Michelle Plank Michelle was born and raised right here in Temple. She graduated in 2002 and she moved to San Angelo to pursue an education at Angelo State University. After moving back home in 2008 to be closer to family, she began her career in the veterinary profession as a client service representative. She quickly fell in love with veterinary medicine and within a few months, she started training to be a veterinary technician.

From that time forward, she has dedicated herself to becoming the best technician she can be, and providing the best possible care to her patients. She is in constant pursuit of learning, including a priority to attend continuing education conferences. She loves all aspects of caring for her patients and especially enjoys dental and general surgery, as well as treating patients with cancer blood disorders. Michelle is also certified in Low-stress Handling.

When she is not caring for patients, you can find her playing trivia or curled up with a good book and her toddler, Elliott, while relaxing at home. Veterinary Technician Supervisor Veronica Sell Veronica grew up in the small town of West, Texas. She has loved caring for and learning about all animals for as long as she can remember. Her career in veterinary medicine began in 2011 when she began working overnight at an emergency clinic as a technician. It didn’t take long for her to know caring for animals is her passion.

She enjoys spending her free time with her family on their farm and checking their cattle.

Veronica and her husband, Kevin, have a daughter, Cora, and son, Maverick. Together they have three dogs: Dixie, Paige, and Presley, a cat: Nala, and a pet cow: Budder. Administrative Specialist Latisha Salazar Latisha grew up in Temple, Texas alongside her seven brothers(she is the only girl). For as long as she can remember she has always been in love with animals and nature. She currently shares her home with her fur babies Gabby, Binx and Duke, who are her whole world.

Animals are her passion and the reason why she is furthering her career in becoming a Certified Veterinary Assistant. In the future, Latisha plans to get her Associate's and Bachelor's degree as a veterinary technician. Animal behavior has become a strong interest over the years and she would like to eventually specialize. Latisha received an undergraduate certificate in Applied Animal Behavior from the University of Washington in 2021. She looks forward to furthering her knowledge at Barks & Bliss Veterinary Wellness. Veterinary Assistant Andrea Franco Andrea was born and raised in Temple, Texas. Since she was a little girl, she was asked “what do you want to be when you grow up? And her response was always, that she wanted to help animals. She always tried her best to help any stray animal or critter than across her path. Throughout high school and the first year of college, she had her mind set on nursing but she knew that her heart belonged somewhere else.

In December 2018, she started working as a kennel technician. She enjoyed taking care of her boarders and building a bond with not just the animals, but the clients as well. She has been in the veterinary medicine field since then. She is currently enrolled in the Veterinary Technology Program at McLennan Community College to further her education to be a Licensed Veterinary Technician. For Andrea, the field itself is more than just being able to be with animals, it is seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly and giving it your all during their time of need. Andrea is pursuing her dream for her sweet Kali girls, Angel, Lily, Luna Bell, and all the paw prints that have come into her life and left their marks. She is being “the voice for the voiceless.”

Andrea has two crazy fur babies, Asu and Koda. She enjoys reading books, drinking coffee and tea, going on runs with her dogs, spending time with her family and friends having cook-outs, watching football, movies, game nights, and just having a good laugh. Veterinary Assistant Natasha Vasquez Natasha is originally from Germany, where she was born and raised. She moved to Colorado at the age of 13, and upon graduating high school, enrolled at Pima Medical Institute to obtain her Associate’s degree in applied science of veterinary technology, then went on to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. She has a special love for cats and started her career at an all feline practice. In 2018, Natasha moved to Central Texas in order to be closer to family and continued to work in the field. She has found a love for preventative care and loves being a part of appointments as well as getting to know the clients and their furry friends. She is very excited to further herself as a technician with the opportunity of being a part of the Barks + Bliss team.

In her free time, Natasha is usually just enjoying her time with her two year old daughter Louisa, and three cats - Stormy, Duchess, and Toulouse. A new hobby of hers is raising her chicks and chickens, which is something both her and her daughter can enjoy together. Veterinary Technician Amy Mendez Amy Mendez was born and raised in Temple, Texas with a strong and loving family of 6 with her being the youngest. From a young age she has always had a desire to help those who are in need and a strong interest in science. After graduation from Temple High school, Amy persuaded a career in healthcare by obtaining her pharmacy technician license in 2016. She enjoyed being a pharmacy technician, but soon learned her true compassion for was fur babies when began her journey into the veterinary profession in 2019. She personally tends to a pit pull named Patches (Pat Pat for short) and an adorable, but brazen kitty, Lucy. Veterinary Assistant Daniel Locke Daniel grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Texas as a teenager. Since then, he has enjoyed living in the central Texas area, staying close to his family. Daniel and his wife, Abigail, live in the small town of McGregor with their two dogs, Ella and Gizmo. Daniel hopes to continue welcoming animals into his family. Daniel’s passion for animal care began as a young child and led him to pursue a career in the field. He has experience working as a kennel tech and dog trainer and enjoys his current position as a Vet Assistant with Barks and Bliss. Daniel plans to continue his education in pursuit of his LVT to expand his knowledge and provide more specialized care.

In his free time, you can find Daniel playing with his dogs, gaming, cooking, and spending time with his family. He looks forward to caring for your beloved pets and continuing to grow as a part of the Barks and Bliss team. Veterinary Assistant Cat Rojas Cat is locally grown, she was born in Temple and grew up in Killeen. Her interest in animals started at a young age while caring for her own pets and volunteering at local animal shelters. She attended Tarleton State University (Go Texans!) and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science with a PreVet emphasis. While there she also volunteered with the university's TREAT program, an equine assisted therapy program.

Cat worked at a mixed animal veterinary practice in Belton for over a decade before joining the Barks and Bliss team in October of 2022. She loves working with all animals great and small. She and her husband share their home with their furbabies, 2 dogs named Schatzi and Skyla, and 3 cats. Veterinary Technician Kelsie Klaus Kelsie grew up in Troy, Texas. Her love of animals began at a young age, when she began raising and showing rabbits at 8 years old. In high school, she began her career in the Veterinary world by working as a veterinary assistant.

She is currently pursuing a degree in Cyber-Security at Temple College.

She has many furry friends including four dogs, one cat, two chickens, 7 fish, and a bunch of bunnies. In her spare time, she likes to create costumes, draw, model with clay, and play with her pets. Veterinary Assistant Karie Butterfield Karie was born and raised in northern Illinois. She started working with animals in 2007 at a boarding and training facility where she became an agility instructor and competed in AKC agility, gaining many titles to include a MACH with her German Shepherd Dog, Shey.

In 2013 she married into the military and has since moved multiple times, working at an animal hospital at each duty station.

In 2018, Karie went back to school to obtain her AAS in Veterinary Technology and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2022. She is most passionate about behavior, preventative care and dentistry.

Outside of work Karie enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 sons, and their 3 dogs. Licensed Veterinary Technician