We are excited to have Dr. Daniel Hecht on our staff as a part time Emergency and Critical Care Specialist. 
Dr. Hecht was born in Pittsburg, PA, attended Penn State where he received his undergraduate degree in Animal Science and went on to receive a Masters Degree in Reproductive Physiology at Oklahoma State. He later graduated from University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School in 1984 and then completed a Residency in Emergency and Critical Care at Tufts University in 1998.
Dr. Hecht was Chief of Staff at Animal Emergency Care in West Bridgewater for 19 years where he also established and ran a critical care internship and residency.
In his free time Dr. Hecht enjoys spending time with his 4 horses, 4 dogs, 5 cats and rabbits when he’s not traveling, hiking, running or biking.

Dr. Borodic has always had a passion for animals and science. She has always loved biology and has always been fascinated by how the body works. Even when she was a young child and not yet allowed to have any pets, she would borrow wagon loads of books from the library on how to take care of different animals. She eventually came to care for an assortment of pets including fish, hamsters, gerbils, lizards, a rabbit, a cat, and a dog. After growing up in New York City, Sophie went on to major in Animal Sciences at Cornell University in upstate New York. She then graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell. Upon graduation, she got married and moved to her husband's homestate of Massachusetts. In her free time she enjoys caring for her newest addition to her family, a golden retriever named Sierra, as well as hiking,
rock-climbing, and traveling.

Dr. Funk grew up in Holyoke, Massachusetts and earned her Bachelor’s in Animal Science from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.  She decided to spread her wings by attending veterinary school at Kansas State University in the “Little Apple” of Manhattan, KS.   Although Dr. Funk enjoyed her time in the Midwest, she couldn’t help but move back to her home state of Massachusetts to be closer to her family, which includes her twin brother, and friends.  She married her husband Jon shortly after graduating veterinary school.   She enjoys spending time with her husband and friends, playing pool, and vacationing at her parent’s ski house near Mt. Snow, VT.  She also enjoys her 4 kids…her basset hound, Stanley and 3 cats – Doug, Teddy, and Bailey.

Wendy graduated from Becker College in 1996 with an associates degree in veterinary science.  Shortly after graduating she received her certification.
She has about 15 yrs experience in the veterinary field in both general practice and emergency medicine. In her spare time she enjoys camping and hiking with her son, boyfriend and friends.

Kristin graduated from the University of New England with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences in 2005, and has worked in the veterinary field ever since. It has been her lifelong dream to take care of animals; she enjoys each and every moment, and can’t imagine doing anything else. She loves spending time with her husband, Charlie, and their two cats Dilly and Rondo, going camping, and spending time with family and friends.

Amanda graduated from Becker College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science -
Pre-Veterinary Concentration.  It has been her lifelong dream to work with animals.  She loves spending time with her boyfriend, friends, and black lab Zoe.  In her free time she enjoys hiking, camping, swimming, and motorcycle riding.

Andrea began working for the WAHPR upon opening in May 2010. Andrea has lived in the Hubbardston area since 1999 and attended Quabbin Regional High School, where she grew her love for animals on her parents small farm with two horses, two dogs,  three cows, a dozen chickens and a few  rabbits. After high school Andrea became a Customer Service Lead Associate for PBMS ( Pitney Bows Management Services) where she was contract to EMC Corp, Liberty Mutual, and RSA Security. With the chance to work for WAHPR Andrea is one step closer to her Veterinary dream.
 In her spare time Andrea and her husband Kenny enjoy visiting with family, and taking there daughter Trinity fishing, and to the beach, but most of all Trinity likes feeding the animals, going for horse back rides, and for long four wheeler rides and roasting marshmallows over the camp fires.

Alyssa grew up in Gardner, Massachusetts with her parents, two older sisters, and their family pets; such as dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, hamsters, lizards and turtles. From the time Alyssa began school she became involved in several different sports and was extremely active. During the summer months when her activities would slow down she and her mother would volunteer their time walking dogs at a local animal shelter. The summer before her sophomore year in college, Alyssa was approached by Mark Ransom while working at her previous employment and was given a WAHPR business card. At this time she was offered an interview to become a member of the reception staff. Alyssa eagerly accepted and couldn't be happier when she received the news that she would be a member of the WAHPR team.

While not working, Alyssa enjoys reading, writing, spending her time outside hiking, camping and visiting the beach with family and friends. She can be found napping on her floor with her German Shepherd mix, Trooper, and her Pit Mix, Brandy, most rainy days.

Janice has worked as a veterinarian receptionist since 2004. Janice loves being a mother to Lucas and a wife. When she isn’t working she enjoys growing vegetables in the garden and tending to her chickens. She also looks forward to traveling with her husband while he drag races.

Janice has a min-pin Senora who loves to burrow under blankets and chase birds with her unyielding energy.

Caroline graduated from Murdock in 2002 then went on to broaden her horizons at SUNY Albany.  After graduating with double majors in Anthropology and Classics in 2005, she went on an amazing archaeological dig at the ancient Roman fort Viminacium. When Caroline’s sister encouraged her to try substitute teaching, she decided to give it a shot. This led to her most exciting adventure yet – teaching the English Language in Taiwan. During her time in Asia she was able to visit some amazing places such as Osaka, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; and Bali, Indonesia.  After making some life-long friends and teaching some heart-melting students, she came back home to her loving friends and family (and two new nieces!) to start a new chapter in her life.  Caroline found herself drawn to a place where she was able to work with incredible co-workers, play with adorable pets, and feel like she could make a difference in her community: Wachusett Animal Hospital.

Kara grew up in Ashby, Massachusetts with her parents and two sisters. She has always loved nature and taking care of injured wild animals like birds and mice, and knew that her future would involve animals in some way. While attending high school at the age of 16, Kara received her first job at a veterinary clinic and fell in love with nurturing and learning about the different animals.  After graduating from Dean College, Kara pursued work in the veterinary field again, and was more than excited when she became part of the WAHPR team.

While she’s not at work, Kara loves to travel with her fiancé, Jimmy, and train her Dobermann, Elsa.  She and Jimmy are currently training dogs in bite sports, focusing on French Ring and Schutzhund.
 

Samantha grew up on a farm in Templeton, Massachusetts where her family raised cows, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs, and rabbits.From a young age she showed her love for animals and being outdoors. Samantha attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology. After graduating she began working seasonally for the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Samantha became a part of the WAHPR team during her off season and couldn’t be happier. In her free time, Samantha enjoys horseback riding, kayaking, hiking and backpacking with her boyfriend and German Shepherd, Grizz, especially in the White Mountains.She also likes cuddling with her two cats, Lily and Tobey.
 

Dayna has always had a love for animals ever since she was little. She grew up riding horses and taking care of the family dog and cats. She has cared for multiple guinea pigs, turtles, fish, cats, dogs and horses over the years.  She has an associate’s degree in liberal arts & sciences and is now currently working towards a degree in veterinary science at Becker College. In her spare time Dayna enjoys playing and hiking with her Boxer, Daisy, riding her horse, Valentine, and spending time with her boyfriend and family.

Sasha moved to the small town of Ashburnham, Massachusetts when she was first born. Growing up she had everything from horses, dogs, cats, small animals, and fish. She currently lives at home with her family while attending Fitchburg State University. In the past few years her family has taken on rescuing stray cats, and now has a houseful of 9! In her spare time she enjoys riding and spending time with her horse, Sebastian, whom she’s had since she was a young teen.  She loves being a part of the WAHPR team and working with all the animals!