MEET THE OWNERS
Jack and Julie Hertel
Julie and I were reunited 35 years after we dated in High school. Our relationship has been an endless adventure. Julie shares that life with me has been an endless whirlwind of activity. We have spent the better part of the last decade building an environment at M20 Animal Hospital that supports providing exceptional animal care to the community. We have experienced exponential growth at the animal hospital, Covid 19 and a new building for the practice. These challenges helped us grow together and bond even closer with our team. We believe having a fun place to work that treats employees and clients as family empowers the staff to focus on providing the best medical care.
We enjoy living with our daughter, son in law and grandson. Pixie, our cat, is the queen of our household. We realize the true purpose of our lives is to serve her!
MEET OUR DOCTORS
Tessa Peterson, D.V.M
Dr. Peterson grew up in Colorado and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota in 2001 with her bachelor’s degree and from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. Dr. Peterson joined the practice at M-20 Animal Hospital part time in 2009. She has special interests in internal medicine, surgery, ultrasounds, and pocket pets. When not working, she enjoys reading, painting, baking, and spending time with her husband, two sons and their dogs. As a family they enjoy hiking, camping, biking, and traveling to visit family and friends in the US and abroad.
Megan Tomich, D.V.M
Dr. Tomich grew up in Rural Southeast Ohio, and is a 2004 graduate of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating, she worked at a mixed animal practice near her hometown for a few years before moving to Michigan with her family. Dr. Tomich has a special interest in surgery, emergency, ultrasound, and preventative medicine. She resides in Midland with her husband and their four children. Their pet family includes cats, chickens, and two dogs Molly and Rosie. In her spare time, she enjoys boating, gardening, reading, traveling, and attending her children’s various activities.
Gary Bailor, D.V.M.
Dr. Bailor graduated from Michigan State University in 1964. After graduating he took his first job in Royal Oak. He then moved to Bay City, MI and became a partner at Bay Animal Hospital for over 30 years. Dr. Bailor joined M20 Animal Hospital in 2019 and has become an asset to the hospital. In his downtime he enjoys fishing, hunting, going for walks, and spending time with his family.
Kayla Wade, D.V.M.
Meet Dr. Kayla Wade, veterinarian who has been making tails wag with her expert care since 2018. She graduated with her veterinary degree for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and moved to Midland immediately after to put her skills to work. When she’s not caring for her patients, she can be found at her home with her devoted husband, rambunctious son, and their menagerie of pets (including two dogs and five cats). Whether you have a playful pup or a cuddly cat, Dr. Wade will go above and beyond to ensure that your furry friend is happy and healthy.
MEET OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM
Sarah Gushow, L.V.T. and Medical Administrator
Sarah graduated from Baker College in 2009, she joined our M20 Animal Hospital team in 2011. She is a seasoned licensed veterinary technician and manager, with experience in emergency medicine, critical care and general practice. Sarah loves the thrill of challenging and complex cases and is passionate about coaching, mentoring, and practicing best medicine. When Sarah is not working hard at M20, she is spending time outdoors with her two children, Carter and Lauren, her husband Craig, her Standard Poodle Charlie, yellow lab Will, and her three cats, Gus Gus, Tangy and Billy Bob.
Nicole Richardson, Front office Manager
Nicole Joined our team in 2019. She has man years of customer service and clerical skills. She enjoys spending time with her husband Shawn and son Ryan and extended family. In her downtime Nicole enjoys organizing, playing board games and doing projects.
MEET OUR LICENSED TECHNICIANS
Caitlyn McGinnis L.V.T.
Caitlyn joined us during her externship, and then graduated from Baker College in 2021. We saw how she would be an asset to our team and immediately hired her. She looks forward to a long career in vet med. When she’s not at work she is relaxing at home, reading a book with her two cats (Mocha and Stitch) and dog (Cinder).
Jessica Klein L.V.T.
Jessica graduated from the International Business College and Vet Tech Institute with a bachelor’s degree of Science and an Associate of Veterinarian Technician degree in 2018. Jessica owns two spoiled cats Channing and Whiskey and shares custody of two others (Lucifer and Hades) along with several family pets she considers hers as well. She works to so her pets can have a better life and she truly loves animals. In her spare time Jessica enjoys reading, word puzzles, traveling, and spending time with her pets and family. She also loves exploring new places in and around Michigan.
Ally Funnell L.V.T.
Ally graduated from Baker college in Cadillac in 2019. She has been in the Veterinary field since 2015. Ally joined M20 in 2022. Ally enjoys time with her husband and planning for the arrival of their little one on the way. She has a great passion for animals as she has 3 goats, 3 cats, a Golden Retriever and 2 miniature horses.
Hannah Filipek L.V.T.
Hannah joined the team in November 2022 but has been a L.V.T. since graduating from Baker College in 2014. Hannah has a passion for senior pets, rescue, and patient care. When she’s not at the hospital she enjoys gardening, reading, and running her small business Handmade by Hannah. In addition to spending time with her husband, Andy, she also has a crew of furred & finned family members, and usually a foster pet or two. Currently Hannah has 2 dogs, Khloee a Cocker Spaniel and Gemma a house-hippo/pibble, 4 cats, Lily, Cora, Mack & Merlin, and a tank of fish, ruled by her betta Dwight. Hannah looks forward to meeting all the M-20 pets and their parents!
MEET OUR VETERINARY ASSISTANTS
Justina Ellis
Justina has been in the veterinary field since 1998. She joined the M20 family in 2018. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, camping, boating in the Upper Peninsula and spending time with her family.
Brittny Rounds
Brittny has been in the veterinary field for 9 years. Of those 9 years 8 have been part of the M20 family. She started as a kennel staff and moved her way to becoming an assistant. When not taking care of patients at the clinic she is taking care of people’s pets while they are on vacation or at home with her own pack of animals. In her free time, she is usually doing things with family and friends. In the summer she does a lot of camping in Michigan with her dogs.
Janelle Gallier
Janelle has been with the M20 family since 2018. She started out as one of our kennel staff and moved to an assistant in 2021. She has enjoyed the experience of working with adorable cats and dogs. In her spare time she enjoys watching tv, playing video games with her boyfriend at home and visiting her little brother.
Taylor Wenzel
Taylor is a recent graduate of Central Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in biology and plans to go to veterinary technician school to become an LVT in the near future. Her favorite thing about working at M20 is seeing smiling faces when a healthy and happy pet walks out the front door. When not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping in the summer, painting, and traveling up north to explore places she hasn’t yet seen.
Kait Anderson
Kait has been with M20 as an assistant for two years. She is currently in school to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She has two dogs and a cat. Her dream dog is an Irish wolfhound and dream horse is a Friesian. She loves her job because she is blessed to see those who recover from illness or injury while also having the privilege to be there for animals in their final moments while they cross the rainbow bridge.
Maddie Maggert
Maddie started at M20 in 2020 right after high school. She has played a dual role as an assistant and receptionist. She is currently in school pursuing a degree in Veterinary Technology. When not at work she enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and her cat Paco.
Haley Owen
Haley joined M20 in 2022 with almost 12 years of experience. With her experience in emergency medicine, she has been a great asset to M20. This year she will receive her Licensed Technician Degree. In her free time, she likes spending time with her 6 animals and family. She loves getting to know all our clientele and patients.
Jessie Gage
Jessie was born and raised in the Saginaw area. Her love for animals started at a young age. Her family had 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a horse. She has a toddler at home that keeps her and her husband busy. You can usually find them camping, enjoying the outdoors, or watching a sport.
Madi Pfahl
Madi has been a veterinary assistant with M-20 since 2019 and has worked with us on breaks from college. She began veterinary school at Michigan State University in 2021 and will graduate with her doctorate in the Spring of 2025. In her limited free time she enjoys riding and showing on the quarter horse circuit, spending time with her dog, Bo, and traveling the world.
MEET OUR RECEPTIONISTS
Melissa Harper
Melissa joined the M20 family in 2016. She enjoys spending time with her boyfriend Jake and their newly adopted fur baby Lenny (Leonard). Melissa’s hobbies are cooking, watching true story documentaries, and movies. In her free time, she loves getting together with friends and family. Melissa always says, “this is her dream job”.
Bethany Johnson
Beth has been with M20 since 2020. She joined us during the bustle of Covid. She enjoys spending time with her boyfriend Rob and daughter Maci. She also enjoys going to the racetrack to watch her brother race, going to concerts and spending time with extended family.
Marnie Seefeld
Marnie joined the M20 family in 2021. She has brought her years of customer service skills. She enjoys gardening, cooking, bike riding, and home projects, spending time with family, and family dog Lucas. She also enjoys watching her kids Mason, Emma, and Bella’s sporting events with her boyfriend Joe.
MEET OUR CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE STAFF
Jake Loose (aka Janitor Jake)
Jake joined the M20 family in 2022. He is hardworking with a positive attitude. Jake enjoys his time with his girlfriend Melissa (receptionist) and their dog Lenny. He also enjoys traveling to Missouri to visit his mom and daughter Kaylee. Jakes favorite things are sweets, sweets and more sweets!
Sabrina Garcia
Sabrina joined the M20 family in 2022. She has brought a great deal of cleaning knowledge that we appreciate here. When she isn’t making sure our building is clean and sanitized, she enjoys her time spent with her two young boys and family, as well as her two dogs Icy and Stella.
Shawn Richardson
Shawn fixes everything we break at M20. He has years of experience in construction, manufacturing, and automotive repair. He thought being married to Nicole (manager) would make this job easy, but she is a slave driver and keeps him happy. Shawn enjoys spending time with his family.