Meet Team Zoot
Jim Root
Owner
Jim is the co-owner of Zoot and serves as the General Manager of the facility. Jim is married to Courtney. They have 2 children and reside in Georgetown. He is a graduate of both Stephen F. Austin (BBA) and Pepperdine University (MBA). Jim has 21 years of sales and marketing management experience working for Shell Oil Company and most recently with the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo where he served as Director of Sales for one of its divisions. With a passion for customer service, Jim will ensure both you and your pet have a positive experience at Zoot. Jim’s admiration for top-tier retailers like Nordstrom, California’s In ‘N Out Burger, Quik Trip Convenience Stores, and Stew Leonards in the northeast, has shaped the vision for the Zoot customer experience. He is an avid tennis player and enjoys keeping fit and reading.
Wayne Zeh, DVM
Owner
Dr. Zeh is the co-owner of Zoot. He has been practicing veterinary medicine in central Texas for over 15 years and has extensive experience in exotic pet care. Dr. Zeh attended the University of Texas (BBA) and Texas A&M for his veterienary medicine training (MS & DVM). He is married to Christina and they have 3 children. Before starting Zoot, Dr. Zeh was the co-owner and founder of Pet Medical Center in Harker Heights which he recently sold. He is also an avid fitness enthusiast who takes particular interest in cycling and outdoor activities. You can read more about Dr. Zeh under the Pet Hospital section of our website.
Jensen Young, DVM
Associate Doctor
Dr. Young is a graduate of Texas A&M University (BS, Biomedical Science) and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, Dr. Young participated in the prestigious Veterinary Clinical Program at Texas A&M during his final year of veterinary school. Dr. Young and his wife, Hilary, live in North Austin with their dog, Gus, and cat, Ringo. In the hospital, Dr. Young’s interests include internal medicine and orthopedic surgery. During his personal time, he enjoys outdoor activities including hiking and fly fishing.
A.J. Clemmons, DVM
Associate Doctor
Dr. A.J. Clemmons attended Texas A&M University where she received her B.S. in Animal Science in 1993 followed by her D.V.M. in 1997. Her professional interests include canine and feline internal medicine and reproduction.
Dr. Clemmons grew up in the hill country and has always been surrounded by animals big and small. In fact, she practiced equine medicine for a number of years following graduation and continues to do so one day a week. She is also an avid equestrian and is often competing with her horses when she’s away from the hospital. She and her husband, Mark Clarke, share their home with three cats (Satchel, Fluffernutter and Andice), three dogs (Deutsch, Nikki and Tank), two horses (Flirt and Tuna) and L.C. the chicken. Dr. Clemmons’ hobbies include competing in triathlons, half marathons and mountain bike racing.
Jamie Johnson, CVA
Sr. Veterinary Technician
Jamie Johnson is a 2003 graduate of Texas Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology. She has been a veterinary technician for six years and obtained CVA (Certified Veterinary Assistant) certification through the Texas Veterinary Medical Association in 2006. She lived in Germany for 4 years and is fluent in German. Originally from New Braunfels, Jamie lives in Burnet with her husband Eric and six pets. Their household includes dogs Sergeant, Buddy, and Simon and cats Aggie, Midori and Reno. Interests include traveling, singing, photography, and spending time with family and friends.
Robin Warren, RVT
Sr. Veterinary Technician
Robin was born and raised in San Pedro, CA. She started working in veterinary hospitals in high school. She received her Bachelor’s in Biology from Lamar University. She returned to school to become a licensed veterinary technician in 2005 at Consummnes River College with an Associates of Science in Veterinary Technology where she graduated with honors. Marrying a career US Coast Guard man has given her the opportunity to live all over the United States: Texas, Alaska, Virginia, California, and then back to Texas. She has two beautiful little girls and resides in Liberty Hill where she and her husband have retired from US Coast Guard life to start anew.
Jen Penland
Veterianary Technician
Jen, originally from Houston, Texas, is a senior at Southwestern University majoring in Animal Behavior. Jen currently serves as a student representative for the Southwestern Animal Behavior program and also fosters dogs through the Georgetown Animal Outreach. Jen is the proud owner of a beautiful golden retriever, Gladys, who she is training to become a therapy dog. Jen has been accepted to Ross University for Vet school and will start in the Fall of 2010. We will miss her around here but hope to have her back with “DVM” on the end of her name in 4 years or so!
Allie Tate
Veterinary Technician
Allie was born and raised in southern California. She moved to Texas in 2004 to attend Baylor University. Allie graduated from Baylor in May 2008 with a BA in Psychology. Since graduation she has developed an interest in the veterinarian field and is interested in someday becoming a vet. Allie has two dogs and a cat at home; Rigby, a 3 1/2 year old, Great Pyrenees/Greater Swiss Mountain Dog mix and Maddie MooMoo, a 3 year old Pointer mix, who Allie rescued from the Williamson County Humane Society. Ella is 1 1/2 year old feral cat that Allie rescued outside of her apartment in Waco.
Kyla Elston
Client Services Manager
Kyla is a Texan at heart, growing up in Lewisville and relocated from the Dallas area to Georgetown. She studied Criminal Justice and Political Science at The University of North Texas and spent the early days of her career in the public accounting arena. Most recently she has held the title of “Family CEO” while spending time at home with her 3 children and their various pets.
Susan Parmer
Client Services
Susan has been a resident of Georgetown for 3 years and really likes Central Texas. Susan says, “I love Texas, so I got here as quick as I could”. She is a passionate animal lover, verified by the fact that she owns several little critters including her 4 cats named Miss Daisy, Sir Winston, Hemi, and BonBon. Susan also has two dogs, Gracie, a Doberman, and Fonzie, a boxer. She also supports numerous wildlife in and around her home such as deer, raccoons, squirrels, and an occasional fox or two. Her varied personal interests include horseback riding, sightseeing in the Texas Hill Country, motorcycling, swimming, feeding ducks at San Gabriel Park, and spending as much outdoor time as possible with her husband John, son Matt, and daughters Andrea and Tara. Susan loves the pet care industry because she enjoys working with both people and animals. Her motto?…”dogs wag their tails from the heart and cats have staff, not owners.”
Michele Krohn
Client Services
Michele is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Growing up, her family moved frequently with her Dad working for Eastman Kodak. Denver was her favorite place to live and thus is a HUGE Broncos fan. Don’t mess with Michele’s Broncos! After moving around so much, she is happy to say she’s been here in Georgetown since 1997. She has three precious kids. The older two are adopted from Kamchatka Russia and the youngest is from Guatemala City, Guatemala. In her spare time, Michele enjoys spending time with friends and family, and taking photographs. Michele’s favorite part of working at Zoot is opportunity to meet all the new clients and pets that come through the door every day!
Murna Passailaigue
Client Services
Murna grew up in San Antonio and relocated from the Dallas area in 2006 with her husband Kevin, and her cat Eleven. She has 2 son’s that live in San Antonio and a beautiful one-year old Granddaughter who is just perfect. In her personal time, Murna enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially camping and float trips to the Frio and Guadalupe rivers. She is a Texas country music fan and enjoys gardening also. She looks forward to meeting all the Zoot clients and their pets!
Cindy Simmons
Boarding Client Communications Specialist
Atfer growing up on a cotton farm outside Muleshoe, Texas, Cindy’s family moved to the Austin area. Cindy went on to the University of Texas and earned her B.A. and M.A. in German and taught German language courses. After a year studying and doing research in Germany, and halfway through her dissertation, she left academia to stay home with her children.
Cindy loves to camp and hike with her husband, daughter, and son. She is also an avid knitter and loves to read. In addition to being involved in Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts and volunteering at her kids’ schools, Cindy and her daughter volunteer their time as dog socializers at the Humane Society of Williamson County in Leander. Cindy’s family dogs include Lucy, Max, and Lily.
Jennifer Shelton
Suite Technician
Jennifer Shelton graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Tx on May 10, 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She’s lived in Georgetown since she was two and graduated from Georgetown High School in 2003. She has loved animals her entire life and looks forward to meeting the pets that visit the facility. Jennifer’s other interests are writing and drawing. She writes fantasy poetry, short stories, and novels and hopes to someday publish. During her five years in college, she sang in the choir at the Catholic Student Center, often cantoring. She plans on joining the choir at St. Helen’s in Georgetown. Jennifer lives with her parents and younger sister Kimberly, who will be starting 8th grade at Tippit this coming school year. Their mother Therese is a professor in the math department at Southwestern University. The family has lots of fish, including an outdoor pond, and Kimberly has two parakeets: Twitter and Flip. Jennifer hopes to soon have a rabbit.
Giulia Guifre
Suite Technician
Giulia is from Houston, Texas and currently lives in Georgetown. She is a junior at Southwestern University, where she is working towards a major in Animal Behavior and a minor in Anthropology. One day she hopes to use her skills in Animal Behavior to help save threatened and endangered animals. She currently has three dogs: Hobbes, Max, and Sailor, and a Betta fish, Andy. She loves animals and is looking forward to meeting the pets visiting Zoot Pets!
Jessica Epps
Suite Technician
Jessica was born in Germany, but moved to Georgetown a little over a year later and has been here ever since. She is currently a senor in high school and plans to attend Abilene Christian University in the fall. Jessica lives outside the city limits where she raises lambs and goats. She also has five dogs; Thunder, Stormy, Sandy, Lady, and Heidi. Jessica loves working with animals and plans to major in animal science.
Jamie Lusk
Suite Technician
Jamie has been working at Zoot Pets for about 8 months and is really enjoying it! Along with working in the boarding facility, she is also being trained in the clinic as a veterinary technician. She is looking forward to working in the hospital and broadening her skills and experience. She loves working with animals including training dogs and horses. Jamie graduated in 2009 from Richarte High School in Georgetown. She is currently taking classes to become a yoga instructor.
Mackenzie Mullis
Suite Technician
Mackenzie was born in Odessa, TX and moved to Georgetown when she was 4. She is currently a senior at Georgetown High School where she has played on the varsity soccer team for 3 years. Mackenzie has an older sister who is an architect student at the University of Houston. Mackenzie hopes to attend Texas A&M and pursue a veterinary career. She has a lab, Roscoe, and 2 cats, Kiwi and Alexandria.
Drue Gindler
Suite Technician
Drue Gindler was born in Houston, TX and has been living in Georgetown for thirteen years. She is currently a Junior at Georgetown High School where she has been swimming on the Varsity Swim Team for three years. She has a younger brother, Brett, who is also in high school. Drue is considering attending Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches. She has a yellow lab, Lucky, and two cats, Angel and Oreo.
Stephen Figures
Suite Technician
Stephen was born in Germany into a military family. He lived in Germany for six years before returning to the United States. Stephen recently graduated from Georgetown High where he was on the varsity wrestling team. Stephen will be heading to Baylor University where he plans to study biochemistry, Career aspirations remain unclear but that is what college is for! Stephen says he enjoys the opportunity to care for your pets while you enjoy your vacation, and cannot think of a better option than Zoot!
Meshell DeLuna
Groomer
Meshell was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado and moved to Washington State shortly after. There she attended Newport School district and graduated in 1989. Upon graduation, Meshell served in the US Army as a mechanic where she served in Operation Desert Storm. She did tours of duty in Germany, Iraq, Louisiana, and Texas where she finally settled. Meshell brings 8 years of pet care and grooming experience to Zoot. She enjoys hiking, biking, fishing, and the outdoors with all her pets and daughter Amanda . She has two Dobermans: Herculees and Precious, one terrier mix: Baby, and a chow mix: Bear. All of her animals are rescued from the pound or non-profit organizations. “I feel my love for animals makes me an ideal groomer and I am pleased to join the team at Zoot Pets!! “
Kevin Trippe
DC
Dr. Kevin L. Trippe is a licensed chiropractor and maintains his people practice at Heights Chiropractic in Harker Heights. He is certified by Parker College of Chiropractic to adjust and treat animals and has completed over 220 hours of instruction in animal chiropractic care. Dr. Trippe currently lives in Harker Heights with his wife Leslie and their two girls and three cats.
Member American Veterinary Chiropractic Association
Member American Chiropractic Assn.
Member Texas Chiropractic Assn.
Christina Hardendger – CCMP, LSAAT
Skillful Paws – Canine Massage & Acupressure
Christina Hardinger is the owner of Skillful Paws LLC and a Certified Canine Massage Practitioner and Large & Small Animal Acupressure Therapist from the Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage and has worked with more than 200 dogs over the past couple of years. Christina comes to us from Denmark where she was a licensed massage therapist for humans having years of experience in the field of sports injuries, therapeutic and deep tissue massage. When not working with horses and dogs, she enjoys photography, staying fit, anything outdoors, and volunteers her services with several dog rescues in Austin. One of her future projects is to add a Harley Sportster to the list of fun. Christina lives in NW Austin with her son, two chocolate Labs named Happy and Shiner, and Shaymin the hedgehog. To learn more about Christina and her services please go to her website skillfulpaws.net
Member of IAAMB – the International Association of Animal Body Workers.
Gary Coe – Dog Training
Dog Behavioral Consultant
Born and raised in Central Texas in the rural farming community surrounding Austin, Gary Coe grew up as an avid outdoorsman who has always respected and appreciated animals and wildlife. Having thoroughly enjoyed training his own hunting dogs, Gary realized he had a special gift in communicating with dogs and in 2004 began professionally training all breeds with great success. A believer in pack law and canine communication, Gary teaches an understanding of your dog’s behavior and how to “talk” to your dog in a language they understand to achieve the goals you are seeking. His non-physical, non-threat method is a proven natural way to positively motivate your dog towards better behavior. In a very short period of time, not only will you have your dog responding to your commands effectively, but more importantly, the results will last a lifetime. Whether you have a new puppy or an existing member of the family, Gary will meet your needs through puppy classes, individual lessons or customized training programs suited to you and your beloved pet family. For more info on Zoot Pet’s training, please call us @ 512-864-ZOOT or click here. Training Programs offered at Zoot
Abby Fraser
Abby Loves Dogs – Austin Dog Running
Abby recently completed the MBA program at the University of Texas, Austin and started her own dog-running business, Abby Loves Dogs. Abby and her team of runners have clients all over Austin and the surrounding communities and enjoy running with all breeds of dogs. Abby’s business partner, Pancho, is a 2 year old boxer that keeps her very active when she’s not with a client! Abby has lived all over the U.S. but is happy to call Texas “home”. When she’s not taking a dog for a run, Abby also enjoys swimming, camping, reading, and finding new ways to wear out Pancho. For info on scheduling runs for daycare stays or boarding stays click here. Daycare – dog run info & pricing or Boarding – dog run info & pricing You can find out more about Abby on her website abbylovesdogs
