Lynn came to work at Riverbend in 2005. “For as long as I can remember, I have loved animals. And I am inspired every day by the relationship between them and their people. I am a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Boston College but have found veterinary nursing to be the perfect celebration of the partnership. It is truly an honor to be able to work with these creatures who teach us how to live fully and who bring such joy to our lives.”

Lynn has spent the last 22 years working all areas of the veterinary field, “from wellness to emergencies…from the front desk, kennel, barn, and shelter to ICU and surgery…from dogs and cats to deer and dolphins…from nose to tail and from birth to death.” Animal behavior, nutrition and pet loss are areas of special interest to her.

“Following the heartache of the losses of my beloved dogs and horse, our clients at Riverbend held me afloat with their kindness and the generosity of sharing their pets. For this I am forever grateful. I am overjoyed to have recently adopted my next canine soul mate, sweet Izelle, a little Kentucky girl.”

Besides her deep love of animals, Lynn enjoys hiking, biking, adventures, good food and music with family and friends.

Sam grew up in the Pioneer Valley, where she earned an Associates degree from Holyoke Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. She earned her certification as a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) in 1994 and is also a Certified Canine Trigger Point Myotherapist since 2000. She has worked at Rowley Animal Hospital/MSPCA in Springfield, as well as two other practices in the area. Sam joined Riverbend in 2009 as a surgical technician.

Her passion for animals began with horses. Sam is an avid trail rider and has her own amazing Arabian/Quarter Horse Cross, Parker. She competes in scent work with her two dogs Caviar and RangeMan. She enjoys riding motorcycles, bicycles and kayaking as well as traveling with friends. Relaxation, when it happens, involves reading a book with her cat Wanda on her lap.

Melinda Harris is a Certified Veterinary Technician as well as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. She came to Riverbend in March 2012 after working for five years at Southwick Animal Hospital.

A 2005 graduate of the Veterinary Technology program at Becker College, Melinda went on to study at the University of Tennessee. She graduated from their program in 2009 as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. She is also a member of the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians.

In 2012, Melinda helped us launch the Canine Rehabilitation Program here at Riverbend, where our post-orthopedic surgery patients go through a rehabilitation regimen with her. She also specializes in pain management and improving quality of life in her work with arthritic dogs, overweight dogs, and geriatric patients.

Melinda is also trained to perform laser therapy on our patients. Our post-surgery patients receive laser therapy, as well dogs and cats with soft tissue strains and sprains or inflammatory lesions (such as chronic ear infections or lick granulomas).

Melinda lives in Granby with her husband, son, three dogs (one of whom is a Bright Spot Therapy dog), bearded dragon and five leukemia-positive cats. Melinda enjoys indoor and beach volleyball, cycling, running, CrossFit, crafting, and the beach.

Kiley Turner-Heroux joined our staff in June 2015 and works primarily in the surgery department. A versatile technician, she also helps out in the wellness department and front desk.

Kiley grew up in Shelburne Falls, where she belonged to several 4-H groups. She raised and showed sheep, and developed a lifelong love of riding horses.

Kiley began her studies at the University of New Hampshire in their Pre-Veterinary program. While in school, she worked as an animal care assistant at the Dover Veterinary Hospital. After two years in New Hampshire, she returned to the valley and completed the Veterinary Technology program at Holyoke Community College. She earned an Associates degree in Veterinary Technology and her certification as a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT).

Prior to coming to Riverbend, Kiley spent nine years at South Deerfield Veterinary Clinic, working her way up to head veterinary technician. During this time she worked with all varieties of large and small animals and with wildlife.

Kiley also works part-time as an Artificial Insemination Technician for Genex, artificially inseminating dairy and beef cows on-site at farms in western Massachusetts. She has helped farm owners identify problems in breeding programs and decide on solutions to increase conception rates.

Currently living in Goshen with her family and dog, Kiley spends her free time gardening, hiking, and riding. “I have a great community of family and friends nearby, and am lucky enough to spend a lot of time with them.”

Crystal grew up in the Pioneer Valley.  Upon graduation from Westfield High School, she enlisted in the United States Coast Guard where she proudly served four years.  During that time, she became a small boat crew member of the Search and Rescue Team at Station Chatham, and then the Captain’s/Wardroom Cook on the USCGC Barque Eagle out of New London, CT.  She was fortunate enough to sail on the Eagle throughout Europe and the Caribbean.

After the military, she put herself through college at Holyoke Community College and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary and Animal Science.  During the last year of her education she worked at Boston Road Animal Hospital in the Emergency Department.  She then moved on to Eastfield Hospital for Animals where she worked in both surgery and the wellness departments for over eight years. Crystal is one of our newest members on the wellness team here at Riverbend.

Crystal’s favorite things to do include cooking, running. and spending time with her beautiful senior cat, Mr. Orange.

Linse (pronounced Lindsey, you’d be surprised how many pronounce it wrong!) is a veterinary assistant who has been working in the veterinary field since she was 18. Caring for animals has always been a passion of hers. She is the proud mother of 3 dogs: Rufus, Roxy and Kujo, all rescues. Linse and her husband moved to Massachusetts in 2018 so her husband could continue to pursue his military career. Shortly after that, Linse joined our Riverbend Family. In her free time, Linse loves to spend time on the beach, reading, singing karaoke, riding on her husband’s motorcycle and being with friends.

Beverley, who was born and raised in England, had a passion for dogs and horses ever
since she was young. She spent all her teenage years at the barn working with Show Jumpers
where she had a free loan horse named Valentine. After she graduated college, she entered the
travel & tourism industry which took her on a diverse and wonderful journey. She lived in many
varying locations including Ibiza, Spain, and on Carnival Cruise ships all throughout the
Caribbean. Here she worked as a casino dealer which provided a lot of social and cultural
experience. In addition to this, she worked as a flight attendant for British Airways where she
traveled all across Europe.

She moved permanently to the US in 1996 where she spent 5 years living in Miami Beach.Finally, in 2001, she relocated to New England and permanently settled. This is when she decided she wished to pursue her childhood passion of working with animals. Her career in Animal Medicine began, and she spent 19 years working at Ludlow Animal Clinic. This exposure was a great way to kickstart her path, and allowed her to gain a lot of knowledge in veterinary medicine. This opportunity also granted her with experience in technician duties, front desk, accounting, assistance in surgical procedures, and inventory and practice management. Beverley joined the wellness team at Riverbend Animal Hospital in October of 2020, and she really enjoys working with the incredibly professional, experienced staff: “I am so grateful to be working with such a wonderful team of Doctors and staff who truly care about the well-being of their patients, and who practice such a high standard of medicine”.

Beverley lives with her 17-year-old daughter Nadia. She also has two dogs — a 10-year-old Golden retriever named Willa and a 6-year-old Pomeranian who she rescued from Tennessee. Outside of the veterinary office, Beverley loves to travel. Her favorite destinations to visit are Florida, the Caribbean or Mexico. She spends her spare time training in the gym. She is very involved in fitness and prefers to live a healthy lifestyle.