Kim Unkel
Practice Manager 

Christy Roberts
Patient Care Coordinator 

Christy Roberts is our Patient Care Coordinator and the resident photographer at Woodland Veterinary Hospital. A California native whose heart belongs in Hawaii, she moved from Danville in 2003 to attend UC Davis, where she majored in English and taught horseback riding at the Equestrian Center. After graduating in 2007, she remained in the area while working at Cattlemens Steakhouse in Dixon, where she took great pleasure in decorating the mounted deer heads for Halloween and Christmas. In October 2011, looking to make a change and fulfill a childhood dream of working with animals, she answered a Craigslist ad for a position on the Client Care Team on a whim, and has been a part of our team ever since (aside from a brief sabbatical for the later half of 2017, but we pretend that never happened)! As Patient Care Coordinator, Christy handles all of our patient referrals to outside hospitals, schedules specialists procedures such as ultrasounds, echocardiograms, and surgeries, and schedules all of our health certificate appointments.

Like many of her Woodland Vet co-workers, Christy has loved animals her entire life, and was lucky enough to have parents who would tolerate any pet her brothers and sister could bring home, including snakes, geckos, rats, cats, scorpions and more! Christy inherited her passion for photography from her father, and frequently found herself using the family pets as subjects for her photo classes in school. Since working at Woodland Vet, she has discovered that one of the most rewarding parts of her day is coaxing out that perfect “smile” from her four-legged companions. You can find her whimsical seasonal photos of staff pets lining the walls of our exam rooms!

Christy’s most frequent photography models are her furry family members: two Birman brothers, Kahuna and Kailani. She fell in love with the Birman breed after first seeing them on a magazine cover in her old veterinarian’s lobby, and can’t ever imagine her life without one now. In the meantime, Christy spends her time causing mischief around the hospital (and helping with holiday events like the staff Christmas party, pumpkin carving, and Easter egg hunt), singing in her car, cultivating saltwater reef tanks, collecting ridiculous holiday earrings & socks, and watching every San Jose Sharks game she can with her husband, Thomas.

Blair Cacanando
Lead Veterinary Technician

Blair Cacanando is one of our Veterinary Technicians and has worked at WVH since 2003. She came to California from Colorado to attend UC Davis, where she received her B.S. in Animal Science with an emphasis on Behavior. She has always had a passion for animals and started volunteering at a veterinary hospital at the young age of 12. She has loved it ever since! Blair enjoys all aspects of being a tech, including dentistry, assisting in surgeries, interacting with all the pets and their family members, and even inventory!

Blair’s dog Kukui is a very special long legged rescue friend from the SPCA who loves to swim and hang out with his kitty friends at home. When Blair is not showing her love and dedication to animals, she spends the rest of her time being the Assistant Artistic Director of her non-profit contemporary dance company, CORE Dance Collective, which was recently internationally recognized for their choreographic achievements and are continuously invited to perform in California and across the country.

Sarah Freelin
Inventory Specialist

Sarah Freelin has been working for Woodland Veterinary Hospital since September of 2010. As part of the Client Care team, she feels honored to have opportunity to work with such a passionate group of people and to assist such amazing clients and their companion animals. While she is a graduate of CSU Sacramento with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art, she hopes to continue her education to become a Veterinary Assistant. Here at the hospital, Sarah enjoys meeting new people and looks forward to seeing familiar ones. Of course, getting to play with cute dogs, cats, and the occasional small pet (her favorite being rats!) is one of the perks of Sarah’s job.

Sarah’s love for animals stems from her childhood of growing up in the country with many different types of pets. From goats, to mice, chickens, to cats, she was blessed to share her childhood with a variety of God’s creatures. While she doesn’t have the menagerie of animals she did in the past, she is glad to be owned by her two cats, Kyo and Calypso, and her bunny, Su-su.

Kyo came into Sarah’s life during the winter of 2005, during her sophomore year of college. She adopted him from Four Paws Rescue, who had saved his mother from being euthanized at the local shelter. Sarah would not have Kyo without the hard work and caring hearts of Four Paws Rescue coordinator Jerri Hardy (may she rest in peace), and the many volunteers. Kyo brings much joy and laughter to Sarah’s life with his spastic and lovable nature. One of his favorite activities is to watch the fish in her husband, Adam’s, tank and attempt to catch them through the glass.

Kyo’s sister, Calypso, also came to Sarah as a rescue. Abandoned by her previous owners at an apartment complex, she was dirty, matted, and infested with parasites. With some care and love she has become a great addition to the family. She loves to curl up on Adam’s lap and loves to wrestle with her plush soccer ball.

Just as she loves and cares for her fur kids, Sarah looks forward to meeting and caring for the many furry family members who come through the doors of Woodland Veterinary Hospital

Cynthia Martinez
Assistant Lead Veterinary Technician

Cynthia was born in Los Angeles, but she was raised in Long Beach. She has a deep love for all types of animals, most likely influenced from her mom who also loves all animals. Cynthia followed her passion all the way to UC Davis where she recently graduated with a BS in Animal Science and specialized in Companion and Captive Animals. Her love for animals reaches out to all shapes and sizes for example she has had a pet chicken, hamster, turtle, birds and dogs. Today Cynthia is happy applying her love and knowledge of animals to her work. At home she is a pet parent to a shy Welsh Cardigan Corgi named Lucy and a free spirited mini Schnauzer named Effy! In her free time Cynthia enjoys cooking and baking, especially new recipes. In the future, Cynthia hopes to become a Registered Vet Tech and continue helping animals.

Rosa Mendoza, RVT
Registered Veterinary Technician

Rosa is a Registered Veterinary Technician and California native who joined our team in February 2016.  Rosa has always had an affinity for animals of all different types.  She has had animals her whole life, but her favorites are “smooshed faces” (specifically Boston Terriers). Rosa found her calling as a veterinary technician and began the Veterinary Technician program through Western Career College of Pleasant Hill, CA, in 2004. She graduated in 2007 with an AA Degree in Animal Sciences and passed her California State Board Exam in 2008. She gained her experience beginning as a kennel technician working her way up as a veterinary technician for the last 16 years. Rosa’s passion lies within veterinary dentistry and is currently pursuing her VTS (Veterinary Technician Specialist) license in Dentistry.

Rosa enjoys spending time with family and friends especially during baseball and football season. Her favorite teams are the Las Vegas (Oakland) Raiders and the San Francisco Giants. She is a proud Mom of an amazing 19 year old daughter and a 19 year old Snowshoe named Molly. Rosa is proud to be apart of the WVH family and the positive impact it has made on the Woodland families and surrounding communities.

Nikki Marchetti
Veterinary Technician Assistant

Nikki is a kennel technician and vet tech assistant at Woodland Vet. She is a NorCal native and recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BS in Zoology. After learning as much as she can here, her goal is to go back to school to become a veterinarian. She has always had an abundance of pets and is currently a pet parent of a German Shepherd and a Shih Tzu. When not working or playing with her dogs, she is usually playing/watching soccer or basketball, rooting for the Kings, or sleeping.

Christina Williams
Pet Hotel Lead

Christina has lived in Woodland her whole life. Her first job was as a bathing assistant and she fell in love. She moved up to a pet sylist and was so happy that she had the opportunity to take care of dogs and cats. She was grooming for about six years and then moved on to a private salon to continue her career of pet grooming for about a year. While she loved it, she realized it was no longer what she wanted to do. She wanted to be able to care for animals in a different way. She had the opportunity to start at WVH and has not regretted her decision at all! She love where she’s at and the people she works with!

Christina also has 3 fur babies: Jax, a German Shephard who is 3, Sugar, a Chihuahua who is 7, and Zoey a ShihTzu who is around 11. She is hoping to get a cat sometime soon!

Alesia Caballero
Veterinary Technician Assistant

Alesia has been with Woodland Veterinary Hospital since November 2017. Growing up in Woodland, Alesia and her family have been coming to Woodland Vet for years. As a senior in high school, she interned as a kennel assistant as part of her veterinary science class and decided that Woodland Veterinary Hospital was the place for her. Outside of work, Alesia loves to nap, bake scrapbook, and roller skate. Alesia owns four wonderful furbabies: her two pitties named Moose and Jazzy, her dalmatian mix Daisy, and her basset hound mix Koda. Alesia has always had a love for animals and hopes to continue in this line of work. She is currently attending Woodland Community College and is planning to transfer to Yuba College next fall, where she plans to join the veterinary technician program. Her goal is to become an RVT and continue working with animals.

Tawny Edwards
Animal Care Attendant/Kennel Technician

After working retail for the past six years, Tawny Edwards decided to take the plunge into veterinary medicine and joined the WVH team in October of 2020. Believing that it’s never too late to start something new, Tawny entered her new career path as an Animal Care Attendant. She couldn’t be more grateful for such a unique opportunity and hopes to master all entry level skills working with animals. She enjoys learning new things every day in hopes of one day becoming an RVT and continuing to contribute to the health of all your furry friends!
Tawny enjoys movies, singing, and is a huge Disney geek (she especially loves visiting the theme parks!). She enjoys attending church here in Woodland with her family every Sunday. While apartment living, pocket pets are the way to go! Tawny has one very spoiled dwarf hamster named Gimlee, and of course, there’s the family dog, a German/Australian Shepherd mix named Ralphie.

Kendra Mckee
Lead Animal Care Attendant 

Kendra Mckee joined our team in December 2020. She was born here in Woodland, CA, and her love for animals started almost immediately! Kendra’s favorite thing about working with animals is building a connection with them and watching their trust in her grow. She loves watching a dog become comfortable and come out of its shell when it’s around her.

When Kendra is not at work, she is always with her own furbaby, Sophie! She adopted Sophie 2 years ago and they are best friends. Some of her hobbies are hiking, going to the gym, riding horses, and being with her friends. In the future, Kendra would like to go back to school to become a veterinary technician!

Rachael Clark
Lead Client Care Representative

Rachael is a California native who joined our Client Care team in November 2020. As a teenager, Rachael began training and volunteering as a junior lifeguard, and as a young adult, she worked as a lifeguard for the city of Sacramento. She has always had a passion for people, and later put those skills to great use in the hospitality industry. Rachael is newlywed to Greg, and is a proud mom to her 16-year-old daughter, Grace. Over the years, they have had the pleasure of loving and living with cats, dogs, parakeets, goats, horses, fish, and even a turtle. Currently, two dogs run their household. Kona is a 2-year-old Vizsla/Rottweiler mix, and Jack is a middle-aged rescue Chihuahua/Terrier mix. They enjoy going on outdoor adventures together throughout California, or cuddling at home in front of a good movie. Rachael is happy to have found a home at WVH where she can expand her skills in service to others and work with a passionate and supportive staff. She feels honored to have the opportunity to meet and help all of our wonderful clients and their beloved pets.

Everaldo Coronado
Technician Assistant

Everaldo (Ever for short) just joined our team and transferred to UC Davis in fall 2021, majoring in Animal Science. He is from Glendale, CA and is very excited to be joining the Woodland Vet staff! Everaldo started working with animals when he was in high school, volunteering at his local animal shelter and eventually at their veterinary hospital. He also participated in many social events to raise money for animal care at the shelter. When he got a chance to assist on his first surgery with his favorite mentor in high school, Dr. Lisa, Ever knew right away that becoming a veterinarian was his goal. He is also Fear-Free Certified, which means he will do his very best to reduce your pet’s anxiety, stress, and fear here at WVH.

Everaldo has a lab mix named Cooper, who he loves so much but can be a handful sometimes. In addition to volunteering, working with animals, and school clubs, Everaldo also played lacrosse for his high school and continues to play at UC Davis. When he’s not working, in school, or on the lacrosse field, you can catch Everaldo at local hiking areas and boba shops! His hobbies also include watching The Office or Grey’s Anatomy, but often he will be outdoors fishing.

Laura Figueroa De Dios
Kennel Technician/Animal Care Attendant

Laura joined our team in June 2021. She was born and raised in Brawley, a southern California town close to the Mexican border. She got her Associate’s Degree at IVC Community College, then continued on to graduate from UC Davis in June 2020 with a BS in Animal Science with a specialization in companion animals. She has always loved to care for and help animals, which is why her career goal is to become a veterinarian. She loves to paint her nails and be outdoors in her free time. She currently has a 6 month old Chihuahua mix puppy named Daisy.

Candy Gaiser
Agility Instructor

Candy has been involved in the sport of agility since the early 90’s as a competitor, trainer, and judge. Like many “agility addicts”, she came from a background of competitive dog obedience. Her foxhound Hayley competed in formal obedience, as well as flyball and scent hurdles with their local dog training club. When they discovered agility, Candy was hooked. Hayley retired at age 14 as ADCH MACH Hayley UD NATCH. Candy’s Hildidan hounds have earned numerous championships in multiple venues in the US and Canada (USDAA, AKC, AAC, CPE, NADAC). Eight of her dogs, including three foxhounds, two whippets, one miniature silken whippet, and two lurchers, have earned the Agility Dog Champion title and three have attained the Platinum Lifetime Achievement award from the United States Dog Agility Association. Six have been in the USDAA Top10 in one or more classes.

In 1994, Candy started Jump Start Dog Agility and held training classes in several locations in the bay area. In 1998, she moved to rural Vacaville and set up a dedicated training site. Currently she teaches a variety of day and evening weekly agility classes at all levels from puppy and beginning through competition. Many of her students are successfully competing in USDAA, AKC and CPE agility trials. In addition to training, Candy enjoys judging the sport of agility for three associations: The United States Dog Agility Association, The American Kennel Club, and UK Agility International. She is a supervising judge for the USDAA and participate in the training of new agility judges.