Dr. Louise Burpee completed her undergraduate studies at Middlebury College in Vermont in 1980. She graduated from The University Of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. She came here to Dutch Fork Animal Hospital following graduation when we were still in "the little yellow house". She and her husband, Dr. Randy Basinger (who is a veterinary surgeon here in Columbia) have two children, Will and Carly, and share their home with two dogs, three cats, two birds, and one rat. Dr. Burpee enjoys watersports, tennis, traveling, and reading. She is a member of many professional and community organizations.

Dr. Claude Schumpert graduated from the University of Georgia in May of 1990. He received his undergraduate BS degree in Agricultural Sciences from Clemson University in May of 1986. He grew up in Newberry, SC. He and his wife, Missy, have two daughters, Ashton and Logan, and share their home with two cats, two Golden Retrievers, and one small mixed breed pup that is doing a good job of training the rest of the family. Dr. Schumpert and his family are members of Chapin Baptist Church. He is very active in community organizations such as The Rotary Club of Chapin Sunrise and Education Foundation for Lexington-Richland Five.  He enjoys softball, golf, and volleyball. He also collects coins and Department 56-Snow Village.

Dr. Tiffany Boyette graduated from Ohio State University in 1996. She has been here at Dutch Fork since March of 1998. She and her husband, Dr. Heyward Boyette (also a veterinarian), have two little girls. The family shares their home with three cats, a bird, and a lab mix. Dr. Boyette enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with her family.

Dr. Johnson grew up in Charleston, SC and graduated from Bishop England High School before earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Wofford College. Together, Dr. Johnson and her husband Chris moved to Raleigh, NC where she graduated from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been practicing since 2003 and brought her experience to Dutch Fork on March 31, 2008. She and her husband had their first son, Cole, on January 21st, 2010 and share their home with a very spoiled border collie, Savannah, Iggy the lovable mixed breed, and three cats, Taiko, Copper, and Fox.

Dr. Elizabeth Niciu earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia in 2000.  Originally from East Setauket, NY, she earned her Bachelors of Science from Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA in 1992 and her Masters of Zoology from the University of Florida in 1995.  For the past 9.5 years she has practiced small animal medicine in Loganville, GA. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine. Dr. Niciu is thrilled to join the team at Dutch Fork Animal Hospital. Her husband Rob and 6 year old daughter, Jessica, along with Joey (a 13.5 year old shepherd mix), Coconut and Lily (Jessica's 1 year old Maine Coon kitties) and Daisy and Gracie (bonus kitties that came with their house in Athens, GA) will be along the the new adventure. For the past 2 years Dr. Niciu was a member of Contact Dance Ballroom Performance Company in Athens, GA and looks forward to finding new dance opportunities in the Columbia area.

Dr. Shire, a University of Illinois graduate, practiced for 25 years in the Chicagoland area before "seeing the light" and moving to South Carolina in 2005. Since relocating, he has worked on a part-time basis at Dutch Fork Animal Hospital. He now enjoys living on Lake Murray with his wife and 2 children (a 9 year-old yellow lab and a 3 year-old lab mix). Golf and tennis are his free time pursuits.

DeeDee Ashley joined us in October of 2002 as the hospital's first office manager. Dee Dee has always had a passion for animals. Growing up she owned many different breeds of dogs as well as horses, raccoons, foxes, ducks, goats, cows, birds, fish, and a baby skunk. She currently owns Leah, a Maltese, Jazz, a Great Dane, Belle, a Labrador Retriever, two Quarter Horses, Smurf and Cody, and eleven chickens. Dee Dee, her husband, and two daughters moved to the Chapin area ten years ago and have been clients of Dutch Fork Animal Hospital ever since. She and her family are members of Chapin Baptist Church. After nineteen years in banking, DeeDee is thoroughly enjoying her new career. She also enjoys photography, going to horse shows, and spending time with her family.

Carrie is the head of our Reception department and has been with the hospital since July of 2005. She and her husband, Chris, share their home with Farley the Jack Russell Terrier, Olive the baby cat, and Badger the queen cat of the house. Carrie enjoys reading, going to the movies, and shopping.

Tammy came on board with us in September 2007. She lives in Pomaria with her husband Mark and their children, Mark and Sydney. Tammy came to us with several years previous experience in the veterinary field. She also came with a great love for all animals. Tammy's family enjoys the companionship of four dogs: Rocky, Taz, Cleatus, and Clarabelle.

Erin came to DFAH in June of 2008 from Savannah, GA. She graduated with a B.S. in Pre-Vet Biology shortly before moving to Columbia. She applied to vet school for the class of 2014 and is impatiently waiting for results!  In the meantime, Erin and her husband, Sean, enjoy UFC fight nights, college football, entertaining their beagle, Rocky, and road trips to see family and friends.

Abby came to Dutch Fork Animal Hospital in March 2010.  She has a B.S. in Animal Science and plans on attending veterinary school after paying some of her school loans off.  Abby lives in Columbia with her two cats, Meesha and Vizzini.  In her spare time she enjoys reading, being outdoors and spending time with her boyfriend.

Willow came to DFAH in March 2009 through the Project Pet adoption drive.  She's a hard worker providing invaluable assistance to the reception staff by napping and begging for snacks.  She craves positive attention and is willing to chat with new clients whom she hopes to provide her treats.  Be sure to say hello when you bring in your pets!

Candi Smith began working here in January of 2002.  She graduated from Francis Marion University in 2001 with a BS in Biology.  Along with a daughter of the two-legged variety, Candi is the proud "mommy" of 2 Pomeranians, Lil Man and Brandi and 2 rescued Shelties, Princess and Bailey.  The dogs come to work with her every day so they are really part of the family.  Candi is an active member of South Carolina Sheltie Rescue.  Candi enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, spending time with the dogs, going to the gym, and shopping. 

Nicole has been a member of the Dutch Fork crew since July 2005. She's quite the busy girl, helping us out as well as attending Midlands Technical College full time in pursuit of her associate's degree. After losing a long-time friend of 12 years, a mixed breed name Morgan, Nicole took in two rescues- Ellie, a 5 year old lab mix, and a kitten named Wang. When she isn't studying, Nicole enjoys performing volunteer work and watching baseball--go Braves!

Kendra joined the ranks at Dutch Fork in July 2006. She is currently working on her Veterinary Technology degree online at St. Petersburg College and plays soccer in her free-time. She lives in Chapin with her husband and Labrador Retriever, "Stargel."

Amy currently resides in Prosperity with 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 8 parrots. She has been in the animal health care profession for 13 years. In her spare time she does some dog sitting and is a certified dog groomer. She also enjoys "soul time" with a horse named Sundance.

When Colleen Flanagan arrived at the clinic in the summer of 2007, she had been working as a senior animal caretaker at Carolina Wildlife Care for over a year. Still a steadfast CWC volunteer, she devotes much of her free time to wildlife rehabilitation, and in the summer is rarely without a baby squirrel or opossum to bottle-feed. Colleen graduated from USC in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Experimental Psychology. She lives in Chapin with two dachshunds, three cats, a pair of bearded dragons, a handful of snakes, and an ever-growing herd of rehabilitated box turtles.

Kayla joined the DFAH family in November '07 after working at Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. She has her A.S. in Science and plans to continue her education in the veterinary field in 2009. She lives in Lexington with her crazy Siberian Husky, Sasha, and her newest baby, a kitten named Harley.

Lisa started working at DFAH in march of 2008. She currently lives in Chapin with her husband Steve and son Joshua. They have a dog named Einstein and a cat named Oscar who are best buds. She enjoys relaxing at home with family and friends, music, and a good movie.

Paddi is the head kennel technician. She joined DFAH in September 2008 to pursue a career of working with animals after a career in the financial industry for 14 years. She is also a volunteer caregiver at Carolina Wildlife Care.  Paddi has earned a certificate from Midlands Technical College as a Veterinary Assistant and has plans to continue her education in the veterinary field in the near future.  She has a heartfelt passion for the care of animals of all kinds.  She is the mom of a blue pitbull (Oz) and a white English bull/boxer mix (Lewi).  Paddi is dedicated to giving the best of care to your pets in the upcoming years at DFAH.