From our first day back in 1992 the hospital team has grown from a receptionist and a groomer to a total of eleven people. From day one, the principal asset at our hospital is the people who provide a service, second to none. Our team enjoys flexible work schedules including part-time, personal time and paid vacations. Additional benefits include company health and retirement plans. If you're interested in a career in veterinary medicine, please stop by and fill out an application. Internships and volunteer work are also available on a limited basis for students enrolled in pre-veterinary studies and veterinary school.
Dr. Ned Caldwell is a native of Springfield and attended Glendale High School. He received his degree from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in Columbia, Missouri in 1991. He and Doctor Roche moved to Springfield in 1992 to build this practice.
Dr. Denise Roche was born and raised in St. Louis, but now calls Springfield home. She also received her degree from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in Columbia, Missouri in 1991. She and Doctor Caldwell moved to Springfield in 1992 to build this practice.
Dr. Craig Bendickson joined the Deerfield team in 2004. Dr. Bendickson also graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and has experienced many facets of veterinary medicine over the past twenty plus years. “Doc” has brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team.
Julie has been at Deerfield since we greeted our first client in July of 1992. She started helping our hospital grow with her grooming expertise and developed quite a following. In the summer of 2000 we asked Julie to put her clippers down and help us practice medicine and surgery. Born in rural Clever, Mo., Julie was raised on on dairy farm and developed a common sense wisdom to helping animals. She now uses this knowledge to manage every aspect of our practice. Julie still lives on her family farm in Clever with her daughter Ashton and husband Robert. Her hobbies include showing her nationally renowned Bullmastiff and enjoying horse shows with her family. Her free time is kept busy with the activities of her teen daughter.
Gail was born and reared in Springfield and graduated from Glendale High School in 1973. She attended Drury College and graduated in 1977 with a degree in Fine Arts. Gail spent 12 years in Germany with husband Rick while he completed a tour of military duty with the Army. Her son Josef was born while they were stationed in Germany. Gail began doing correspondence studying as a veterinary technician while living in Germany. When her family returned back home to Springfield, Gail began doing volunteer work at Deerfield to get hands on experience and to apply her book knowledge. She did such a good job as a volunteer she was offered a position at the hospital in 1995 and she has been with us ever since. Her free time is spend knitting and going to the lake with her family and her 3 dogs. She also has 2 cats, 3 birds and a duck, but they don't go boating.
Tess has worked at Deerfield Veterinary Hospital for over 2 years and has worked in the veterinary field for a total of 5 years. She attends Missouri State University seeking a degree in Wildlife Conservation & Management. In her spare time, she likes to hunt, fish and shoot trap. She hopes to one day work for the Missouri Department of Conservation or move out of state to work in the fisheries/wildlife field. Her pets include an Australian Shepherd named Rio and a kitten named Kilo.
Amanda became a team member of the Deerfield staff in October, 2004. She came to us originally as an intern from Glendale High School, volunteering, and helping the technicians to get the first steps of caring for animals. Amanda started at Deerfield to gain overall knowledge of veterinary medicine, and is now pursuing a career in Nursing. Amanda is attending Ozark Technical Community College to get her prerequisites for her Nursing degree, then eventually get her Associates in Nursing, and go on to getting her RN licenses. Amanda has two dogs of her own Cola which is a Chocolate Labrador Retriever and Doc Holiday a Silver Dapple Dachshund. In her past time she likes to take her dogs on walks, to lakes to swim, and to the creek to play fetch. They play together at their house in Sparta where they keep her in line and always on the go.
Kamron Hanson has been a team member since September 2006. He came to be one of our team members from and internship from Glendale High School as a volunteer. Kamron is attending Ozark Technical Community College, eventually wanting to extend his knowledge in Large Animal Veterinary medicine. He enjoys Hunting, hanging out on the farm, and riding four-wheelers.
Michelle joined our team and started managing the kennel and grooming services in July of 2008. She also oversees our puppy playday program. With over 6 years of private kennel experience and 16 years of dog training know-how, Michelle is a natural in her current position. In fact, Michelle left her corporate job to pursue a career that involved animals which is her true passion. One of Michelle’s hobbies includes training her 6 Border Collies in the sport of Flyball.
Ashley has been a member of the Deerfield team since February 2008. She came to Deerfield with several years work experience in a lodging kennel and is a certified Pet Care Technician. Ashley is attending college at Missouri State University and hopes to continue with a career in medicine. She has three dogs of her own. Affectionately known as “The Boys”, Bosco is a sweet American Staffordshire Terrier, Dakoda is a handsome German Shepard and Jaxson is a young, mischievous American Bull Dog. Ashley cherishes time spent with family and enjoys canoeing, camping, hunting, sports and racing.
Sarah Wasmer has been a member of the Deerfield staff since spring of 2009. She has 1 cat who goes by the name of Elephant, a cockatiel know as Texas Ranger, and a beloved Rottweiler named Mowgli. Sarah Spends her spare time riding her horses, competing in rodeos, and attending chuck wagon races.
Maxine Bass retired from National Audio Co. Inc after 39 years. She started off as a respected client of Deerfield in 1978. She asked to volunteer, and then started a position helping us in our client service work. Maxine enjoys attending St.Louis Cardinals Baseball games, and spending time with her beloved dog Buddy.
Melissa Bale joined the Deerfield team in the summer of 2009. She graduated in 2004 from Murray State University in Kentucky as a Registered Veterinary Technician. She has been involved with veterinary medicine ever since. Melissa has 6 horses, 5 dogs, 1 pig, so very interested in large and small veterinary medicine.
Kristin became a member of the Deerfield team in March of 2009. Kristin brings 13 years of experience in the veterinary field to Deerfield. She holds a B.S. in Speech & Theatre Education from (S)MSU and has also earned a certification as an animal behavior consultant. In her free time, Kristin is active as a performer in community theatre, Mick’s Usual Suspects Murder Mystery Group, and television and radio commercials. Her dogs, “Boomer” a chocolate lab, and “Skye” & “Casey” - two Australian Shepherds also regularly appear in television commercials, with the youngest, “Liza” a German Shepherd mix, who is just learning the acting trade. Kristin is the organizer of Arf-fest Dog Parade and Show, a fundraiser for the Springfield Regional Arts Council and Springfield Animal Advocacy Foundation (SAAF). Kristin enjoys camping, canoeing, and seeing live music. She and her husband, Dave, share a home in Springfield with their 4 dogs, 5 cats and two fish.
Deerfield's official mascot and a bit of a good luck charm. A client who had just lost their black Miniature Poodle (Snowball) to congestive heart failure found her as a stray kitten. Both Doctors Caldwell and Roche had done internships in veterinary hospitals with black cats, so she was a perfect fit. Her primary hobby is tormenting feline patients with a familiar black leg under the exam room door. She enjoys long afternoons asleep atop our computer monitors. Snowball's abandonment as a kitten is an all too familiar occurrence in Missouri. Yearly, over 20,000 animals are cared for at the Southwest Missouri Humane Society.
