Meet Our Veterinary Team

Dr. Hoobler-Riek is the owner of Countryside Animal Hospital, graduating from CSU with a BS in 1996 and a DVM in 2001. She has been at Countryside since 2007 and purchased the practice from Dr. Speights in 2020. Dr. Hoobler-Riek has been a small and a large animal veterinarian in the past, but her true love is for dogs and cats. She and her husband, Mike, have two daughters, Mackenna and Addie.Her pets are a silly new orange tabby kitten named Wilbur aka Beans, Baloo, a cuddly sweet kitty, and a laid-back Great Pyrenees mix named Finn. Dr. Hoobler-Riek has a special interest in dentistry, surgery, and pain management. In her free time, she enjoys doing anything outdoors – skiing, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her kids.

Dr. Speights is the founder and former owner of Countryside Animal Hospital. She graduated from Colorado State University in 1989 and started with a private practice. After three years, Dr. Speights started working at Countryside in 1992. She has been married to Dave since 1986, and they have one daughter, Sarah (born the day before graduation from veterinary school!), and an adorably affectionate cat named Puck. Dr. Speights is an ultrarunner, competing in marathons and 50 and 100-mile trail races. Dr. Speights enjoys client interaction and education and has a special interest in internal medicine.

Dr. Spicciati graduated from Penn State University and spent several years as a statistician and social scientist in Washington D.C. After becoming interested in the One Health Initiative, Dr. Spicciati moved to Colorado so she could attend veterinary school at Colorado State University. There, she earned a Master’s degree in Public Health along with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2017. Her professional interests include affordable and accessible companion animal medicine, and the intersection between human, animal, and environmental health. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and two wonderful children. She has a special place in her heart for Newfoundlands and other giant breed dogs.

Dr. Susan Plaza graduated from Colorado State University with her DVM in 1996. She has practiced in several small animal clinics along the Front Range, as well as serving as a Clinical Trials Coordinator at the Animal Cancer Center. Her goal is to practice the highest quality medicine with compassion while working with families to provide a treatment plan that best suits their needs. She has a special interest in endocrinology, oncology, and preventative health. She enjoys running and hiking with her Welsh Springer Spaniel named Radish, as well as landscape and wildflower photography.

Dr. White was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona. She received her DVM from Colorado State University in 2013 and has been working as a small animal practitioner in Denver for the past 8 years. Dr. White enjoys working with clients and patients to develop individualized health plans for each patient. She believes that client education is important in achieving this goal. Dr. White’s professional interests include internal medicine, preventative care, dentistry, and end-of-life/hospice care. In her free time, Dr. White enjoys traveling, swimming, hiking, and gardening. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband, Chris, their two sons, Eli and Everett, and a two-year-old Labrador Retriever named Hattie (aka “Batty Hattie”).

Laura is our Practice Manager and has been a part of Countryside since 2001. She earned a BA in Biological Sciences in 2005, a Master’s degree in Education in 2008, and an Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology in 2019. She is passionate about providing superior patient care and supporting and strengthening her team of technicians and receptionists. Outside of work, Laura loves to spend time with her husband and furry babies, exploring all that Colorado has to offer. She feels blessed to have the opportunity to work with the finest professionals and paraprofessionals in the field of veterinary medicine.

Darlene was born in Arizona and always had a huge love for animals. She moved to Fort Collins in the Spring of 2008 and started at Countryside almost immediately. She has worked in several positions here, including Customer Service Representative, Veterinary Technician, and has now found her niche as Countryside’s first-ever Client Care Coordinator. She loves Client Education and has a soft spot for all the patients and owners she has gotten to know over her 14 years at Countryside. Darlene and her family are happy to share their home with 2 dogs- a loving and energetic Boxer named Natasha, along with a sweet rescue Pug named Wanda. She loves camping with her family, traveling, cooking, and gardening during her free time.

Sheila is the Lead Technician and a Fort Collins native! She started at Countryside in April 2018 but has been a veterinary technician since 2012. Sheila enjoys watching football, fishing, spending time with family and friends, and visiting all the breweries Colorado offers. She especially loves cuddling all her fur babies! Sheila takes pride in what she does and loves to give extra special attention to all of our geriatric patients. She is extremely happy to be part of the Countryside team!

Originally from New Zealand, Ellie and her husband moved to Fort Collins in 2019. She became a Certified Veterinary Technician in 2021. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys hiking, crocheting, and baking vegan delicacies. Her passion lies with rescue animals, and she enjoys volunteering at local animal shelters. At home, she has two cats named Deldrick and Rupert, and a sweet Pittie mix named Bonnie.

Natalie is originally from Louisville, KY and moved to Colorado to attend CU Boulder. She graduated from CU in 1993 and eventually realized she wanted to work in veterinary medicine. She went back to school for a degree in Veterinary Technology and became a Certified Veterinary Technician in 2001. She spent her early technician years at a Fort Collins specialty practice in the Neurology department and then took some time off to raise a family. She and her husband, Keith, have two awesome boys, Colin and Cooper. Natalie and her family share their home with a sweet retriever named Lexi, a silly Lab mix named Mochi, Siamese cats Gracie and Noodle, and a bearded dragon named Rex. Natalie enjoys tennis, running, camping, and skiing.

Kelsey moved from Oklahoma to Colorado in May of 2015. She always knew she wanted to work with animals, and wanted to pursue her dream. She found the Veterinary Technology program at Front Range Community College and graduated in December of 2022. In her spare time, Kelsey enjoys reading a good book, playing video games, and having cuddle time with her fur babies. Kelsey is excited to be a part of the Countryside team and can’t wait to meet everyone’s furry friend!

Jen moved to Fort Collins from Maryland during the summer of 2021 with her fiance, David. Jen originally studied nursing until discovering her passion in the veterinary field. She one day hopes to attend the School of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University. Her favorite pastimes are cooking, reading, and anything outdoors with her two dogs, Harper and Goose. Her favorite part of being a veterinary technician is connecting with her clients and their pets.

Ani moved to Colorado in 2013 to pursue their Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science and graduated in 2017. They grew up and co-owned a small sheep farm in South Dakota and entered livestock competitions. Currently, Ani lives here in Fort Collins with their cat, Celeste, which they rescued while volunteering for a local Trap Neuter Return organization. In their free time, Ani enjoys cuddling with Celeste, crafting, costuming, gardening, and playing TTRPGs. Ani’s career passion lies in helping both animals and people, making reception an excellent fit.

Corey is a Colorado native who recently made the decision to switch careers and pursue her passion for veterinary medicine. Corey enjoys cooking, home projects, gardening, biking, and spending time with her dogs.

Dovvie is originally from Fowler, Colorado, and is a current student at Colorado State University. She has plans to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences and Business Administration. Dovvie began working in a small animal practice in 2018 and intends to pursue a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine following her undergraduate education. Outside of work and school, Dovvie enjoys the Fort Collins lifestyle with her friends and spends time on her family’s horse and cattle ranch.

Ace is a Colorado native, from Brighton, Colorado. Their love for animals, especially exotic animals,  goes back as far as they can remember. Ace is currently enrolled in the veterinary technician program at Front Range Community College. Ace’s hobbies are reading, spending quality time with their pet rats and rollerskating. 

Originally from France and Vietnam, Marina moved to Fort Collins in 2019 to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology with a pre-vet track. She graduated in the Spring of 2023 and is currently working on being a certified veterinary assistant. She is also working as a canine coach at Dogtopia. In her spare time, Marina enjoys reading, painting, cooking new recipes, catching up on TV shows, and spending time with friends and family. She has four dogs who currently live back at her home in France with her family: two labradors named Maxi and Stone, a Samoyed named Sam, and finally, a small mixed-breed dog named Teddy. 

Gabriella is originally from California but moved to Colorado to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has loved animals for as long as she can remember and is currently on the path to becoming a Veterinary Technician through the Front Range Community College program. Gabriella loves to hike, ride horses, and spend time with her friends and boyfriend. She loves working with dogs and cats, and in the future is hoping to be able to work with large animals. Gabriella is so excited to be with Countryside and is looking forward to learning more about the field!

Mariah is our lead receptionist. Originally from Wisconsin, Mariah moved to Colorado in 2019 to create a more fulfilling and adventurous life. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, and road trips. At home, Mariah has two adorable cats named Tigger and Rue. She is thrilled to be a part of the Countryside team and have the opportunity to share her love for animals.

Karen is originally from Wisconsin and has a Master’s degree in Structural Geology from the Center for Technophysics at Texas A&M. She began her career as a geologist with Texaco and then moved to the Pacific Northwest to work for a geotechnical engineering firm. After that, Karen took time to raise a family, move to Fort Collins, and began volunteering with local schools and philanthropies. She loves art and music and her family often takes time to travel, hike, camp, and enjoy the outdoors. Her family’s current fur baby is a one-eyed Pittie mix named Meeka.

Originally from Scottsdale, AZ, Serena moved to Fort Collins in 2021 to finish her Bachelor’s in Wildlife Biology Colorado State University. After graduating, she worked in the natural resource field in UT and CO, focusing mainly on wild canids. She is currently working on going back to grad school in the next few years and sharing her passion for pets and wildlife with the community. When not working, you can find her playing video games, completing a new DIY project, or exploring nature, all with her faithful blue heeler, Marshall, by her side.