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Meet The Team

The staff at Sky Canyon Veterinary Hospital are all avowed animal lovers who have a passion for providing expert veterinary care. Here’s a look at the Sky Canyon team:

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Doctors

Dr. Thad Respet | Sky Canyon Veterinary Hospital | Grand Junction, Colorado

Dr. Thad Respet

Practice owner and Veterinarian

Dr. Respet has been a practicing veterinarian in the Grand Valley since 2010. He enjoys all aspects of small animal care but especially enjoys orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, arthroscopy, ultrasound, and minimally invasive medicine. While he is enthusiastic about science, one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a veterinarian for him is the relationship that he develops with his clients and patients. He prides himself on honest communication.

In his free time Dr. Respet enjoys spending time with his wife Shannon, kids Jack and Anna, and their dogs, cats, goats, and chickens. He stays busy biking, skiing, and white-water rafting.

Dr. Rebecca Lemmon

Veterinarian

Dr. Lemmon started her veterinary career in Grand Junction, after graduating from Colorado State University in 2003. She has since filled various positions in her career, including practice owner of a clinic in Rifle, CO, associate veterinarian, and relief veterinarian. Dr Lemmon spent two years at a clinic in Tuscon, Arizona that specializes in internal medicine and she has also been certified in the Fear Free program. She enjoys soft tissue surgery, dentistry, feline medicine, as well as developing relationships with her clients and patients. 

Dr. Lemmon shares her home with two cats: Ricco Suave and Gracie, both rescues from Rifle. Before her veterinary career, she worked in the building industry and has an architectural draftsperson degree. In her free time, she has volunteered her services at a free spay and neuter clinic in Baja Mexico and with Habitat for Humanity. If not at Sky Canyon, she can be found exploring the back roads of Colorado and Utah on one of her motorcycles, camping, or doing home projects.

Dr. Melissa Molinaro

Veterinarian

Dr. Molinaro graduated from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. She visited the Grand Valley, fell in love with the area and moved here in 2014. Her veterinary interests include internal medicine, feline medicine, and ultrasound. Dr. Molinaro loves the relationships she builds with her clients and patients, being challenged by difficult cases and being a part of a profession that is always evolving.

In her free time, Dr. Molinaro often camps and hikes with her family. Graham (her husband, also a veterinarian), Adeline (her daughter) and Ethan (her son). She also has a collection of fur babies: A lab-pit mix dog named “Roscoe,” a cat named “Willow” (her official name is Willow Whiskers Princess Beauty Buttercup Cuddle Cakes Kitty) and Bun Bun, you guessed it, a bunny. Dr. Molinaro also has an artistic side and enjoys photography, pottery, and drawing.

Dr. Caylie Schena

Veterinarian

Dr. Caylie Schena graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007,
and returned home to Colorado to pursue her career as a veterinarian. She has been
practicing in the Grand Valley since 2014. Her professional interests include wellness
care, soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, radiology, and leadership. It is her lifelong
goal to help people through helping their animals, and how she strives to meet that goal
is ever evolving. Dr. Schena is grateful for the opportunities and challenges that
veterinary medicine provides every day.


Outside of work Dr. Schena enjoys outdoor adventures and stays busy keeping up with
her husband, 3 children, and 4 dogs – Dandy, Liza Jane, Cinnamon, and Goofy.

Management

Cassi

Practice Manager
Registered Veterinary Technician

Cassi is a Grand Valley native. She has been involved in many facets of veterinary medicine for over 20 years. Cassi has worked with a variety of animals, including exotics and wildlife. She graduated cum lade with an AS in veterinary technology at YTI in 2017. She is also an adjunct veterinary instructor for the veterinary technology program at Colorado Mesa University Tech. She has a passion and strives for the highest level of care for her patients. Cassi’s interest in the field includes anesthesia, surgery, Fear Free handling techniques, and education.

Cassi enjoys spending time with her family, camping, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and baking. She has two dogs and four cats; Jetty, Georgia, Roxy, Sir Nigel Gibbs- House of Tartar Sauce, Oggy & Professor Pickles.

Abby

Front Office Manager

Abby was born and raised in Grand Junction. She has had dogs and cats her whole life, and always loved animals of all kinds. In 2023, Abby decided to make a change and began her career in the veterinary industry in January of 2024.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her two beloved former stray cats (Yuri and Omar).

Registered Veterinary Technicians

Amy

Registered Veterinary Technician

Amy is a Grand Junction Native. Her journey in veterinary medicine started when she was 13 years old when she began volunteering for a local hospital. She quickly grew in the field and now has over 22 years’ experience. She graduated from Colorado Mesa University in 2011. Her passions in the field are emergency medicine, anesthesia, and orthopedics. 

Amy enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and son on their hobby farm. She enjoys gardening, horseback riding, milking her dairy cow and goats and making home made goats milk soaps and lotions.

Lorel

Registered Veterinary Technician

Lorel is a Grand Valley native. Her veterinary career started in 2010. She has a great interest in veterinary anesthesia and prides herself on treating all patients as her own.

When she is not working at Sky Canyon, Lorel spends her time with her beloved fur-babies: Fiona (Frenchie), Dozer (Mastiff), Kitten Nugget (Siamese), Tweek (chinchilla), and Porky (not-so-mini, mini-pig)

Emily

Registered Veterinary Technician

Emily is a Grand Junction native, graduating from Colorado Mesa University in 2011 with a BS in biology. She grew up with a passion for helping animals and knew that veterinary medicine and animal welfare were where she was meant to be. Working as a veterinary assistant during an internship for college, she confirmed her love for the vet industry, quickly making it a career. Emily has a passion and accelerates at working with fearful animals and neo-natal kittens. Emily’s focus in “all things cat,” particularly feline behavior, helps felines in the hospital to feel less stress as well as promotes client’s education.

In her free time, Emily can be found at her houseful of animals spending time with her two dogs and four cats, kayaking in the warm weather, and crafting indoors in the winter.

Erickah

Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Supervisor

Erickah is a Grand Valley native whose veterinary career started when she attended the veterinary assisting program at Western Colorado Community College while still in high school. After graduating from Palisade High School, Erickah moved to Glenwood Springs to further her veterinary education at Colorado Mountain College. In 2021 while working as Sky Canyons first official intern, she graduated from CMC with her AS in veterinary technology. Erickah really enjoys working in small animal general practice and aspires to work with wildlife one day.

Outside of work, Erickah enjoys the outdoors and is often camping, fishing, hunting, and participating in any other outdoor activity you can think of.

Sara

Registered Veterinary Technician

Sara is a Grand Valley native. She is remarkably busy with her continuing to educate herself on all things veterinary medicine. Sara loves all animals and is best known for her vaulting with horses and interest in the outdoors.

Joshem

Registered Veterinary Technician

Coming Soon

Veterinary Assistants

Machenna

Veterinary Assistant

Machenna is a Grand Junction native whose veterinary career started in 2018 when she completed the veterinary assistant program at Colorado Mesa University Tech while still in high school. She graduated with her AS in veterinary technology from CMU Tech in 2022 and is currently studying to take the VTNE to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. Growing up, Machenna would perform veterinary “checkups” on family pets, and she has always been extremely interested in veterinary medicine. She has a special interest in feline medicine, surgery, and dentistry. 

In her free time, she likes to relax with her kitties Kiki and Callie and her pet gecko Ludo. She also enjoys painting, scrapbooking, journaling, and cooking.

Tish

Veterinary Assistant

Tish grew up in Eagle, Colorado. As a child she often visited the Grand Valley, later choosing to move here in 1996. It is here that she and her husband, Keith raised their four children. Tish graduated from Intelli Tec College with her AS in business and administrative technology. Tish loves to learn and has a passion for patient care, striving to treat each patient as if they were her own.

In her free time, Tish enjoys being outside as much as possible and can be found working in her garden, hiking, biking, or exploring with her husband and two dogs Spot and Bones.

Brandon

Veterinary Assistant

Brandon grew up in Western Colorado and spent the majority of his time in Professional
rodeo, 4-H, and FFA.

Growing up on a farm raising all types of animals Brandon started his veterinary journey at a very young age helping his vet and his family work on their farm in Crawford, which sparked an interest in animal care.

Animal care has always been a huge part of his life living on a ranch and raising and caring for all types of animals from large to small. Now in his free time, he tends to his own small zoo of animals and his daughters. Aside from work and his family life, Brandon has taken a great interest in reptiles and small mammals, soaking up as much knowledge as he can.

He also loves to go out on the lakes with his family going fishing or just having fun on the lake camping and stand-up paddle boarding in his free time.

Darcy

Veterinary assistant

Darcy has always had a great love for animals. When she was younger, she kept, bred, and showed the Chinese Shar Pei. This increased her desire to work with animals in any way possible. Darcy earned her certificate as a veterinary assistant while working for a local mixed, exotics and wildlife veterinarian. She has years of experience in everything from assisting with surgery on a fish to assisting with a repair of a fracture in an eagle’s wing. Darcy thoroughly enjoys working in this field and plans to do so for as long as she can.

Cassie

Veterinary Assistant

Coming Soon

Client Service Representatives

Liz

Client Service Representative

Elizabeth and her family moved from England to the Grand Valley over 23 years ago. Elizabeth has been working as a CSR in the veterinary field for almost 8 years. She really enjoys working with animals and prides herself on providing excellent customer service to clients.

In her free time, you can find her taking advantage of the great outdoors available in western Colorado while camping and hiking with family and friends.

Kaitlynn

Client Service Representative

Coming Soon

Sierra

Client Service Representative

Coming Soon

Kennel Assistants

Breanna

Kennel Assistant

Breanna was born in Denver and moved to Grand Junction in 2020 to be closer to her grandparents by whom she was raised. She knew as a child that she wanted to work in the veterinary industry. Breanna graduated in 2018 from Aims Community College with a certificate in graphic design and a year later she enrolled in the veterinary technician program at Penn Foster College, predicted to graduate in 2025. 

Breanna loves to spend time with her family, her three dogs and cat. She enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, arts, crafts and going on thrilling adventures. 

Careers

Are you interested in joining our team?  We would love to hear from you! 

Send Us your Resume & Cover Letter