Dr. John Arnold was born in Seal Beach California and has practiced as a veterinarian in Nevada, California, Oregon, and Colorado. John is a proud CSU Ram, he attended Colorado State University for his BS in Zoology, MBA, and DVM. While attending the CSU School of Veterinary Medicine he met his future wife who is now a Board Certified Veterinary Surgeon and Surgical Oncology Fellow. Both Dr. Arnold and his wife graduated with the class of 2006.

John’s proudest accomplishment is being a father to his daughter Rylee Rose, who was born in May of 2015 and is quickly turning out to be an avid rock climber and hiker like her dad. In addition to enjoying rock climbing and hiking with his family and border collie mix, Lucy, he also enjoys playing ice hockey, soccer, and traveling. Dr. Arnold first joined the Raintree family in 2008 and in addition to practicing traditional veterinary medicine is also AAVMA Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture.

Some of his professional interests include cancer management, pain management, surgery, anesthesia, dermatology, and strengthening the human-animal bond. You may see John climbing or biking around Horsetooth or up Poudre Canyon… or enjoying his favorite meal (Brunch) with his daughter downtown. John is still actively involved at CSU. He serves on the Curriculum Committee for the CSU Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program. You may see him on campus giving presentations to the Pre-vet club or meeting with graduate students on what life is like as a practicing veterinarian. John also started a mentoring program at Raintree that gives future veterinarians an idea of what life is like at the hospital.

Dr. Sara Sheltren grew up in Southern California and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She then moved to the island of St. Kitts, West Indies, where she would experience many amazing adventures while attending Ross University, School of Veterinary Medicine. After completing clinical rotations at Oregon State University, she earned her DVM degree in 2009. In addition, Dr. Sheltren’s interest in alternative medicine led her to complete her acupuncture certification from IVAS in 2012. After practicing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for many years, she moved on to her next adventure in Fort Collins after her son was born. She joined the Raintree family in 2018. Her special areas of interest include soft tissue surgery, acupuncture, internal medicine, and pain management. She also earned her Fear Free Certification in 2018 and is excited to use these skills to decrease stress for her patients as well as strengthen the human-animal bond.

In her free time, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband, son, two dogs, and two cats and exploring all that the beautiful state of Colorado has to offer!

Upon graduation, she remained in Fort Collins where she met her husband, Steve, worked as a veterinary technician and continued on to attend veterinary school at Colorado State University. Dr. Holwegner has worked in small animal private practices in northern Colorado and Thornton prior to joining the Raintree team. Her interests include internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, and the human-animal bond.

Blair and her husband share their home with their dog Evie, their cat Griz, and their parakeet Charlie. She enjoys singing, gardening, being outdoors, and is an avid bird watcher.

Dr. Shannon Lu grew up in Westminster, CO. Her love for animals began in late high school when she started fostering dogs for a local rescue. She earned her Bachelor’s in Science at the University of Colorado Denver in 2014. She moved to Fort Collins for her veterinary degree at Colorado State University, graduating in 2020. Prior to becoming a doctor, she worked as a veterinary assistant since 2012. Her passions in veterinary medicine include dermatology, behavior, and dentistry. She earned her fear-free certification in September 2020. She‘s excited to join the Raintree team for the new location in Timnath 2023.

Dr. Lu currently lives in Timnath with her partner, Ben. In their free time, they do Latin dancing, so you may see them around town teaching bachata social dance lessons or performing with their team. They also love spending time cuddling with and caring for their pets – a chihuahua (Soybean), a 50-lb mutt (Katana), a black kitty (Diamond), and an axolotl (Bacon).

Susan was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. In the summer of ’97, she moved to the wonderful state of Colorado to attend Colorado State University. In 2001, she graduated with a BS in Wildlife Biology. Susan wanted to broaden her animal education, so she completed the Veterinary Technician Program at Front Range Community College and in 2004 become a certified veterinary technician. Since then she has had the pleasure of working at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in various small animal services, such as Community Practice, Internal Medicine, and Dentistry and Oral Surgery.

In July 2013, she joined the RAH team as practice manager. Outside of work Susan stays busy with her family, loves to dabble with photography, gardening, and enjoys every opportunity she gets going to the mountains.

Sarah was born and raised in Denver Colorado. She moved to Fort Collins in 2000 to attend Colorado State University. In 2005 she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and in Animal Sciences. She joined the Raintree staff in January 2006. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband Ryan and sons Brendan and Ryder. She also enjoys sewing, reading, playing music, hiking, and 4-wheeling in the mountains.

Stephanie is a Fort Collins native who is excited to be a part of the Raintree Animal Hospital team! As an avid animal lover, she always knew she wanted to work in the field of veterinary medicine. After completing Veterinary Assistant coursework at Front Range, she discovered her true calling was in making connections with clients. When not working, she enjoys watching scary movies, completing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her husband, Brandon, who shares her passion for animals. Together they have been fortunate enough to adopt 4 retired racing greyhounds over the past 11 years, including their two current goofy greyhounds, Mulder and Scully.

Jaime graduated from Front Range Community College in 2012 with a Veterinary Tech Assistant Certificate and loves working here at Raintree Animal Hospital. Aside from helping clients and loving on the patients, Jaime truly enjoys obsessively cleaning everything and unpacking the weekly order. Outside of work, you’ll find Jaime hanging out with her family and friends, singing in the car, or taking a little mid-day snooze on the couch. She shares her house with her sister Jessie, three dogs (Princess Adelaide Victoria Peach III, Louie, and Dylan), two cats (Bella and Buttonlicious), and two rats (Beethoven and Socrates).

Lilah is a Colorado transplant who originally grew up on a small farm in Vermont. She moved out west back in 2016 and has lived in Jackson Hole WY, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, and has now settled in Fort Collins in hopes to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a Park Ranger. When she is not working she loves to spend her time hiking, camping, practicing her photography, and spending time at home with her kitten Pistachio and her foster cats from the Fort Collins Cat Rescue.

Brooke was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, and has lived here her whole life. She recently graduated from Poudre High School and was involved in FFA. Over the last year, she recently studied at Front Range Community College. She loves to spend her time with her dog, Jaxx. In her free time, she loves going on adventures, including four-wheeling, paddleboarding, and hiking. Brooke hopes to one day move up in the veterinary field and continue growing her love for animals.

Roxanne was born and raised in Peoria, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. She went to the University of Arizona for her B.S. in Veterinary Sciences, where she participated in the Pre-Vet Club, Collegiate Livestock Growers Association, and even competed on the Triathlon team. Roxanne grew up competitively swimming and traveling many states to compete, which is how she found her love for Colorado. She then moved up to Fort Collins after graduating college and worked as an aquatics coordinator and club swim coach before joining RAH. Roxanne plans on getting her veterinary technician certification soon and then pursuing vet school after. She absolutely loves seeing all the cute creatures that come into our facility every day and being able to help them lead healthy lives.

Arielle grew up in Colorado and initially came to Fort Collins in 2010 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Zoology. After moving to Denver for a couple years she came back to continue her higher education journey with a master’s program in Zoology. Arielle has been a tech for the past 3 years and strives to live out her dream of working with big cats in captivity in the next few years. When she isn’t TAing at CSU or working at Raintree Arielle loves getting outside with her little pack of dogs, Tate, Kiah, and Akino, cuddling with her cats, or taking a trip down the slopes.

Jessi is finishing up her undergraduate at CSU and getting a bachelor’s degree in both Biology and History. She is an aspiring veterinarian and loves to constantly learn, especially in the medical field, which is why she loves her job as a veterinary assistant and working with patients at Raintree. In her free time, Jessi loves to hike with her two dogs and husband, read, and horseback ride. She is part of a group called Knights of the Tempest where she does medieval horseback riding and even jousts!

Rylee is a Colorado native and graduated with a degree in Equine Science from CSU. When she isn’t working she loves to shred the mountains, go running with her exuberant German shepherd, and hang out with her ducks. Her favorite type of weather is a balmy 72, with the sun shining down on her so she can ride her horse. Although she is newer to the veterinary field, she strives to fine-tune her technician skills and expand her ability to help animals large and small. Here at Raintree, when she isn’t taking care of our furry patients, Rylee is our resident sharpie thief.

Natalie was born and raised in North Carolina but has also lived in Texas, New Mexico, and Nebraska. Now she lives here in Fort Collins, where she recently graduated with her Associate Degree of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology. Natalie loves learning more and more about the veterinary field and aspires to go to Vet school in the near future. In her free time, she loves exploring the outdoors, being with friends, or snuggled up with her cat named Mouse!

Kaitlyn was born and raised in Colorado and enjoys all things natives are required to – hiking, camping, snowshoeing, concerts at Red Rocks, and craft beer. Kaitlyn has known that she wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine since she was eight years old. Following a brief 10 year detour in the fine dining industry after high school, she is thrilled to be gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience at Raintree. She is currently enrolled in a veterinary technology program through Penn Foster. 

Born in a small town in west Florida, Devyn was always surrounded by animals. She grew up watching Steve Irwin on tv and spent most of her time playing with her pets and critters in her backyard. It was at that young age that she decided her passion was animals. Devyn spent the rest of her life dedicated to helping them and learning more about what she could do. In high school, she became a Certified Veterinary Assistant and later decided to move to Colorado to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. It was here that she began working her first job as a veterinary technician, and fell in love with it. What Devyn loves most about her job is getting to know more people and their pets, and making sure they know their pets are in good hands. In her free time, Devyn enjoys writing and spending time with her boys; her corgi Tyrion, her cat Jet, and her boyfriend River. The four of them all like to go on walks and enjoy group cuddles while watching movies. For her future goals, Devyn hopes to pursue a veterinary technician degree and begin working as a technician at a wildlife zoo or reserve, so she can work on larger, more exotic animals. As a kid, she always dreamt of holding her hand up to a lion’s paw, and she still insists on making that dream a reality.

Carter was born and raised in Colorado and has lived in Fort Collins most of his life. He is incredibly avid about the outdoors and, more specifically, winter. By far, winter is his favorite time of year. His interests include snowboarding any chance he can get, and you can always catch him watching anything Star Wars. Carter has two rescued animals; a calico cat named Appa and a Pit Bull named Pebbles.

Emily was raised in Western Nebraska but recently relocated to Fort Collins to pursue her next adventure in vet med. She earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology in 2021 but has loved working with animals her whole life. Emily’s career interests are in companion animal medicine, emergency care, and surgery. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, taking care of her many houseplants, and watching scary movies with her boyfriend and their pets.

Nicole is originally from Chicago, Illinois and is currently a junior attending Colorado State University with a major in Zoology and a minor in Conservation Biology on the pre-vet track. Nicole will be applying to CSU’s veterinary school in just a few years with large hopes to specialize in neurology, specifically in cats and dogs. She recently rescued a 6-year-old cat named Eevee who has been attached to her hip ever since. Nicole also has a 17-year-old family cat named Scamper and a 7-year-old Labrador named Macy! In Nicole’s free time, she loves painting, hanging out with family and friends, and playing tennis.

Kari is a Colorado native born and raised in Colorado Springs. From a young age she has always had a strong desire to help those in need; four-legged or two-legged, while being surrounded by animals large and small for the majority of her life as a former 4-H member. She recently graduated from Colorado Mountain College in 2022 with her Associates of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology and received her CVT in July. Kari’s career goals consist of orthopedic medicine, radiology, and zoo/wildlife conservation. In her free time, you’ll find Kari painting/drawing, doing yoga, tending to her house plants, and adventuring the outdoors with her boyfriend, Grayson. Although she currently has one rabbit named Krylon, there is a long list of many pets she strives to own and care for in the near future.