Meet our Doctors!

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. 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 started with us in October of 2019. 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. Her interests include exotic animal care and disease prevention.

Sam: Practice Manager

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 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

Deborah: Registered Technician

Brian joined Happy Tails in October 2022. He has a Lhasa Apso named Luke, 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.

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

Deborah: Registered Technician

Desirae: Technician Assistant

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.

Gaby: Technician

Jessie: Customer Service Representative

Desirae: Technician Assistant

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 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

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, Salisbury humane society and at home where she rehabilitated 6 cows, and rescued a cat at just 2 weeks old.
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.

Kayla: Registered Remote Technician

Kelly: Customer Service Representative

Kayla has been with Happy Tails since 2015! It was a sad day when she left us in 2022 to move to sun-shining California but we welcomed her back as a remote nurse in 2023! Kayla graduated from Wilson College in Pennsylvania as part of their Veterinary Technician program and is a certified veterinary technician as of January 2024! Kayla enjoys spending time with friends, her spouse, and taking care of her "zoo" of two cats, one rabbit, one bird, and one dog (all long-time patients of ours!).

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!

Lauren: Technician Assistant

Kelly: Customer Service Representative

Lauren: Technician Assistant

Lauren joined our team in September 2021. She has a senior beagle-coonhound mix named Krystal and a domestic short haired cat named Zelda at home. In her spare time Lauren likes to crochet, watch scary movies and spend time with her husband JD, her daughter Audrey, and family. Lauren was a professional groomer for 4 years and worked at the Jacksonville Zoo while stationed in Florida. Lauren is very excited to get started as a veterinary assistant and furthering her career as a veterinary technician.

Lione: Technician

Maylea: Technician Assistant

Lauren: Technician Assistant

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 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: Customer Service Representative

Mckenna grew up in Pasadena and joined our team in July 2023 as a daycare attendant. She is now working as a CSR. She is a certified EMT and is currently interested in moving her knowledge of emergency medicine into the animal field. 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: Customer Service Representative

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.

Tim: Kennel Assistant

Mckenna: Customer Service Representative

Skylar: Technician Assistant

Tim started working at Happy Tails as a vet assistant in June of 2019. Tim is very interested in computers, taking care of pets and being in the outdoors. He loves dog walking and pet/house sitting as a way to further connect with animals.

Skylar: Technician Assistant

Vincent: Technician Assistant

Skylar: Technician Assistant

(Photo coming soon!)

Skylar's family has been visiting our hospital for many years, we have serviced all of their animals since 2020! She has always loved our practice and was excited to finally join the team in July of 2024. She is hoping to find her place in veterinary medicine and is eagerly learning, very quickly! Skylar enjoys participating in track meets and volleyball at school.

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 team!

My favorite activities are making new friends, eating vegetables, and playing with my goose toy, Gary. You will probably see me and my friends in the yard outside during your visit. If you see me around with my mom, feel free to say hello!