Dr. Katie Lambden
I can truthfully say that being a veterinarian was my first career goal as a child. I grew up in California in a small house in the city with a big collection of pets. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in biology, I became distracted by travel and bicycling and ended up spending several years bike touring and racing semi-professionally. After meeting my husband and starting a family, I eventually made my way to veterinary school at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts. After graduating a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, I accepted a commission into the US Army and served four years as an Army veterinarian. Stationed at Holloman AFB, I fell in love with beautiful southern New Mexico and decided to make the Alamogordo area my family’s permanent home. I currently serve in the US Army Reserves. In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, camping, and trying to keep up with our small herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, an off the track thoroughbred mare, and a growing collection of house pets!
Dr. Haley McClure
I recently moved to the Alamogordo area in April 2019. My husband has been serving in the USAF for 13 years, and Alamogordo is our most recent duty station. Originally from a South Texas, I have lived in North Dakota, Colorado, and Nevada, and now I call New Mexico home. I received my doctorate in veterinary medicine at Colorado State University in 2017. I am currently practicing at the Holloman AFB Veterinary Treatment Facility, as well as helping out at Paw In Hand once per week. I have five pets at home — two corgis, a chihuahua, and two cats! I love all animals, and am passionate about helping their humans understand their pets’ care better.
Christine Moore
Don’t be offended if I am nicer to your pet than I am to you. I just like animals better. I have infinite patience for them (and, it’s true, sometimes a limited amount for people). I spent many years working at the animal shelter in Austin, TX, where we performed thousands of surgeries a year and worked tirelessly to get more animals adopted. My job is to care for the animals, and I’m proud to say I do it well. Each one of my patients – especially the sick ones – creeps into my heart and stays there forever. I claim one husband, two human sons, and a few cats and dogs: Bubba, Shiner, Joey, Alyvia, Wally, Baby Kitty, and Psycho.
Bianca Wipf
Bianca Wipf has lived in Alamogordo for 20 years and enjoys both the mountains screening our little town, and beautiful White Sands National Monument. One of her first jobs in the area was at the chimpanzee sanctuary in town. She loved the work and has wanted to get back to working with animals ever since. (She grew up with pets and was a 4H participant from a young age.) She currently has 3 dogs: Oreo, Tito, and Cujo. However, her dream pet would be a capuchin monkey! The mother of two teens attending Alamogordo High School, Bianca enjoys reading and watching movies in her spare time. If she could have one super power, it would be mind reading.
Wendy Hughs
I am happy to come to Paw in Hand with a wealth of experience in veterinary reception. Born in Truth or Consequences and having lived in various locales within the state of New Mexico, as well as a stint in Las Vegas, Nevada, I have called Alamogordo home for the past decade. In my opinion, the location - between the Sacramento mountains and White Sands - is ideal! I love White Sands, and I particularly enjoy sharing the beauty of the dunes with my dog Khaleesi. Adopted from Animal Control, Khaleesi’s nickname, “The Queen,” sums it up: she rules the roost.
Amy Whittaker
Originally from England, I immigrated to the United States in 2010 and have since become a proud US citizen. My passions include farming, livestock, camping, and community service. I served with AmeriCorps wherein I taught children how to grow food and prepare it, as well as other food justice related work. I have two sons aged 9 and 10, and a dog that enjoys the outdoors as much as I do. A lifelong love for all animals, an aptitude for the sciences, and an interest in agriculture leads me to the goal of becoming a large animal veterinarian. Although you’ll see me here with small animals, I also help work cattle on rangeland and have raised livestock including chickens, ducks, turkeys, sheep, calves, pigs, and horses!
