Bethany Animal Hospital · Sycamore, Illinois
The people you actually see when you bring your pet in.
Seven veterinarians and around thirty support staff work across six groups here, from the front desk to the operating room. Below is every one of them, listed the way Bethany lists its own team: veterinarians by full name and credential, most support staff by the first name they go by on the floor.
Veterinarians
Mike Schelkopf, DVM, is Bethany's founder and owner, three generations after his parents bought the practice in 1959. Deborah Schelkopf, DVM, has been on staff since joining alongside Mike in the 1970s, and their brother Charlie built the practice further from 1981. The rest of the veterinary team, Dr. Brown, Dr. Dominguez, Dr. Gruber, Dr. Hertz and Dr. Mason, share the same exam rooms, the same laboratory and the same surgical suite.
Two of them show up by name in the practice's own reviews. One client credited Dr. Mason's approach to senior care while working through end-of-life decisions for two older cats. Another said Dr. Brown and Dr. Dominguez had treated her animals like their own. Neither quote was written for this page, both are from the practice's verified Google reviews.
- Mike Schelkopf, DVM
- Deborah Schelkopf, DVM
- Heather Brown, DVM
- Carlos Dominguez, DVM
- LeAnn Gruber, DVM
- Alan Hertz, DVM
- Jon Mason, DVM
The five groups working alongside them.
A veterinarian is never working alone in the building. These are the other groups on staff, grouped exactly as the practice groups them, with a note on what each one actually does day to day.
Leadership team
Runs the practice itself, from scheduling and staffing to the day-to-day decisions that keep a building this busy on schedule.
- Cassie Felix
- Erin Murphy
- Anna Schelkopf
- Carly Stadie
- Jackie Wyatt
Certified veterinary technicians
Work the in-clinic laboratory, digital radiographs and dental work alongside the veterinarians, and monitor patients through surgery and recovery.
- Tara
- Arraia
- Ashley
- Jenna
- Jessie
- Jodie
Veterinary assistants
Handle the exam rooms between appointments, restrain and comfort patients during visits, and keep the building moving between one animal and the next.
- Emily
- Amilee
- Bre
- Caitlyn
- Frida
- Gaby
- Isabelle
- Larisa
- Sarah
- Zach
Client service team
The front desk. Booking, check-in, the Vello app, and the first and last people most owners speak to on any visit.
- Amilee
- Christie
- Deisy
- Frida
- Harlie
- Iran
- Jo
- Kerriann
- Rick
- Tyler
Facility management
Keeps the building itself running, the part of the job most clients never see.
- Erin Murphy
- Carlyn
Fear Free, on purpose
A calm exam room is not an accident. It is trained staff following a method built for exactly this.
Nobody here is new
The long-service record.
Veterinary practices lose people constantly. Bethany mostly does not, and the clearest way to show that is the practice's own records rather than a claim about company culture. These are years of service, not estimates.
- Dawn Felix
- Practice team
- 60yrs
- Dr. Carlos Dominguez
- Veterinarian
- 26yrs
- Dr. LeAnn Gruber
- Veterinarian
- 25yrs
- Erin Murphy
- Leadership and facility management
- 25yrs
- Jodie
- Rehabilitation therapist and CVT
- 18yrs
Language and training that show up in the exam room.
Several team members speak Spanish, and the practice's own preference is stated plainly: hablamos español, y mensaje de texto es preferido para preguntas no urgentes, o para agendar citas. For non-urgent questions or booking, a text is the easiest way to reach someone in either language.
Bethany also has Fear Free certified professionals on staff, trained to reduce fear, anxiety and stress during a visit rather than simply working around it. On the cat side specifically, the practice holds Cat Friendly Practice status at the Silver level from the Feline Veterinary Medical Association. Carly Stadie and Dr. LeAnn Gruber are the practice's named FVMA members, and Dr. Gruber is a Certified Feline Friendly Practitioner, the credential behind a cat exam that does not feel like an ambush.
Talk to any of them.
Call the office on (815) 239-6938, or text (815) 991-4556 for anything that can wait until we are between appointments.