Meet Our Team
Lesli A. Spears
DVM
Hey there! I am Dr. Lesli Spears, and I have been working with animals of all kinds for more than 38 years. I started out as a kennel assistant, worked as a veterinary technician, and eventually held externships during veterinary school at the San Francisco Zoo and The Avian and Exotics Clinic in Monterey, California. Since I graduated from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002, I have strived to understand and treat canine, feline, and exotic species’ ailments and diseases with the utmost care and concern. I welcome challenging cases, and I hope to learn something new every day! I love all the fuzzy, furry, and scaly creatures that you consider part of your family. My family consists of my wonderful husband, Lee, our awesome children – Hunter, Emma and Lisa-our beautiful daughter-in-law, one dog, two cats, 22 chickens, my turkey - Tommy Boy, my beehive, and my blue bellied lizard named Rango. It has been my life-long dream to practice quality, caring medicine for all of my animal friends. In my spare time, I love to ride my motorcycle, garden, camp, go off-roading, bake and travel to exotic places. I look forward to meeting new faces here at Quail Ridge and their owners 🙂 Livin' the dream...
Dr. Suzi Lanini
Veterinarian
Dr. Suzi Lanini started in veterinary hospitals at a very young age nearly 30 years ago in Southern California. She received her Bachelors of Science degree from Cal Poly Pomona in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. She went on to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree with Western University of Health Sciences DVM Charter Class of 2007. She opened her own small animal hospital in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca in 2015. It became a very successful hospital in a very short amount of time. In 2021, Dr Lanini became certified to perform Medical Manipulation (veterinary version of chiropractor) for small animals. Dr Lanini moved to the Carson Valley in the fall of 2023 after selling her hospital in Rancho Cucamonga. She enjoys spending her time away from veterinary medicine with her husband Jeremy, her 4 Arabian horses and her 2 dogs. She enjoys going out on the OHV in Jeremy’s jeeps, riding and showing her horses and going for hikes on the local trails. She also volunteers for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office with the Search and Rescue team and the Mounted Posse.
Dr. Linda Miner
P/T Veterinarian
Bio coming soon!
Olivia Colella
Certified Veterinary Assistant
Olivia has been with Quail Ridge Animal Hospital for over three years and is currently a certified Veterinary Assistant studying Veterinary Technology. Working with animals is her true passion, and she is dedicated to pursuing it wholeheartedly.
Alli Embury
Front Desk Receptionist
Alli Embury is one of the receptionists at the front desk. Her love of animals began at a young age, and she feels blessed to help them every day. Family-oriented, she has six children and two fur-babies. When not working, she enjoys photography and traveling to new places.
Tessa Marshall
Certified Veterinary Technician
My name is Tessa. I have just moved up here to the Bay Area. I have a real passion for working with animals. I have been working with animals for the last eight years. I am super excited to be working with such a great team at Quail Ridge!
Jasmine Boucher
Receptionist / Veterinary Assistant
My name is Jasmine and I'm a Receptionist / Veterinary assistant here at Quail Ridge Animal Hospital. I have worked here at Quail Ridge since June of 2022. I have lived in Carson City since I was 5 and have always had a passion for helping animals. On my free time I enjoy training and going on hikes with my dogs, aswell as making any form of art.
The love and care for animals has always been a big priority of mine and I'm honored to be able to be a trusted friend for your fur babies in their times of need.
Ariel Williams
Receptionist
Hello, my name is Ariel. I recently started at Quail Ridge with the love of helping people and animals. I came from a background in customer service and human medicine. I have a zoo for pets. This includes Cookie, Lucky, Sparky, Charlotte and Yoshi. I love animals and being able to help even in the hardest of times. In my spare time, you will usually find me attending various vendor events and assisting in planning different fundraiser events for the community.
Elaya Pineda
Veterinary Assistant
Bio coming soon!
Crystal Bennett
Veterinary Assistant
Crystal is thrilled to be part of the team at Quail Ridge Animal Hospital and is grateful for the opportunity to help pets in need. She is currently serving in the Army National Guard and is also an EMT studying to become an EMT Firefighter. Crystal has been passionate about animals since childhood and has worked in the veterinary field for nearly three years. She plans to continue pursuing her love for animals throughout her career in human medicine.
Halie Thoreson
Veterinary Assistant
My name is Halie, and I have been at Quail Ridge since the beginning of 2024. My husband and I just welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Aspen, into our world! We have two English Pointers that are trained upland hunting dogs, a golden retriever, and a cat. I have about 10 years of veterinary experience between general practice, emergency, and specialty medicine. I have a passion for animal advocacy, client communication, and critical care. I look forward to many more years at Quail Ridge caring for your pets!
Marion Haffey Scannapieco
Veterinary Assistant / Kennel Attendant
Marion started as a Veterinary Assistant in March of 2024. Originally from Las Vegas, she now enjoys living in Carson City with her cats, Beauxmonte and Iris. Before joining the Quail Ridge team, Marion worked as a certified medical assistant in human medicine practices. Her passion for animals made the transition from human to animal care a rewarding experience, helping her grow as a medic. She is currently majoring in Biochemistry, with hopes of becoming a Veterinarian in the future.
