Our Staff

Irene Jimenez
Hospital Manager

Irene has been with Companions Animal Hospital since before it opened in 2006.  She was an instrumental part of the establishment and construction of the hospital, which started in 2005.  Today, she is a critical part of the day-to-day business operations of the practice.  Irene left a successful career as the head of training for individuals with disabilities at a large not-for-profit organization called Abilities.  Her life-long dream was always to work with animals, and working at Companions has allowed her to do just that.  In between her long hours working in front of the computer and on the phone, you can often find Irene visiting and comforting sick or recovering patients in the hospital.  She has adopted 2 homeless pets since starting at Companions, Sammy a Schnauzer who was abandoned after being hit by a car, and Heather, a fox terrier who was left to languish in a cage at a pet store for 11 months before going to a shelter and then being fostered and then adopted by Irene.

Crystal Motz, LVT

Crystal has been with Companions Animal Hospital since its opening in 2006.  She attended LaGuardia Community College and graduated to become a licensed veterinary technician in 2000.  Dr. Klemenger and Dr. Marghoob have worked with Crystal since she entered the veterinary field as an assistant back in 1998.  Crystal is also a licensed human phlebotomist.  Crystal is an extremely gifted veterinary nurse.  She has a gentle way with her patients and truly loves the animals.  She has nursed countless orphaned puppies, kittens, and bunnies in her own home with great success.  Crystal shares her home with her 2 year old daughter Madison and her yorkie Candie, Pomeranian DJ, mixed breed Pepper and cats Basil and Autumn.  All of her pets were rescued from the shelter and have medical conditions.

Dawn Canas, Front Office Manager

Dawn has been with Companions Animal Hospital since its opening in 2006.  Dawn uses her excellent communication skills every day in helping pet owners whether it is over the phone or at the hospital front desk.  Dawn is a proud graduate of Nassau Community College, where she specialized in business administration.  She is now following her life long dream of becoming a social worker.  She is currently enrolled at Molloy College and working towards her Masters in Social Work.  We are happy to have Dawn during her non-school hours here!   Dawn shares her home with her husband Ernie, her two sons Austin and Justin, her boxer rescue, Dallas, and her puggle, Biscuit. 

Jessie Seifert, LVT-In-Training

Jessie joined the staff of Companions Animal Hospital in 2006.   She had taken a semester off from her rigorous college studies to re-focus and find out if the veterinary field was for her.  Needless to say, she changed her major from engineering to biological sciences.  Jessie is now a proud graduate of Dartmouth College, and joined us full-time after her graduation in 2008.  Jessie is in the process of completing the requirements to become a licensed veterinary technician.  She is a gifted and compassionate veterinary assistant and nurse, and has a special place in her heart for the often misunderstood pit bull.  She has also nursed and fostered countless puppies and kittens in her home.  She currently shares her home with 2 pit bulls, Ripper and Shadow, and 7 rescued cats, Mowgli, Ziggy, Zita, Marbles, Gromit, Tigger and Phantom. 

Samantha McCarthy, Veterinary Assistant

Sam joined the staff of Companions in 2007 as a veterinary assistant.  Her love for the animals and desire to be part of the animal hospital team was apparent from the very beginning.  She is currently a student at C.W. Post in speech pathology. It is her dream to use animal companions to help children undergoing speech therapy.    Sam rides and shows her horse Pieter on her free time, when she is not at school or working here.  Sam also shares her home with a special-needs cat named Joe, who was born with cerebellar hypoplasia. 

Carey Polcino, Veterinary Assistant

Carey joined the staff of Companions in 2007 as a veterinary assistant.  She loves animals and has a special gentle way around them.  Carey is known here for her creativity.  She actively thinks of ways to improve patient care and make our patients more comfortable.  Carey is entering into the human nursing field.  She has started the nursing program at Molloy College, and works at Companions during her limited free time.  It is her dream one day to become a pediatric nurse.  Carey shares her home with her canine companion Lucy Bones, and her cats Puma, Lily, Riley and Kiki.

Andrea McCarthy, Receptionist

Andrea joined the staff at Companions in 2008.  She had a 25 year career in the human medical field, where she was a clinical laboratory technologist.  During this time she also raised her family, 2 daughters named Jessica and Samantha (who works here too), and a son Michael.  After retirement, she decided she wanted to work with animals.   She has a very caring way about her, and is very good at easing the worried pet owner, whether it is on the phone or in the waiting room.  Her medical knowledge is also very helpful.  Andrea spends her free time with her husband and children, and travels with Samantha to the regional horse shows.  Andrea shares her home with a special-needs cat named Joe, who was born with cerebellar hypoplasia. 

Dolores Stormo, Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist

Dolores joined the staff of Companions in 2009.  Dolores left a career in the entertainment promotion business to follow her life long dream of working with animals.  Dolores started as a volunteer with Bideawee, and eventually made enough of an impression to become the manager of volunteer services at the Wantagh Bideawee Shelter before its unfortunate closing in 2009.  Dolores has raised many orphaned kittens by bottle feeding through the day and night. She also has a special place in her heart for Basset hounds.  Dolores shares her home with her 6 feline companions, Lil One, Jerome, Teddy, Charlotte, Trixie and Igor.