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.

Renee Mead, DVM

Associate Doctor

Dr. Mead attended Oklahoma State University and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Science in 2004. She was awarded her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. Dr. Mead was the American Association of Feline Practitioners’ Senior Student of the year in 2008. She also was the recipient of the Above and Beyond Award during her clinical year which is given to a senior student that shows outstanding compassion towards pets and their owners. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners. She is an advocate of all things feline with a focus on feline internal medicine and wellness care. In her free time, Dr. Mead enjoys hiking, reading, traveling and most of all spending time with her husband, Jim and their 7 cats.

Robin Warren, RVT

Senior 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.

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 a strong interest in the veterinarian field and is hoping to attend Veterinary School soon. Allie has three dogs at home; Rigby, a Great Pyrenees/Greater Swiss Mountain Dog mix, Maddie MooMoo, a Pointer mix, rescued from the Williamson County Humane Society and Delainey a 3-legged German Shorthair Pointer, rescued from WCRAS. Allie enjoys working with exotic pets at Zoot. She currently has snakes and geckos at home, but has also had birds, bunnies, and hamsters. In her free time, Allie enjoys spending time with her family and taking her dogs to the dog park.

Amanda Foust

Veterinary Technician

Amanda grew up on a cattle ranch in Lampasas, TX. She studied Animal Science at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. She takes an interest in Veterinary and Equine Science and has been a Veterinary Technician for five years. Amanda has six pets at home; Jack – a tabby cat, Miss Bee – a black and white Jack Russell Terrier she rescued from the Temple Animal Shelter, Roadie – an English Mastiff Mix adopted from Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, Pez a Brussels Griffon, and Chocolate – a miniature horse that resides at Grace Stables as a lesson and camp pony. Amanda has been married for 8 years and has two children. Her kids enjoy participating in baseball, English riding, piano and ballet.

Chip Mullins

Veterinary Technician

Chip was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. His passion for dogs started in 2003 when he was hired as a kennel technician at an animal hospital. After dedicating three years, he moved to Austin along with childhood friends to pursue his second passion, music. They started a band called Remember This, in remembrance of a close friend and band member that passed away. Chip decided to pursue his first passion and get back into veterinary medicine. He is very proud to be a part of the Zoot staff and looks forward to continuing his growth here with the wonderful staff. He has been married for two and a half years. He and his wife have one dog and two cats.

Stephanie Powell

Veterinary Technician

I started working with animals at a young age with pet-sitting in the neighborhood and I owned cats, a dog, hamsters, a sugar glider, and fish. From 1998-2005, I worked at the Emergency Animal Clinic of NW Austin where I learned how to be a veterinary technician in a fast-paced but very educational environment. I love all animals (fins, furs, feathers, and scales) but I definitely have a special place for cats and horses. My current herd includes: Pencil, a 12yo thoroughbred I’ve owned since he was 3; Rhianna, a mature tortoiseshell who will eat nearly anything; B.C., a “barn cat” with more personality and flair than one cat can contain; and Belle, a rescue cat who has many special needs but a heart of pure gold. I’m so proud to have joined the caring and innovative team at Zoot this year and look forward to getting to know the clients here. I also work part-time at Ride On Center for Kids, here in Georgetown, as a PATH Int’l Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor which has been a life-long dream. At R.O.C.K., I am blessed to see the miracles happen every day with horses healing human hearts, minds, and bodies.

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.

Michele

Client Services

Michele has been working at Zoot since November of 2009. She is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She moved frequently growing up due to her father being transferred with his job. Her favorite place is still Denver, Colorado. She loves the mountains, the snow, and the change of seasons. She has lived in Texas for a long time and considers Georgetown her home. She attended Oklahoma State University where she studied Zoology. She has three beautiful adopted children. The older two, Kiki and Ben, are from Kamchatka, Russia and her six-year-old, Bella, is from Guatemala. She feels very fortunate to work here at Zoot and loves her job! “The clients are wonderful and I love meeting their adorable pets!” In her spare time, Michele loves to take photographs, take walks with her dog, Sadie, read, attend vintage car shows, and spend time with family and friends.

Murna

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 two sons, who 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!

Suzanne

Client Services

Suzanne started at Zoot Pets in February 2011. She thoroughly enjoys meeting the clients and their beloved pets. She grew up in Wisconsin. Happy to get away from the cold and snow, Suzanne settled in Texas in 2007 after living in several other states. She attended the University of Minnesota where she studied Philosophy. She and her husband, David, have two children (ages 3 and 5), two dogs (Clio and Byron), and two cats (Caesar and Shadow). In her free time, Suzanne enjoys reading, drawing, and spending time with her family.

Jessica

Client Services

Jessica grew up in East Texas and moved to the Austin area in 2003. She joined Zoot in July of 2011 and brings three years of experience to the team! She is currently studying for her bachelor’s degree in Economics and will be attending St. Edward’s University soon. At home, Jessica has one dog named Clover and two cats named Guinevere and Trixie. She also has a corn snake named Edward. She enjoys going with her roomate and her three dogs to the dog park.

Whitney

Client Services

Whitney grew up in the Austin area and now lives in Liberty Hill with her husband, Eric and their two kids. She joined the Zoot team in August 2011 and really enjoys seeing the clients with their pets each day! In her spare time, Whitney enjoys reading, visiting with friends, but above all else, spending time with her family – including her three dogs (Xena, Jack, and Monty), two cats (Rikki and Izzy) and one horse (Tank).

Clare

Client Services

Clare is our newest team member at Zoot. She was born and raised in San Antonio and has been a Georgetown resident for 21 years. She has been married to her husband, Gene, for 25 years! They have two children, Matt and Nina, who attend Texas Lutheran and Texas Women’s University. They also have two pets, Luna and JoJo. In her free time, Clare enjoys gardening – weather permitting, working on crossword puzzles and reading.

Jenny Young

Boarding Manager

Jenny joined the Zoot team in June of 2010. She has been working with animals since May of 2000. She’s been a veterinary technician, kennel manager, has done wildlife rehabilitation, rescue work with feral and orphaned cats, and in the last three years has added dog trainer to her repertoire. She has earned numerous certificates over the years in multiple fields, including, radiology, dental care, nutrition, ABKA certification, customer service, and leadership. Jenny currently lives in northwest Austin. She lives with her husband Jason and their two dogs, Sasha and Beetle, plus their kitties. Jenny is an outdoor enthusiast and spends most of her free time either hiking in the hill country or tending her garden.

Cindy Simmons

Boarding Client Communications Specialist

After 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 studying and doing research in Germany, and halfway through her dissertation, she left academia to stay home with her children, who are now teenagers.

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, the Orchestra Booster Club, and volunteering at her kids’ schools, Cindy and her daughter have volunteered their time at the Humane Society of Williamson County in Leander. Her family dogs include Lucy (a Lab/Vizsla) and Max (a Rat Terrier adopted from the Humane Society).

Cindy’s love of animals brought her to Zoot. Her mission at Zoot is to make sure that doggie and kitty guests feel as much at home as possible during their boarding stay and that their moms and dads can feel confident in the care that they receive here. In addition to her other duties, she provides returning families with a report card to let them know how their furry family members did during their absence. She also gladly sends e-mails with photos to moms and dads of special needs pets, during extended boarding stays, or to those folks who just need a bit of reassurance that all is fine with their loved one.

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 Giuffre

Suite Technician

Giulia is from Houston, Texas and currently lives in Georgetown. She is a graduate of Southwestern University where she majored in Animal Behavior and minored in Anthropology. One day she hopes to use her skills in Animal Behavior to help save threatened and endangered animals. She currently has a dog named Sailor. She loves animals and is looking forward to meeting the pets visiting Zoot Pets!

Drue Gindler

Suite Technician

Drue Gindler was born in Houston, TX and has been living in Georgetown for thirteen years. She is currently a Senior 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 will attend Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches next fall. She has a yellow lab, Lucky, and two cats, Angel and Oreo.

Barnes Wilkinson

Suite Technician

Barnes was born and raised in Austin, Texas. In 2008, Barnes and his wife, Julie, relocated to Dublin, Ireland where his wife took on a new job. After an extended “European vacation”, Barnes happily returned home to Texas. The Greek cats were beautifully fearless, the German dogs were extremely “groovy”, but there’s nothing like coming home to your own loveable critter! Barnes also decided that he wanted a job that would be a joy to go to. Barnes relishes the opportunity to spend time meeting and playing with the animals visiting Zoot. In addition to his fondness for tennis and the perfect Tex-Mex meal, Barnes enjoys spending time with Julie, his faithful canine, Sawyer (from “Lost”, not “Tom….) and his wonderfully disdainful cat, Ra.

Ashley Munoz

Suite Technician

Ashley has been with Zoot since july 2010 and loves working with all the animals.She was born & raised in Temple, TX. Animals, especially dogs, have been a big part of her life. At the age of 16,she owned and operated a non-profit dog sanctuary/rescue for 5 years. Her goal is to ultimately restart her rescue operation and to continue saving the lives of our furry friends. She now lives in Holland, TX with her husband Brian and baby girl Aisley. Together they have eight dogs: JJ, Gabe, Bonbon, Cosita, Molly, Lacy, Buddy and Star.

Shaina Kent

Suite Technician

Shaina Kent hired on at Zoot in the summer of 2010. She has A LOT of animals, including 8 dogs and 5 cats and plenty more! She enjoys reading and going to the dog park with her dogs. She is currently a Wildlife Biology student at Texas State University and loves animals more than anything. She intends to pursue a career in a zoo setting and possibly become a conservationist.

Quincy Meeker

Suite Technician

Quincy came to Georgetown from California to attend Southwestern University. She is a junior communications and English double major. Quincy has been around animals her whole life ranging from mice to horses. Currently she is raising a Blue Heeler and a Basset Hound.

Abby Schumacher

Suite Technician

Abby is originally from Houston, Texas. She is currently studying Psychology and Animal Behavior at Southwestern University. She will be a Junior in the Fall 2011. She plans to attend the University of Tennessee to obtain her Canine Rehabilitation Certification in hopes of opening up her own rehab center. Abby has an adorable husky mix named Rosie. She is a complete princess. Abby loves playing and watching all kinds of sports in her spare time.

Danielle Strickland-Guerrero

Suite Technician

Danielle was born and raised in Georgetown. She currently resides here with her husband and 3 year old son. They have 3 dogs: a german shepherd, a german shepherd mix, and a pitbull. They also have one crazy cat! She loves dogs, especially those that are considered “bully breeds”. Danielle is working to dispell rumors that certain breeds are always aggressive.

Diana Truitt

Suite Technician

Diana is a Native Texan, born in Austin and raised near Lake Travis. She has a lifelong love of all animals and has raised dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, fish, and once upon a time, a parakeet who flew into the yard of her childhood home after a duststorm, landing on her father’s shoulder! After graduating from Leander High School, she studied at ACC for a time, and then moved to Tyler Texas to work with Youth With A Mission. YWAM was a great experience in meeting wonderful people from all around the world, studying various cultures, and having special opportunities to travel North America, Mexico, and Fiji. Working the past two decades in retail and inventory management, Diana is happy to start a new career path with Zoot. It is a refreshing change, and a joy to come to work, taking care of all the Zoot clients’ “kids”. She has earned a Veterinary Assistant Diploma from PennFoster Career School, and is looking forward to Vet Tech training in the future. In her spare time, Diana enjoys relaxing in her garden, hanging out with family, friends, and pets, watching movies, reading and taking fishing trips to the Texas coast.

Sarah Heath

Suite Technician

Sarah grew up in the Weir area and is a graduate of Jarrell High School. Growing up, her house was full of pets of all shapes and sizes. She had everything from ferrets, horses, rabbits, and dogs and cats, of course. In her spare time, Sarah loves to go hiking and camping with her daughter, Renee, and their dog, Sailor. She is also known to cuddle up with a good book and her cats, Pepper and Cinderella.

Kristen Dettloff

Suite Technician

Originally from Lake Jackson, Texas, Kristen now resides in Georgetown with her two dogs (Fennec, a rescued Pomeranian mix, and Piddles, a mostly-poodle Labradoodle) as she completes her B.A. degree in Economics and Sociology at Southwestern University. While attending college, she has worked and studied on an archeological excavation in southwestern Turkey, conducted field research on microfinance organizations in the slums of Bamako, Mali (western Africa), interned in funds development at The Ensemble Theatre in Houston, and considered joining the Peace Corps and getting a Master’s degree in sociology. But since receiving her calling helping animals dependent on people, she has worked as assistant manager and dog groomer at a small doggie daycare and boarding kennel, volunteered regularly at the Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter SPCA, fostered a wide variety of dogs for the Brazoria County Humane Society and Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue, and is currently a Red Cross shelter volunteer for Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter and the Treasurer of the Animal Behavior Society at SU. Kristen is very passionate about the care and upkeep of all manner of domesticated animals and is thrilled to be working at Zoot where she can continue to work at what she loves: providing care and learning about all aspects of pet health and happiness.

Meshell and Amanda 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 and a chow mix named 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!! “

Meshell’s daughter, Amanda, assists her in grooming. She worked for a year at Zoot then moved to Washington for a year and a half to attend school. She is back at Zoot and we are grateful to have her. Amanda is originally from Fort Polk, LA. She now resides in the Killeen area with her adorable Great Pyrenees, Torreto.

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 Hardindger – 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