Back row, left to right:  Connie Blackman, Kimberly Cessna, holding Toot, Dr. Janet Ackerman, Bonnie Smith.

Front row, left to right:  Mollie Johnson, with Kodi, Shane Palmer, Katrina McClain, with Nikko, and Lori Ashe, with Nina. 

Connie Blackman is our "on-call" receptionist, after semi-retiring to take care of her mom.  She also works with the State of Florida in the Department of Health, Children's Medical Services.  Connie is originally from Havana, Florida, lived almost 25 years in Tallahassee, then relocated to Cairo in November, 2006.   Although she is new to Cairo, her father was born and rasied here and one of her uncles was a life long resident of Cairo. Presently her pets include two dogs--a happy Mini-Schnauzer mix named Scooter and an energetic Springer Spaniel named Caileigh, and two cats, Buddy and Harry.  Most of her pets were saved from a Humane Society or adopted from AMC.  Connie's hobbies include scrapbooking and greeting cards. 

Kimberly Cessna joined our team in November, 2007, with many years of prior experience at other veterinary hospitals and the Humane Society.  Kim recently married Matt, and has three children- son Richard, and two daughters, Georgia and Jessie, and a grandaughter, Karena.  Both girls have grown up in 4-H, and shown livestock for many years.  The family moved to Cairo from Thomas County in May, 2007, and have been settling their goat, horse, 7 dogs, and two cats into their new home,.  Most of Kim's off time is spent working horses and trail riding with friends.  Her newest interest is working her dogs (and maybe even the goat- he's a natural!) in agility.   

Dr. Janet Ackerman opened the hospital in 1986, with the goal of promoting the health and well-being of companion animals and horses. Jared, her older son, is attending ABAC, and is majoring in Diversified Ag. He & his brother, Dustin, have both been active in 4-H, both with hogs & steers to show, as well as Shotgun competions. Dustin is attending Southwest Georgia Techical College.  The family has two cool horses, Buddy & Dakota, (who love to go trail riding), two dogs (Nikko & Lucy, both rescue dogs), and Rascal the cat. Outside the office, Dr. Ackerman also enjoys canoeing, hiking, home improvement projects, and scuba diving.

Bonnie Smith is one of the voices on the phone when you call. She is our receptionist some days, and the bookkeeper on others. Her husband, Rickey, works at Allied Home Mortgage. Daughters Jennifer and Kerri are still close by. Each have sons of their own,  and grandsons Justin, Jakson, and Jaken are the lights of Bonnie's life! Occasional orphaned birds, puppies, or kittens are her extended family. Doodle Bug is her most famous pet; he came to our office after being abandoned and near death in a dumpster. Bonnie's TLC saved him, and he has turned into a happy, healthy member of the family. He's featured on a few other pages here on our website.

Mollie Johnson joined our team in December 2006.  She works part time and you can usually see her smiling face every Saturday at the front desk.  Mollie has a kind heart when it comes to being pet friendly.  Her family has 3 dogs, Maci Doll, a Pekingese, Mae-Belle, a Boston terrier, and Kodi, pictured above.  She understands that your pet is really a part of the family and is dearly loved and cared for by the AMC staff.

Shane Palmer was born and raised in Whigham, Georgia worked with us until he enrolled at Georgia Southern University (majoring in Political Science) last fall.  We miss him dearly and we're counting on him coming back, at least to visit! 

Katrina McClain is up front to greet you & your pet when you come to the office.  She is from Florida, but has been in Cairo for many years now.  Katrina has shared her life with many pets, and saved many orphans that needed special care.  She and her family (daughter, Katie) often foster puppies when their mothers are not able to raise them.  Her pet family includes Meg and Pearl (wonderful bulldogs), Deaf One, the lip-reading cat, and Creeper, a beautiful green cheek Conure.

Lori Ashe has over 30 years of grooming experience and can turn your scruffy pet into a runway model! Her work is beautiful. Lori also teaches our Obedience Classes here, several times a year, and makes learning fun for both the dogs and their owners. Her family includes Potbellied pig, Mia Ham, Nina, Toot, the Papillon, "B" the Golden Retriever, Rudabaga the cat, 3 horses, Carl the squirrel, one chicken, step-daughter, Hannah, and last but not least, husband Duane. They live in a farmhouse in Whigham, and participate in Rendezvous events where people relive the lifestyle of Colonial times. Lori is also training her dogs and pig (yes, really!) to perform in Agility trials, and doing splendidly.  Nina, who was recused from abandonment as a puppy, and Toot are both well on their way to achieving Agility Champion titles with both AKC and UKC.

Pictured below is our newest staff member, Kit Thomas.  Kit started as a volunteer, then officially joined our team in July, 2008.  She is a Cairo native and gives new meaning to the term "cat lover".  She currently resides in the country with her family of chickens, rabbits, ducks, turkeys, a turtle named Shellford, cockateil, squirrel, peacocks, dog (Mollie) and cats (Mattie, Kyro, Creeklin and Survi).  She is a  great asset to the team with her positive outlook and friendly disposition.

*****

And, here's the Way We Were, in 1998: Back row: Amber Evans, Dr. Ackerman, Penny Hicks

Middle: Joanne Saxe, Bonnie Smith, Tammy Hall, and Debra Fortier; Front: Obid the Greyhound, Dustin Clark & Seiger