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. She is an avid trail rider and has two beautiful Quarter Horses. She and her husband, Rick, enjoy riding motorcycles together. They share their home with a gorgeous Rottweiler, handsome lab mix and an endearing house cat.

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, two dogs (one of whom is a Bright Spot Therapy dog), hermit crab and four 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 husband, dog and cat, 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.

Melanie grew up on the East coast of Massachusetts in the town of Randolph. As a child, Melanie had big dreams of becoming a veterinarian. She attended Norfolk county Agricultural High School where she had hands on training with dogs and cats as well as livestock, rodents, birds and horses. From high school, Melanie went to Becker college where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science in 2010. While at Becker, Melanie was an intern at multiple wildlife sanctuaries as well as veterinary clinics. During this time, she made the decision that what she really wanted to be was a veterinary technician. Melanie became certified in 2015.

Over the past 10 years, Melanie has worked as a veterinary technician in general practice, surgery, ICU and emergency. Prior to joining us at Riverbend, Melanie was head oncology technician for six years at New England Veterinary Center and Cancer Care in Connecticut.
Melanie lives in Springfield with her husband and son as well as their two rescued pups, Cooper and Bruno. In her free time, Melanie enjoys spending time with friends and family and being outdoors.

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.