Dori Torkildson, Office Manager

Dori comes to us with over 12 years of experience in the veterinary field.  She earned her AS degree accounting & her BA degree in Business Administration from Minot State University.  Dori has two grown daughters and a dog named "Wilson".  

She really enjoys time with friends & family, reading, sitting at a good bonfire, and being outdoors.  During the summer you can usually find her either at the lake boating or riding motorcycle with her significant other.  And if she is on vacation in the winter you can bet she has gone someplace warm.

Andrea Tollefson, Human Resources 

Andrea began working for Prairie Winds Veterinary center as a receptionist and one year later, moved into the role of Human Resources Manager.  Andrea's family moved to Green Cove Springs, Florida in 2023, and she continues to enjoy her position remotely. 

Andrea and her husband, Corey, have a full house with two kiddos (Charlotte and Leo) and three pets (Buddy, Penny, and Teddy).  

When Andrea isn't at work, she can be found camping, swimming, reading and watching HGTV.

Lacey Gebeke, Receptionist

Lacey was born and raised in Frazee, MN and Fargo, ND. Since then she has had the opportunity to live in Grand Forks, ND, Charleston, SC, and Minneapolis, MN before back to Fargo in 2012.

She originally worked in the human healthcare world but due to a curveball that was thrown her way, she now has found an equally fulfilling career in the animal world. 

Lacey enjoys helping people and animals in their time of need and in general. She loves being able to interact with our clients.

She is the youngest of 2 children, but she also has 2 older step siblings. She is the proud aunt to 7 amazing kiddo's. She has 3 fur babies (cats) at home named Zoe, Jada and George.

In her spare time, she likes spending time with family and friends. She enjoys sewing and quilting as well as going out to listen and dance to some live music. During the summer time she can be found out at the lakes or biking. Overall she is a big animal lover who enjoys fostering for Homeward Animal Shelter and Disney nerd. 

Raelle Dunn, Receptionist

Raelle grew up in Arthur, ND before moving to Fargo in 2014.

She has worked in customer service since she was 14 years old. Working as a receptionist gives her a chance to meet and help new people, she gets to bond with those that love pets just as much as she does.

Her biggest inspiration is her son, he is 3 years old. Together they share a cat named Milo whose biggest quirk is to open up drawers to get to the ponytails and a dog named Captain who is a protective love bug.

During the summer Raelle can be found camping, swimming and doing all sorts of activities. During the winter, she enjoys her hibernation. 

Tina Paintner, LVT

Tina graduated from the Minnesota School of Business in December of 2011 with her Associates in Veterinary Technology. Her special interests include small animal dentistry and behavior. Tina grew up on a farm outside of Cooperstown, ND and always knew that she wanted to be a veterinary technician. She is very pleased to be starting her career here at Prairie Winds Veterinary Center.

She lives in West Fargo with her husband Cole and their daughters Rayne and Hayden. They also have 3 adorable cats. Boo a Persian Mix and their two newest additions Roxy and Meiko. They are both Domestic Short Hairs. They look forward to rescuing a family dog in the future.

In her spare time, Tina enjoys relaxing and being with her family.  She also enjoys drawing, crafting, and reading. Her and her husband recently started running and look forward to training for many marathons in the future.

Mallory Myszka, LVT

Mallory grew up in the Fargo area and graduated from Minnesota School of Business in 2012. Her interest in veterinary medicine started with watching Emergency Vets on Animal Planet, right away she knew that was what she wanted to do.  She enjoys all kinds of animals from furry to scaly! 

When she is not working she enjoys reading, going to movies, crocheting, and spending time with family and friends.

She currently has a dog named Lola, a troublesome cat named Earl, and two guinea pigs, Petri and Ducky.

Her and her husband Kole recently bought their first home in Moorhead so she is looking forward to creating many new memories and maybe adding a few new furry members to the family!             

Anna Plesuk, LVT

Anna received her degree in Veterinary Technology in 2010.  She loves working with small animal, especially critical care and senior patients.  She has a soft-spot for a grey-faced golden!  

She lives in Fargo with her husband Tim, daughter Grace, son Colton, and 2 dogs Edith and Edison.

In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with family, running, & watching Bison athletics.

LeAnna Klaphake, LVT

LeAnna grew up in Melrose, MN and from there moved to Fargo, ND for school at NDSU. She graduated in 2018 with a B.S. in Veterinary Technology and a minor in Large Animal Science, Equine Science, and Animal Science.

She grew up with a diabetic dog. She loves doing the research on diabetes and she likes to help clients understand the disease. She also enjoys working with patients that are on prescription diets, who have behavioral issues, and those seen on urgent care. Each case involves research, diagnostics and strong communication, all of which she has a special interest in doing. Recently she has even gotten into training and behavior cases, many hours of research, continued education, and hands on experience has attributed to this new interest.

LeAnna resides in Argusville with her husband Ethan. They have a cat named George, a Pyrenees/ Shepherd Mix named Liam, and a puppy Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Mauii.

In her spare time she can be found 4-wheeling/ mudding, camping, or out paintballing.

Kate Gefroh, VT

Kate is originally from Hawley, MN and she went to college in Fargo before moving to Grand Forks for 3 years.  She recently moved back to Fargo to be closer to friends and family and to join our clinic.

Kate has always had a passion for healthcare and for animals. Her family had lots of dogs and cats growing up and she always thought she would become a veterinarian.  She heard about the Veterinary Technician program at NDSU and decided to apply.  She did very well in her classes and loved learning all the skills involved.

Kate enjoys assisting in surgeries and learning about all the different procedures we do including dentistry, orthopedics, and soft tissue surgery.

Kate currently lives in Fargo with her husband Rylee and their daughter Rosabella. Together they have three fur babies, Sweetie the tortie, Leo the Siamese, and Ralph a Great Pyrenees Mix.  

In her off time Kate enjoys hanging out at Lake Bijou with friends, going out on the pontoon, and visiting with family.

Tabatha Carter, LVT

Tabatha grew up on a farm near Georgetown, MN where they cared for a wide range of animals.  That is how Tabatha realized she wanted to grow up to work in the veterinary field. She received her degree in Veterinary Technology in 2011 and joined our team in February of 2017.

Tabatha is a left lower leg amputee. She currently lives in Fargo with her husband Paul and together they have 5 children, Calvin, Tristin, Jayden, Austin and Lyla. They also have three dogs, Piston who is a terrier mix, two Italian Greyhounds Pirelli and Pagani and one cat named Niffers.

When Tabatha isn't working you will likely find her outdoors, at the lake, kayaking, fishing, hunting, exploring and camping.

Andrea Pearson, LVT

Andrea's entire life has involved animals.  As a toddler on the farm, her 'babysitter' was often a couple of Cocker Spaniels.  Her goal is to serve them and provide their 'people' with insight and knowledge to give them the fullest and best life possible.

She has worked on various farms and veterinary clinics since childhood.  Attending college, she focused on a pre-vet with a major in biology and minors in chemistry and music performance.  Her life briefly changed routes, and she became an award winning photographer, traveling and training in different areas.   Andrea finished school with an Associates in Veterinary Technology.

Andrea's professional interests include animal behavior and training, rehab, critical care, nutrition and client education.  She is very passionate about what she does and wants to help everyone improve their human-animal bond.  In 2016 I was named North Dakota Veterinary Technician of the year!  She is a member of several Vet Tech clubs, rescue organizations: emergency/high risk rescue services, Basic Animal Response Team and The Minnesota Coonhound Association.  She loves all hounds!  Andrea is also a nationally registered Emergency Medical Technician and a Certified Fire Fighter for her community.

She currently lives with her husband, Jeremy,  and their fur babies Bubba, Killer, Dakotah Sioux, Emmy Lou, Hand, KD, 50 chickens and several horses at the family farm.

In her spare time she enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, motorcycle runs, traveling gardening, and anything outdoors.  She is also obsessed with football and hockey.

Haley Hvidsten, LVT

Haley grew up in the Fargo area before she moved to Willmar, MN to attend college. After graduating, she moved back to the area.

She graduated from Ridgewater College in 2018 with a degree in Veterinary Technology.

Haley has a German Shepherd named Bane and a Corn Snake named Sedona.

In her free time, she likes to paint and draw or hang out with family and friends.

Heather Erickson, LVT

Heather graduated from NDSU in 2013 with a degree in Veterinary Technology.

She grew up in Devils Lake, ND and later moved to Fargo in 2010 for school.

She got into the Vet Tech program because she likes to learn new things about animals and loves to make a difference for them. She has a special interest in the emergency cases.

Heather lives with her husband Brian and son Parker. They have a Mini Australian Shepherd named Abby, a Golden Retriever named Mater, and 2 cats named Clyde and Goober.

In her spare time, she can be found spending time with her family and playing softball.

Kori Kapsner, LVT, CCRVN

Kori grew up in Monticello, MN before moving here to Fargo for school. 

She graduated from NDSU with a Bachelors degree in Veterinary Technology and an emphasis in Pre-Veterinary Medicine.

Ever since she was little she knew she wanted to work with animals. Kori fell in love with animal rehabilitation and therapy, she did her internship in Fort Collins, CO and is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse. She loves building the relationship with the client and loves seeing the patient progress as time goes by.

Back home she has 2 cats named Oliver, and Eureka who are absolutely nuts. Here in Fargo she has Wallen who is her year long foster failure that is a cuddle dofus.

In her free time, she can be found reading books or playing video games. Fun little fact, she knows how to play 7 different instruments.

Ariana Brown, LVT

Ariana is originally from Mountain Iron, Minnesota. She was originally looking into colleges to pursue a music degree and came across NDSU and saw they had a Veterinary Technology Program and quickly remembered she had always wanted to work with animals. She moved to Fargo to attend NDSU and graduated from NDSU with her BS degree in Veterinary Technology.

Ariana is passionate about being the voice for animals, at a very young age she noticed she had a genuine concern for every living being. She puts her all in everything she does, working as a team is one of her strengths. She loves creating and maintaining relationships with clients and patients.

Ariana currently lives in Moorhead, MN with her husband Jayce and 2 dogs, Mattie and Penny and their leopard geko Sisu. Mattie is her sassy but loving mini eskimo/chihuahua mix, who cannot hold her licker. Penny is a mini aussie she adopted while in the NDSU veterinary technology program. Penny is always ready to play, she will get so focused on her ball she will run into walls.

In her off time Ariana enjoys anything outdoors, she is willing to try anything at least once. She likes concerts, singing, video games, traveling, camping and making others laugh and smile. 

Annabelle Erceg, LVT

Annabelle has always enjoyed the medical field and since her first pre-vet class she has been hooked! She attended NDSU to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician.  She loved school, then her externship, and now her job here at Prairie Winds Veterinary Center.  She loves animals and all of their different personalities.  

Annabelle is very close to her family (her mom, dad, older sister and twin) and moved to Fargo with her twin sister after living is 5 different states and 2 different countries while growing up.  She has a dog named Daphne who is a 13 year old rescue.  She also has a cow, Holly, who is a sweet and trusting girl.  

Annabelle can be found hiking, running, skiing and drawing in her off time.  

Jayden Ochsner, LVT

Jayden was born and raised in Wilton, ND.  She came to Fargo as a student at NDSU for Animal Science.  She ultimately decided that the Pre Vet route wasn't right for her and switched to the Vet Tech Program.  She graduated in May 2022!

Jayden loves helping animals and educating pet owners! She has her own dog named Jellybean.  Jellybean is an 8 year old pug mix who loves to nap and go on walks.   

You can find Jayden hanging out with friends, taking Jellybean on adventures, or watching ghost adventures in her free time.

Adrian Olson, Assistant

Adrian is originally from a small town outside of Casselton, ND.  She moved to Fargo in 2019, with the hopes to be able to move onto a farm in the near future.

Adrian worked as a veterinary receptionist from early 2021 to late 2022.  She now works as an tech assistant.  She loves helping the technicians with the pet's care in their time of need and seeing clients joyful as their pets are healing.

Adrian lives with her fiance, Wyatt, and their dog Chevy.  Chevy is a German Shepherd that is obsessed with his ball and playing outside with his friends.

Outside of work, Adrian enjoys snowboarding, riding horse, hunting, fishing, going to the lake and basically anything with dog.

Brittni Hatlestad

Brittni has been grooming for 9 years and has had the pleasure of working with an assortment of pets from cats and dogs to bunnies and guinea pigs.  She loves coming to work knowing that no two days will ever be the same! She also loves being able to do the occasional colored Mohawk or Mullet for some added flare.  

When Brittni is not grooming, you can find her reading a good book with her two spunky pups at home.

Ashley Smith

Ashley graduated from Animal Behavior College in 2024. with her certification in grooming.  She recently worked as a bather for the last 2 1/2 years and prior to that was a kennel attendant at a boarding facility.  She has always had a love and passion for animals and her favorite part of her career is meeting all the new clients and seeing their happy reactions to their pet's new haircuts.  She really enjoys getting creative by adding color and painting nails! 

Outside of work, Ashley enjoys fishing, watching murder mysteries, and anything with family, friends, and her Newfoundland named Apollo.

Heidi Brammer

After a career in corporate business, Heidi retired and began her second career in 2017 as a dog bather.  She loves working with dogs, especially those that are shy and need extra time and patience.  She is on the board of a local rescue and fosters dogs.  She and her husband have a chihuahua named Bruce and a senior toy poodle named Wren.