South Davis Veterinary Center
2008
Dr. Mike Yackey grew up in a suburb of San Diego, CA. After graduating from UC San Diego in 1992 with degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology, he worked at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla studying neuroscience. He moved to Davis in 1994 to start veterinary school, bringing his 3 cats with him. While at UCD, he focused on small animal medicine with special interests in surgery, anesthesia, and radiology. He worked on a couple of research projects including one that sent him to Africa. He worked in Sacramento for 5 years before opening South Davis Veterinary Center with his wife, Dr. Bradley. Outside interests include surfing, snowboarding, kayaking, and backpacking- none of which he gets to do now. He also helps in the garden, scoops the litterboxes and takes out the trash.
Dr. Cara Bradley was born and raised in Los Angeles. She went to UC Berkeley for her undergraduate education in English. She started vet school at UC Davis in 1992. Her focus was on small animal medicine with special interests in internal medicine, radiology, and ultrasound. She worked for 7 years in a progressive practice in San Ramon while it grew from 4 doctors to 11. She is very excited to work at her own practice in Davis. Her hobbies include kayaking, gardening, hiking, and reading.
Mike and Cara live in downtown Davis with their 2 cats. See the nice orange cat in the photo? His name is Jack, and it takes three people to restrain him in the veterinary hospital. Our dearly departed, Penelope, was easy to work with at the hospital, but three veterinary professionals working in tandem at home could not give her a pill. We are always happy to hear about your pet's issues- as we have likely faced similar ones at home.
Dr. Jenna Grimes joined our practice in August 2005. She grew up in New York, moved out to California to go to school, and graduated UC Davis veterinary school in 2004. She spent a grueling but rewarding year doing a medical and surgical internship back on Long Island before relocating to Davis when her fiance started vet school himself. We've been so excited to have her with us and have been impressed with her surgical skills as well as her intellect. Her animal family includes a dog named Jasper, a cat named Rosebud, and many, many fish. Doctor Grimes likes gardening, reading books, hiking, and riding her mountain bike when she has spare time.
Doctors
Michael Yackey
Cara Bradley
Their kitty Jack seen below
Jenna Grimes Seen with Jasper
It goes without saying that these wonderful people are responsible for making our hospital great and dole out a lot of the love and attention your pets receive while they are with us. While the cast may change from time to time, we have consistently hired hard working, intelligent and compassionate technicians and assistants. So bring in a smile to share with them next time you come.
Support Staff
Jennifer has been with us longer than anybody. She earned her RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) degree over 10 years ago and has worked in both small and large veterinary hospitals. She once managed a treatment crew of over a dozen technicians and delivered treatments to over 50 patients per shift. We are stoked that she has felt comfortable with us and found a way to stay engaged at our slower pace. She has taken on additional responsibilities in inventory and staff management. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from Cal State Sacramento. She is married to a great guy, has 2 active boys, and a menagerie of beloved pets at home.
Lesley earned her Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis in Animal Science and has contemplated a career in nursing. She has been with us almost from the start and we hope she stays. She is competent in every aspect of hospital life and knows how to get things done the right way. She helps set the bar for standards of cleanliness. When I arrive at the hospital in the morning and see Lesley’s car, I know we’ll have a good day because I can count on her to make sure things are handled efficiently and well. Like Jennifer, she has a menagerie of animals at home that she takes excellent care of. Lesley passed her RVT test this year and has recently been accepted into a nursing school program. This is bittersweet for us as we love her and wish her the best, but will miss her when she goes.
Sonia Varela
Sonia has been very busy lately. In fall of 2007, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Adrian. Sonia is lucky to have family in the area to support her. We are sure that Fernando, and daughter, Ana, have been a big help as well. Sonia has a lot of veterinary technician experience, has completed a certified Veterinary Technician training program and we are encouraging her to take the RVT test. She has been a big asset for us... Sonia really knows how to bring IT and get work done.
Erica Tong
Erica graduated from the Animal Science department at UC Davis last year, but we can’t keep her out of classes. She is constantly enriching herself when she finds time outside of work. She volunteers at a medical clinic on weekends, is active in church, and spent New Year’s Eve shadowing a team of EMTs. She’s a hard worker but also very friendly and personable. It is likely that her smiling face will be the one greeting you when you visit the hospital. Her family is close by in San Francisco, and she helps them take care of the family pets. I told you, she doesn’t stop moving.
Absolutely one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Anna is working hard to get through her undergraduate studies in Animal Science at UC Davis, so her time with us varies with the quarter schedule. We love having her around as light hearted approach helps the day to flow. She can tackle any job we throw at her and her technician skills have improved greatly over the last year. Her big excitement this year was turning 21. So be careful not to challenge her to a game of beer pong. Whatever that is.
Jennifer Hartman
Jennifer moved up to Davis from Southern California to attend UCD’s Animal Science 
program. She is working hard to get good grades and get into Vet School. She came to us with four years of experience working in vet hospitals, so she hit the ground running. She’s a hard worker and very friendly. She has been sharing some quality time with boyfriend, Devon, and their new puppy, Kimo. Kimo is very handsome and he loves visiting the hospital. When not at work, Jennfier likes travel and has been exploring Northern California’s beautiful locales.
Emmy is another one of our part time technicians that we hope will transition into full time. She is currently enrolled in the Veterinary Technician Program at Cosumnes River College. She hopes to earn her RVT this year, which will be beneficial since she likes more exotic pets like birds and reptiles that we know little about. She lives in Davis with her husband. She has had her own pet sitting business as well. You might ask for her help if you are planning a trip. Oh yeah, and she likes to rock Guitar Hero, too.
Pam is our newest technician to join the crew but already one of everyone’s favorites. She is quiet and polite, would never insult anyone, and watches with an eye that takes everything in. She has been quick to learn the basics and is eager to learn more. She graduated from UCD last year (Animal Science with several quarters on the Dean’s List) and will be applying for graduate school next year. Most likely veterinary medicine, but she is keeping her options open. She has adopted a couple of kitties recently. The one in the picture with her is Tank.