a Communications Degree with a focus on Journalism/Copy Writing. Rick has a Siberian Husky named Loki that is full of energy and keeps him on his toes. When Rick is not working he loves to read, camp, and go hiking with Loki. He also loves to go to the movies, play video games, and watch football. Most importantly, he loves spending time with his partner and her dog doing whatever the day may bring.