Dr. James Speas - Medical Director

Dr. James Speas (J.D.) was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Coming from a family of longtime ranchers and having been exposed to the challenges and satisfactions of practicing medicine, a career as a veterinarian was a logical choice for him. Dr. Speas graduated from Colorado State University in 1984. His first veterinary experience was in a mixed large and small animal practice in Salida, Colorado. He then practiced in several small animal and mixed practices in Wyoming and Colorado.

In 1995, Dr. Speas and his family relocated to Southern California and he took over Crescenta Cañada Pet Hospital. Dr. Speas has a variety of interests in veterinary medicine. He has a special interest in surgery and enjoys the challenges of internal medicine cases. Additionally, he enjoys seeing the unique and exotic cases, such as pocket pets and reptiles. Dr. Speas is very proud of the quality of service his team provides and is constantly looking to enhance the quality of life of pets and pet owners.

Dr. Monika Wehbe - Veterinarian

Dr. Monika Wehbe grew up in the La Crescenta Valley and, at a young age, her love for veterinary medicine was evident. She has always been known for her compassion for animals and her dedication to their well-being. She worked as a veterinary technician while attending California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. After she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science, Monika left Southern California for veterinary school. Monika received her Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis, where her emphasis included dogs, cats, and horses. She is especially interested in preventive medicine, ultrasound, and radiology.

Monika began working at Crescenta Cañada Pet Hospital in 2008. She is excited to be working in her home town where the caring atmosphere, excellent staff, and amazing clients and patients have provided an unforgettable experience. She currently lives in Pasadena with her husband and three young children. Their four-legged family includes a cat and dog who were both adopted through UC Davis adoption programs.

When away from the hospital, Monika enjoys spending time with her children and playing soccer.

Dr. Brett Leonard - Veterinarian

Dr. Brett Leonard was born and raised in Titusville, Florida, which is located adjacent to NASA / Kennedy Space Center. He received his B.S. in Animal Biology from the University of Florida while concurrently working as a veterinary assistant in small animal private practice. Dr. Leonard then relocated to Southern California to attend Western University of Health Sciences and completed his veterinary medical degree in 2013. During his clinical coursework, he participated in many Southern California specialty hospitals and two on the east coast including Manhattan, New York and Boston, Massachusetts.

In his spare time, he likes to surf the many different beaches Southern California has to offer, stays active playing tennis and racquetball, and has recently began playing the guitar. His medicine interests include dentistry and diagnostic imaging.

Dr. William Widdop

Dr. Bill Widdop, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, founded Germantown Parkway Animal Hospital in Cordova Tennessee in 1988. This four doctor AAHA certified hospital continues today, serving companion pets. In May of 2017, Dr. Widdop moved to Glendale to join his wife and kids who have been living here since 2010. Bill is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and enjoys Small Animal Medicine, Surgery, Dentistry and Dermatology cases. He completed a small animal internship at Louisiana State University and has practiced with companion animals throughout his veterinary career. Active in organized Veterinary Medicine, he is the recipient of the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association’s Young Veterinarian of the Year Award and the Shelby County Veterinary Medical Association Veterinarian of the Year Award.

Outside of Veterinary Medicine he enjoys marathon running, having run over 20 marathons, including five Boston Marathons. He also enjoys painting, house projects and life in Southern California with his wife, their two children, a rescue dog and a cat.

Dr. Fiona Dodson

Dr. Fiona Dodson grew up in the Crescenta-Cañada Valley area and with CCPH as her family’s veterinarian! She graduated in from the Royal Veterinary College, in the UK in 2017, and subsequently spent a year as an equine veterinarian in California. She is greatly honored to have the opportunity to come back to her roots, to serve her community and be a part of the team that has not only cared for her own pets her whole life, but also to care for her friends and neighbors’ pets too.

Dr. Dodson shares her home with a Collie Mix, and a sport horse. Her free time is spent hiking with her dog, riding her horse and running. As a pet owner she understands wanting the best possible care for our furry family members and it is her goal to provide care for every patient to the absolute best of her ability.

Jackie Stryker-Registered Veterinary Technician

Jackie is also a native to Crescenta Valley and has grown up with CCPH because her father is Dr. Speas. She is honored to serve the community she is a part of. From a young age she has always loved helping animals. Jackie’s goal is to help create a calm and stress-free environment for each patient while offering the best medical assistance possible to the doctor. Outside of work Jackie and her husband are kept busy with their two sons and a cat who the boys adore.

Ivonne Garrido - RVTg

Ivonne graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2017 with a Baccalaureate of Science in Animal Health Science. She earned her Registered Veterinary Technologist license in March 2018. She experiences joy in applying her skills and knowledge to everyday cases but for Ivonne the true reward, comes when she sees beloved patients receiving the care they deserve. Growing up she was not allowed to have any pets, but now she has two dogs and one cat whom she adores. The mantra she lives by is “She believed she could, so she did.”

Elisabeth Binkley - Veterinary Assistant

Elisabeth is one of our Certified Veterinary Assistants. She has always had a strong connection and great amount of respect for animals. She takes pride in being able to help then when they’re in need.

Her fur-family includes one dog, a Chow Chow, Shepherd and Pitbull Mix as well as a Russian Blue kitty. Elisabeth’s mantra is that you won’t change the world by saving one animal. But you will change that one animal’s world.

Jennifer Strong-Pardus - Veterinary Assistant

Since a small child Jennifer knew she would always work with animals. Her journey began at the Pre Veterinary program at UC of Santa Barbara, where she was privileged to work at the Santa Barbara Zoo. It was through working at the Zoo and a local Petco Pet Store that Jennifer discovered her true passion was most fulfilled by becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician. The next step in her journey was to study the Registered Veterinary Technician Program through Pierce College. She started at CCPH as a kennel attendant and is now a Veterinary Assistant. She finds inspiration daily through helping our patients and her philosophy is to “Lead by example if you want others to follow.”

Seza Atamian - Veterinary Assistant

Seza is a Pre-Veterinary student majoring in Animal Science at Cal Poly Pomona. She grew up in Central California with horses, cattle and dogs. She loves working with large animals and is hoping to specialize in Equine Surgery. When she is not immersed in Academia or work, she loves fitness, horseback riding and playing her guitar.

Jen Gilmore - Veterinary Assistant

Jen a true animal lover! Her family consists of her husband, puppy and a one-eyed kitty. With every patient, her goal is to help make them as comfortable as possible. She understands that it must be scary for the patients when strangers handle, poke and prod them. She wishes she could explain to them what is happening. In the meantime, she tries to comfort each patient and see them through the eyes of an owner.

Fernando Soria - Veterinary Assistant

Fernando has a magnetic personality and animals have been drawn to him since he was a small child. He remembers coming home regularly to find some type of animal in need. This resulted in his home being more like a small farm. Currently his home consists of humans, a Cockatoo, two Maltese, two Sulcata Tortoises, a cat and a Pitbull. Fernando understands Confucius when he wrote, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Genevieve Rojas - Veterinary Assistant

Genevieve graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communications but shortly after decided her true passion lie in working with animals. Previously she worked with neo-natal kittens while working in a non-profit documenting wildlife rehabilitation and release in South Lake Tahoe. She believes in treating every patient as if it is her own pet. In her free time she enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling and exploring dog friendly places around Los Angeles with her two rescue dogs. Genevieve believes, “dogs do speak, only to those who know how to listen.”

Tami Vuyovich - Kennel Attendent

Tami has been part of the CCPH team since 2005. Before joining us, she worked in the grocery business for 25 years. She decided to get out of the Express Lane to pursue fulfillment through working with animals. She finds purpose in being able to treat each pet as if they were her own by offering love and compassion.

In addition to her two-legged family members, she shares her home with a feisty Maltese. When not at CCPH Tami loves to go on road trips and check out antique shops. Her favorite quote is “Happiness is a warm puppy,” by Charles Schultz.

Javi Gomez - Kennel Attendent

Javi joined our team in 2018 and is currently attending Platt College to study the Veterinary Technician Course. Ever since he was a small child he knew his career path would be animal centric. He decided to pursue a career in Veterinary Technology because he strongly values the bond between humans and pets. He has learned the value in the relationship he has with his own pets. His fur family includes a Bulldog, a Poodle and a small Chihuahua. His goal is to build a strong relationship with the patients and clients as well as give his utmost attention and care to each patient.

Carla Viana

Carla grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and always had pets. Her home consists of her family, children and a fluffy dog. After volunteering at a veterinary hospital in high school, Carla was hooked and has worked in the Veterinary world ever since. When not working or being a very involved mother, she helps the Monarch Butterfly population by raising caterpillars at home.

Mary Measures

Mary joined our team in 2009 after 25 years in the Film and Animation Industry. A graduate of the Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Illustration, Mary worked in traditional animation on hundreds of commercials, short films and feature animation releases. As hand-drawn animation transitioned to computer generated animation, Mary’s career transitioned from drawing animals to helping animals and their families. Mary is always ready to cheerfully help clients on the phone, at the counter and in the exam rooms. She has been a lifelong owner of a menagerie of animals and was involved in Pitbull and Rabbit rescue. Her credo has always been to follow your dreams. Please Adopt, not shop for your next best friend. When not working at CCPH she enjoys spending time with her ponies, horse, mule, cats, dogs and bunny.

Christie John

Christie has been working in the veterinary world for a couple years. Her favorite aspect of the job is with working with pet owners towards keeping their pets healthy and happy. She recently adopted a cat from an animal shelter that was found wandering the streets. Adding this furball to her life has shown her a happiness she has not experienced. Christie finds inspiration from Henry David Thoreau who said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

Amy Lopez

Amy’s passion for all furry animals guided her into the Veterinary world. Her favorite part of the job is being there to support clients with sick pets and watch as our team can oftentimes heal many of them. She loves seeing them transform back into loving, spunky and healthy pets. She is very thankful for her own furry babies, two feisty chihuahuas, as they complete her family. Amy truly believes the best therapist has fur and four legs.

Ali Stone

Ali joined our team in 2016 and has been working with animals for over six years. They are a huge part of her life, and she loves getting to pet all of the fluffy family fur-members when they come in! Ali loves all animals and her own fur-family includes a cat, a dog, a bunny rabbit and a fish. When she’s not surrounded by animals, she’s usually at school for art or going to events and food festivals. Ali looks forward to meeting you!

Jessica Speas

Jessica Speas has literally grown up at Crescenta Cañada Pet Hospital (her dad is Dr. Speas). Growing up, she worked in many different areas of the pet hospital and she quickly understood the importance of the human-animal bond. Jessica never thought about a career as a veterinarian but knew that she could do more as an administrator.

In 2002, Jessica became the hospital administrator and oversees the daily operations of the pet hospital. In February 2010, she was awarded the designation of Certified Veterinary Practice Manager with the Veterinary Hospital Management Association. In 2012, Jessica was awarded the designation of Professional in Human Resources and received a California specialty designation in 2013. Outside of the pet hospital, Jessica is a sports fan and enjoys spending time near the beach. Jessica's dog June Bug can often be seen at the pet hospital - she spends most days in her office.

Cristina Martin - Office Manager

Cristina’s passion for animal welfare started at a very early age. She grew up on a small, personal ranch in New Mexico and her family had everything from the typical barnyard animals to the more exotic like emus and rehabilitated barn owls. She was torn between going into a profession that she almost seemed born to do or trying something completely ludicrous like acting. Insanity won and she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. After coming to her senses and missing the constant interaction with four legged creatures, Cristina started working as a receptionist at an exotic animal clinic. The rest has been a fantastic journey as she has learned so much and grown as a person in this amazingly rewarding field. It is also a tale of caution to others, do what you are good at, not what looks good at the time.

From guiding new puppy and kitten owners through scheduling their first appointment to long time owners that need help navigating our online pharmacy, her goal is to help our clients give the best care they can to their furry family member. Cristina feels accomplished at the end of the day when she has helped clients in gaining information necessary to make sound decisions for their family.

Cristina’s family includes 3 dogs, 2 cats and a 35 year old Mississippi Mud Turtle named Turtle.