Is your pet having an emergency? Call us now!
Meet our Veterinarians!
Dr. Vera Calpeno- Owner, Veterinarian
Before her medical career, Dr. Vera (as she prefers to be called) served in the U.S. Navy, acted as an administrator, and was a Delta Air Lines flight attendant. After the devastating events of 9/11, Dr. Vera left the airline industry to rekindle her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian, working as a Middle Eastern dance teacher to support her studies.
Upon receiving her DVM degree from the University of Georgia in 2009, Dr. Vera began practicing in the Annapolis area, which brought her closer to family and friends. She worked as an associate veterinarian for four years at Greater South River Animal Hospital (formerly Reichart Animal Hospital) in Edgewater, and at Chesapeake Animal Clinic in Owings, Maryland.
While planning to establish her own practice, Dr. Vera worked as a relief veterinarian for Anne Arundel, Calvert, and Howard County area clinics, and practiced emergency medicine at AVPES in Calvert County. Her search for a vibrant and client-convenient location led to the busy Pasadena crossroads, now the home of Happy Tails.
Dr. Julia Sebert- Associate Veterinarian
Julia was born in Latvia, where she spent her childhood summers on a "dacha," or rural farmland. There, she discovered her passion for animals, spending her days caring for rabbits, chickens, and a variety of other creatures, whether furry, feathered, or scaled. After her family immigrated to the United States, she pursued higher education, acquiring a BS in Biology from The Ohio State University. During her time in Ohio, she volunteered as a wildlife rehabilitator at the Ohio Wildlife Center and worked as a vet tech at Northarlington Animal Clinic. Julia recently returned to the area after graduating with honors from Iowa State University, where she earned her DVM degree in 2024. Her professional interests include ophthalmology (eyes), surgery, and exotic animals. She is thrilled to join the Happy Tails team as a new associate veterinarian! Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and their small animal menagerie, which includes a dog, cat, and ferret.
Dr. Kirsten Paul-Alfera- Emergency Veterinarian
Dr. Paul is a Maryland native! She grew up living in the greater Annapolis area and the Eastern Shore. Like many others in this field, Dr. Paul knew that she wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age. She has grown up with a veritable zoo since childhood and found a deeper love after she began working as a veterinary technician while attending Washington College. She then became a laboratory animal research assistant before attending veterinary school. Like Dr. Calpeno, Dr. Paul is a graduate of University of Georgia, Class of 2022 (Go Dawgs!)
As far as her professional experience, she has been an ER exclusive veterinarian since 2022, including Pet + ER Columbia and Veterinary Emergency Group in Washington D.C.
Her interests include emergency and critical care, surgery, and radiology. When not working you can find her either lounging at home snuggled up with her two dogs (Nova & Zoe) and cat (Loki) or travelling, hiking and spending time with her husband.
Dr. Melissa Reidy- Associate Veterinarian & Acupuncturist
Melissa Reidy grew up in Clinton, Maryland, and knew from an early age that veterinary medicine was her path in life. After receiving a BS in Zoology at the University of Maryland College Park in 1999, she attended veterinary school in Dublin, Ireland, graduating with honors in 2004. She returned home to Maryland, and has spent the last 15 years working in small animal general practice, emergency medicine, and feline exclusive clinics. Her interests include feline medicine, internal medicine, and geriatric care. She now does relief work, and can be found at Happy Tails once a week. She and her husband currently live in Glen Burnie, Maryland, with their two spoiled shih tzus and four demanding kitties. In her free time she enjoys swimming, traveling, and biking.
Meet Our TeaM!
Danielle: Technician Supervisor
Danielle: Technician Supervisor
Danielle: Technician Supervisor
Danielle started with us in October of 2019 and became our technician supervisor in 2022. She graduated from Towson University in 2019 with bachelor’s degrees in both biology and psychology. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in biology from Towson (and we are so proud of her)! Danielle spends her free time with family and friends, and caring for her reptiles. Danielle has a passion for exotic animal care and disease prevention and her dream is to become an exotic veterinarian.
Sam: Practice Manager
Danielle: Technician Supervisor
Danielle: Technician Supervisor
Sam joined our team in June of 2021. She has an eye for detail and a love for helping those in need, so she felt right at home becoming the Practice Manager for Happy Tails! Sam gained her administrative skills in the hustle and bustle of New York City, but has fallen in love with the state of Maryland. She is the proud mom of our mascot, Patty!- the one-eyed Golden Retriever. Sam enjoys spending time with her husband, playing board games, creative writing, painting, and fantasy novels.
Jess: CSR Supervisor
Danielle: Technician Supervisor
Jess: CSR Supervisor
Jess started with our clinic in September 2022, she is a Maryland native, grew up in the ‘Dena and still lives here today. She comes from a strong medical background and is currently working towards her skills in the veterinary field. Jess spends most of her time at home with her teenage son, significant other, two cats, and her dog. She enjoys shopping, traveling, eating out, and staying in watching movies. She also enjoys taking her dog for long walks and visiting different parks and beaches.
Brian: Client Greeter
Chynna: Customer Service Representative
Chynna: Customer Service Representative
Brian joined Happy Tails in October 2022 and is our designated Client Greeter throughout the week. His family Lhasa Apso named Luke has been a long time patient at Happy Tails. Knowing what great care we provide Luke, Brian was very excited to be a part of our hospital. Brian is a lover of all animals, and has lots of experience with dogs, birds, and cats. Brian is also a big Disney and technology fan.
Chynna: Customer Service Representative
Chynna: Customer Service Representative
Chynna: Customer Service Representative
Chynna joined our team in September of 2024, coming from a human medical background with over 10 years' of experience! Chynna was very excited to join the world of veterinary medicine; her hope is to expand her knowledge and eventually become a veterinary technician. When not at the hospital, Chynna enjoys spending time with her son and exploring new cooking recipes. Chynna's passion is customer service, always served with a smile!
Deborah: Registered Technician
Chynna: Customer Service Representative
Deborah: Registered Technician
Deborah first joined our practice as an extern via the Penn Foster Veterinary Technician Program. Deborah has been working in the veterinary field since 2011 and is Fear Free Level 2 Certified! Deborah hopes to use her technician license to better serve her patients, train staff, and contribute to Happy Tails's success. In her spare time she enjoys being outdoors and caring for her dogs.
Desirae: Technician Assistant
Desirae: Technician Assistant
Deborah: Registered Technician
Desirae joined our practice in February of 2024. She is currently woking on her technician assistant degree with the Animal Behavior College. She has dreamed of working with animals since she was 5 years old and is so happy to be working in practice! Her goal is to be a veterinarian with a specialty on farm animals. Desirae has worked with horses for many years and wants to own a horse rescue and farm with her husband.
Erica: Technician
Desirae: Technician Assistant
Erica: Technician
Erica joined our practice in December 2024, dedicating herself to helping animals live longer and happier lives! She has been in the veterinary field since 2017, her goal is to become a certified veterinary technician to continue her education and growth in the field. She shares her home with her pup named Angus and her cat named Sid. When not caring for animals, Erica enjoys hiking, crafting and spending quality time with her family. She also enjoys pet sitting on the side.
Gaby: Technician
Desirae: Technician Assistant
Erica: Technician
Gaby joined our team in May of 2023 and has been working in the veterinary field since 2020! She is currently enrolled at Penn Foster for her Veterinary Technician Certification. She is excited to be involved in more varied and complicated cases with our hospital. One day, she hopes to own her own large animal veterinary practice. Gaby is one of our technicians who deploys with the National Disaster Response Agnecy during extreme weather events! In her spare time she enjoys Crossfit, soccer, and boating.
Jessie: Customer Service Representative
Jessie: Customer Service Representative
Jessie: Customer Service Representative
Jessie joined the team in March of 2024 as a CSR. She has worked in the human medical field for years but wants to take everything that she has learned through her experience and put it towards her true passion, animals!
Jessie hopes of going back to school to become a vet technician and give back what our pets give so freely… LOVE.
In her spare time, you can find her spending time with her family, watching true crime documentaries and spoiling her two cats, Lady & Binx.
Jordan: Technician
Jessie: Customer Service Representative
Jessie: Customer Service Representative
Jordan grew up in Pasadena and joined our team in May of 2023. She has earned a bachelors degree in psychology from Salisbury University and is currently working towards her veterinary technician license. Jordan has years of experience with rescue work at SPCA and the Salisbury humane society. During her spare time, Jordan likes to read, go fishing and crabbing, spend time with her family, her golden retriever, her cat, and on her family’s farm which includes 6 cows, 6 goats, and many chickens.
Kelly: Customer Service Representative
Jessie: Customer Service Representative
Kelly: Customer Service Representative
Kelly joined our team in August of 2024 but has been a client and friend of the practice since 2017; we have been servicing her fur family since then! Kelly has an extensive background in customer service so we were excited to have her join our evening team! Kelly enjoys spending time with her partner, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and coupe of chickens! Her special secret talent is that she is able to disassemble the front end of eny car and put it back together!
Lione: Technician
Maylea: Technician Assistant
Kelly: Customer Service Representative
Lione joined our evening emergency team in June of 2024 but has been working in emergency medicine for many years in multiple states. Lione describes his profession as his true passion and is excited to expand his knowledge with our practice! Lione is currently pursuing his Veterinary Technician certification at Baltimore Community College. He is clasically trained in the cello and in his spare time plays guitar and sings for a Baltimore based rock band.
Maylea: Technician Assistant
Maylea: Technician Assistant
Maylea: Technician Assistant
Maylea participated in our High School Shadow Program as an intern for the summer of 2024 and found her passion lies in the field of veterinary medicine! She currently works as a techncian assistant with us and is growing wonderfully into her role. Maylea dreams of graduating and then pursuing an Associates in Veterinary Technology to pursue her license!
Mckenna: Technician Assistant
Mckenna: Technician Assistant
Mckenna: Technician Assistant
Mckenna grew up in Pasadena and joined our team in July 2023 as a daycare attendant. She then moved to our Reception team and then to our technician assistant team! Mckenna has years of experience with animals, especially with her 5 dogs at home ranging from 16 weeks to 11 years old. During her spare time she likes to read, spend time with family and friends, and eat a lot of take out. Mckenna has hopes in becoming a certified veterinary technician with the help of Happy Tails!
Meranda: Technician
Mckenna: Technician Assistant
Mckenna: Technician Assistant
Meranda joined our team in June of 2024 as a Technician Assistant and quickly moved her way up as one of our evening Technicians! Meranda joined us with a background in emergency veterinary medicine and is so happy to expand her knowledge in this field and grow with us. Meranda enjoys spending time with her two Cane Corsos, taking her kids to sports meets, and is an avid fiction reader. She dreams of eventually becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician.
Vincent: Technician Assistant
Mckenna: Technician Assistant
Vincent: Technician Assistant
Vincent joined our team as a daycare attendant in July of 2023 and then joined our team as a technician assistant. Vincent has always loved animals and has worked with dogs for many years. He now hopes to further expand his knowledge into veterinary medicine. Vincent enjoys the Baltimore music scene and spending time with friends on the weekends.
Meet Our Mascot, Patty!
Hi! My name is Patty and I'm an English Cream Golden Retriever born on January 20, 2022. I was like any normal puppy, except my right eye was swollen, blind, and very painful when I was born. I was brought to Dr. Calpeno by my parents' breeder, since I couldn't be sold to a forever home in my condition. I was very lucky, since my new home was just in reach, with the Happy Tails practice manager, Sam! She and her husband have been loving and caring for me since I was just 8 weeks old. By the time I was 6 months old, I finally got my surgery to remove my eye and it was such a relief! Everyone at Happy Tails takes great care of me so I decided that I can be their mascot! I want to show everyone that my happy tail is all thanks to Happy Tails Veterinary Hospital and their amazing veterinary care team!
My favorite activities are making new friends, going on long walks, eating vegetables, and playing with my goose toy, Geralt. You will probably see me with my mommy and my friends in the yard outside or in the hallway during your visit. If you see me, please come and say hello, I'll be sure to give you a warm welcome to my hospital!
-7bf04fb.jpg/:/cr=t:32.95%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:34.09%25/rs=w:1209,h:549,cg:true)
URGENT FOOD RECALL
The Maryland State Government is issuing an urgent recall on Savage Cat Food, Chicken Variety as it may be contaminted with High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI)! If you have a cat experiencing flu-like symptoms please call us as HPAI is highly contagious to cats! Click below for more information from Savage Cat Food's website.