Meet Our Team at Westlake Animal Hospital in Tarpon Springs, FL

Dr. Byron Hassell:

Dr. Byron Hassell is a Clearwater native who attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. Once gaining his degree, he then started his internship with Hollywood Animal Hospital, a 15-doctor practice in Hollywood Florida.

Dr. Hassell joined our team in 1990, and has since gained special interest in dermatology, internal medicine, soft tissue, and orthopedic surgery. He is a member of the AVMA, FVMA, and PCVMA.

During his free time, he enjoys spending time with his two beautiful daughters and wife, working on his small farm with his cows, and caring for his two black labs who travel around the country competing in field trial events. 

Dr. Erin Morgan:

Dr. Erin Morgan moved to Florida in 2008 from her hometown of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.  She received an Animal Science degree from the University of Maryland and her doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Virginia Tech. She is a member of the AVMA, FMVA, and PCVMA.

She resides in Tarpon Springs with her husband, two daughters, and son.  She has a golden retriever named River and two Maine Coons, Marvin and Rodney.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, running, and doing anything that involves the warm Florida sun, sand, and water.

Dr. Nyurka Ojeda:

Dr. Nyurka Ojeda was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and grew up in Winter Park, FL. 

Upon completion of her internship in 2007, she began working at Westkale Animal Hospital. She graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006 and completed a general rotating internship at Cornell University Hospital for Animals in 2007. 

She is a member of FVMA and AVMA. Along with preventative care, she has a special interest in dermatology and hospice care.

Outside of work she enjoys boating, going to the beach, and walking nature trails with her husband, French Bulldog Monty, and Rhodesian Ridgeback Memphis.

Dr. Felicite Waterman:

Dr. Felicite Waterman is originally from Southern Illinois, and attended University of Georgia where she earned her degree in Veterinary Medicine. 

After graduation in 2007 she then relocated to Florida and began her career with Westlake Animal Hospital. 

She lives with her husband, daughter, son, and two dogs. During her free time she enjoys reading and spending time outside. She is a member of the AVMA and FVMA.

Dr. AJ Dunn

Dr. Dunn grew up in a very small town in New Hampshire. He served 6 years in the Marine Corps before heading off to college to get a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science for University of New Hampshire, and then his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University. 

He practiced veterinary medicine in Upstate NY for 15 years prior to relocating to FL. He is a member of the AVMA, FVMA, and AABP.

In his spare time he enjoys kayaking, skydiving, and never having to shovel snow again. He lost his last Border Collie 'Randi' to liver cancer, but is greeted at the door nightly by his cat 'TK'. 

Dr. Colby Burns, MS, DACVS, DACVSMR

Dr. Burns graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and a minor in Chemistry and is a 2006 graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She then completed a one-year small animal rotating internship at Tufts Cummings College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Burns completed her small animal surgery residency at The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, where she also received a Master’s of Science Degree.

In 2012 and 2013, Dr. Burns became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, respectfully.

Dr. Burns is an active member of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, AO Foundation, American Veterinary Medical Association, Florida Veterinary Medical Association, Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology and Veterinary Wound Management Society. Dr. Burns has received certificates of completion for AO ASIF Advance Techniques in Small Animal Fracture Management, AO ASIF Principles of Small Animal Fracture Management and BioMedtrix Total Hip Replacement courses. Dr. Burns has also published research articles in peer reviewed veterinary journals including Veterinary Surgery, VCOT, JAVMA, AJVR and Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Burns received the American Veterinary Medical Association’s national Teaching Excellence Award in the Clinical Sciences in 2009 and The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Teaching Excellence Award for Clinical Sciences in 2009 and 2010. Dr. Burns’s clinical interests include joint replacement, sports medicine and rehabilitation, surgical oncology and wound management.

Receptionists

Cindy

Cindy has been working in the veterinary field since 1992. She has worked as a receptionist and a technician at two other small hospitals, and joined our team in February 2016. 

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her seven grandchildren. 

Collette - Head Receptionist

Collette began working in the veterinary field in 1991 and joined the Westlake team in
April 2018. In her free time she enjoys boating, going to the gym and the beach. She has two grown sons and resides in Palm Harbor.

Melissa

Melissa was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She moved to Florida when she was a child and grew up with cats, dogs, and birds. Animals have always been a passion of Melissa’s.  She has worked in several kennels and has done volunteer work with land birds, of which crows are her favorite.  In her spare time, Melissa enjoys time with her family, traveling, kayaking, and hanging out with her two cats, Poe and Mina. She also volunteers with goats and rescue kittens. She would like to have a goat dairy farm of her own within the next 6 years.

Jennifer

Jennifer has had a love for animals since she was a little girl.  She’s raised baby birds, raccoons, and kittens off and on for her entire life.  She has been in the veterinary field for over 10 years and was very excited to join Westlake in 2023.  Jennifer has two adult children, a Siberian named Wink, a Tortie named Boo, and a French Mastiff/English Lab named Chez. In her spare time she enjoys going to the gym, kayaking, riding her bike, photography, and spending time with her family. 

Shannon

Shannon was born and raised in Palm Harbor.  One of her first jobs was at Westlake Animal Inn, back in 2015, where she worked as a receptionist for over three years. Every day she missed being around pets so she decided to come back to Westlake to work at the hospital as a receptionist in 2021. Shannon has a 16-year-old Yellow Bellied Slider named Crush, a dog named Cooper, a cat named Roo, and a corn snake named Linguine. In her free time, she loves to go to our amazing local restaurants with friends and family.

Angel

Angel was born and raised in Florida and joined our team in the summer of 2021.  Besides working at Westlake, she’s also going to school to earn her cosmetology license. Angel enjoys binge-watching K-Dramas and reading as many books as she can squeeze into her time off of work. She adores her dog Zelda, who is her pride and joy. Angel loves spending time with her husband of 10 years, Dan, and their two children. She’s always happy to help and loves petting all the cute fur babies that come in.

Lara

Lara was born and raised in Houston, Texas.  In her free time, she enjoys training and spending time with her two dogs, Honey, an American Dingo, and Waylon, a German Shorthair Pointer.  She also loves to work on motorcycles.  Laura loves to bring a smile to people’s faces with her goofy personality. 

Olivia

Olivia was born and raised in Florida. She started working in the veterinary field in 2020, moving to Westlake Animal Hospital in October of 2022. She has three cats, Otis, Oscar, and Luna. Olivia also attends The University of South Florida, working towards getting a Master’s degree. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and line dancing.

Technicians

Dayna

Dayna has been working at Westlake since 2004 after receiving her Veterinary Technician Certification from St. Petersburg College (SPC). 

She enjoys spending time with her family and fur babies as well as staying active and doing anything outdoors. She has two cats, Sierra and Elsa, and two dogs Lucy and Lily. She feels she is lucky to have been able to fulfill her dream of working with animals here at Westlake Animal Hospital for over 15 years.

Joanna

Joanna started at Westlake Animal Hospital in 2011.

She has 3 cats named Slippers, Gargamel and Lily and 2 dogs named Olive and Darcy. She grew up on a little farm in Michigan and someday hopes to have a small farm of her own.  She has been married to her high school sweetheart since 1994 and was blessed with 3 beautiful children. She loves her church, family and friends, and she enjoys health and fitness (most of the time), and the beach. She loves fast cars, big trucks and music. She is thankful that God created animals as she truly loves them!   

Katye

Katye was born and raised in Chicago and went to school in Chicago and Boston. She has been a veterinary technician for 13 years, joining Westlake in 2016. She managed an animal shelter in northern Chicago for many years before managing an emergency and exotic practice for 5 years.  Her passion is volunteering for and running rescue organizations, which she has done for over 20 years. She always has foster pets available for adoption.  Katye volunteers with various organizations such as Pasco and Pinellas Animal Control, Animal Luvers Dream Rescue, McGough Nature Park in Largo with large birds of prey and veterans with PTSD through the AVA program.

She has a special needs Chihuahua-dachshund mix and pitbull mix, senior Chihuahua mix, and 3 senior ca ts. She loves volunteering with animals and people with disabilities, kayaking, going on nature adventures and exploring new places. 

Tracey

Tracey grew up in Delaware, lived in Hawaii, and then moved to Florida in 2015 to be closer to her family. She has been a veterinary technician for over 7 years. She joined the Westlake family in September 2018 as a veterinary technician and enjoys being part of the team. 

She strives to always help animals and their owners, and has a special place in her heart for senior pets. In her spare time, Tracey enjoys going to the beach, reading, and spending time with her family. 

Megan

Megan was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio and has had a strong passion for animals since she was a little girl. She has been working in the veterinary industry for six years.

In her free time, she enjoys running with her Chihuahua mix Princess and fishing off the Dunedin Causeway.

Kody

Bio coming soon

Jules

Bio coming soon

Laura

Bio coming soon

Cassidy

Cassidy was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Florida. She is currently in the Veterinary Technician program at SPC and intends on going into veterinary school.  In her free time, she enjoys playing with her many pets and spending time with her family and friends.

Managers

Jen, Office Manager

Jen originally started at Westlake Animal Hospital and Inn in 2004. She managed the Animal Inn from 2004-2008. She has worked in every aspect of the business from receptionist, tech help, and management. She has a bachelors degree in literature from the University of South Florida, and a bachelors degree Exceptional Student Education from St. Petersburg College. Along with working at Westlake, Jen was a middle school social studies teacher for five years. Now she is the Practice Manager of Westlake Animal Hospital. In her free time, Jen loves to spend time with her daughter and many pets.

Amber, Head Technician

Amber is one of Westlake’s certified veterinary technicians and also the head technician. She has been at Westlake since 2015. Amber graduated from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry in 2000. She then moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 2003 where she attended the St. Petersburg College Veterinary Technology program and graduated in 2005 with an associated degree in veterinary technology. She also became certified in 2005.

Amber enjoys spending her spare time with her husband Chris, her young son Jase and her 3 dogs Jeigo, Coconut, and Chesnut.

Eunice (Our Hospital Cat):

On a cold day in January, 2017, a bedraggled long haired calico cat was found at The Long Center in Clearwater, by Dr. Waterman's husband and staff. No one knows her age for sure, but she is a wise and mature, and sometimes sassy, senior kitty. Eunice is often behind the scenes at Westlake, giving love to the staff and sleeping in the doctors' chairs.

We are sad to announce that Eunice passed away in March 2020.