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Meet The Staff of Agate Bay Animal Hospital and DogGoneCrazy
  Dr. Bree Montana, DVM began her undergraduate studies at the San Diego State University and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science degree focused in the field of Biology. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1992.
Following graduation from veterinary medical school, Dr. Montana worked exclusively in small animal and exotic hospitals, while pursuing additional medical training in the latest technologies, including ultrasonography, chemotherapy, dentistry, emergency medicine, and surgery. Dr. Montana continues to aggressively pursue advanced medical knowledge and technologies, averaging twice the number of continuing education hours required for doctors annually. Carefully balancing cutting edge diagnostics with nutritional, behavioral, medical, surgical, and - where appropriate - homeopathic therapies allows Dr. Montana and her team to aid their patients in living longer, healthier lives.
Dr. Montana has always had a special interest in outdoor sports, discovering white water rafting and rock climbing in Ohio. When she and her daughter Ember (born in 1992) moved to the high desert climbing Mecca of Joshua Tree, they discovered great climbing, lots of hiking opportunities and riding trails, and an easy one-hour drive to some great Southern California skiing. After several years of practice in the desert, Dr. Montana and Ember moved to San Francisco, where they joined their family with Bill West and added a few more sports to the schedule. The family's love of winter sports and outdoor activities made a move to North Lake Tahoe a natural choice.
The entire family has embraced animal wellness, as Bill West has opened a state-of-the-art pet camp, spa, and organic bakery in Tahoe Vista: DogGoneCrazy. Honoring the human-animal bond, this facility allows hours of supervised outdoor play, daily webcam pictures of the campers, and a completely stress-free, warm, friendly environment for dogs and cats. The Montana-West family trusts the 24-hour, 7 day per week camp counselors to care for their beloved Huskies "Powder, and Ice (shown in the picture above)", as well as their Kitties "Thunder, and Rain!" The family started a small, cottage style cat rescue in honor of Ember’s lifelong love of cats: Ember’s Kitty Cat Rescue. This fledgling organization has already found wonderful loving homes for many “at risk” kitties, and has recently air lifted 20 cats and kittens from the Slidell, Louisiana disaster following hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2007, "Sadie's Cancer Fund" was created, to aid dog and cat parents in caring for their pets following a diagnosis of cancer.
Balancing family, medicine, and a deep love for the outdoors provides a center balance to the hospital’s philosophy "preventative medicine in a caring, informative environment." We invite you to join our hospital family, so that we may help you to keep your animal companion healthy and happy for years to come.
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 Dr. Brielle Hecht, DVM graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science and Biotechnology. She then moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to pursue a Masters Degree in Physiology from Colorado State University, where she fell in love with the outdoors, so she was thrilled to have the opportunity to remain in the area to also earn her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from CSU.
Living in the beauty of Northern Colorado provided great exposure to the Rocky Mountains and the Poudre River. Dr. Hecht felt blessed to have moved to such a fantastic area, which offered ample opportunity for her to take up snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking and backpacking, all of which she has enjoyed for seven years with fellow outdoor fan and fiancé, Chase, and their two crazy dogs, Lloyd and Lilly. And at the end of the day, nothing puts a smile on her face more than cooking a homemade meal for friends. A variety of work and travel experiences has helped Dr. Hecht develop an open-minded, optimistic attitude about life and work. She is extremely excited about becoming a part of the Lake Tahoe community by offering excellent medical care with the Agate Bay team, and she hopes that her devotion to her profession will help improve the quality of life for both her patients and their families.
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Bill West
General Manager, DogGoneCrazy and Agate Bay Animal Hospital
Bill West attended UCLA on a golf scholarship, transferring to Cal Poly Pomona to obtain a Bachelors’ degree in Ornamental Horticulture. Following graduation, and an internship with Disney’s horticultural program, Bill started “Colorscaping," a landscape design firm. Located in Studio City, the firm designed and maintained gardens and estates in the Los Angeles area. Moving to San Francisco, Bill continued to pursue landscape design, winning several California Landscape Contractors Association awards on the way. Bill's work has been featured in Sunset Magazine's Landscape Design award issues, as well as San Francisco Chronicles’ garden tour issues.
In 2003, Bill and his wife Dr. Bree Montana moved to North Lake Tahoe, where they took on a new challenge; renovating the Agate Bay Animal Hospital. Bill realized that the hospital needed a calmer, more healing environment, yet the neighborhood still needed a facility for dogs to be trained, groomed, and boarded. DogGoneCrazy was born to meet that need! The facility has a Veterinary Doctor on call year-round, thanks to Agate Bay Animal Hospital's Dr. Bree Montana and Dr. Brielle Hecht. Attention to detail, extremely high standards, and a very strong work ethic helped Bill to create two beautiful facilities right here on Lake Tahoe’s pristine North Shore.
You’ve probably seen Bill logging miles around the Lake; a top 50 finisher in the IronMan, top 100 finisher in the Western States 100, and a competitive triathlete, he is a dedicated cyclist and runner. When he isn’t working or working-out, you will surely find Bill hiking with Bree, their daughter Ember, and their three Siberian Huskies, Avalanche, Powder, and Ice, or sneaking out for a little fly fishing or snow boarding...maybe this year they’ll even get a little golf in, too! |
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 Christine Allen
Back Manager and Veterinary Assistant, Agate Bay Animal Hospital
Christine grew up in Stratford, Connecticut. A lifelong love of animals began as a child, with horseback riding and two black labs named Lady and Sassy.
She attended the University of Massachusetts at Boston, where she studied Art and English Literature. After college, she moved to New Hampshire, where she ran and directed a summer skateboard camp in Waterville Valley.
Christine moved to the Tahoe area in October 2005 with her two dogs - a chihuahua named Inigo and an Italian Greyhound named Go-Go - along with her sister Renee and boyfriend Mike. Christine splits her time between Agate Bay Animal Hospital where she's a veterinary technician, and DogGoneCrazy where she works as a 'camp counselor' and receptionist. Christine is currently completing studies to earn her license as a registered veterinary technician. |
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 Michelle Plummer
Veterinary Assistant, Agate Bay Animal Hospital,
Camp Counselor, DogGoneCrazy
Michelle grew up in a small Northern California town in the Lake Almanor basin. After graduating from high school, she spent two years in Portland, Oregon studying accounting and business. In October of 2005, Michelle and her crazy dog, Bammer, moved to Lake Tahoe. Moving to Lake Tahoe had been a goal that Michelle’s small family had been looking forward to for a long time. It’s nice to be in such a beautiful area with so much to offer. Michelle’s love of animals started at her grandparents’ ranch, The Bill Brothers Ranch, in Standish, CA, where she spent every summer helping take care of the animals and riding horses.
Now, Michelle carries that love for animals to her job, working for Agate Bay Animal Hospital and Dog Gone Crazy. It really is the perfect job - she feels a great deal of pride in helping animals and knowing that she's making a big difference in people's lives. Michelle is now back in school pursuing certification as a veterinary technician. In the fall of 2006, Michelle adopted a new boxer named Blaze, and her life has never been the same!.
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 Jenny Puma
Baker, Camp Counselor, DogGoneCrazy
Jenny grew up in Peru where she studied at Computronic Institute for two years. Three years ago, she and her sister moved to Lake Tahoe to work and continue their studies at Sierra College. Since Jenny wants to eventually become a veterinarian, she began looking for a job where she could be with animals and gain experience in the field. In August 2005, Jenny began working as a technician assistant at Agate Bay Animal Hospital. She learned a great deal working with Dr. Montana, so when DogGoneCrazy opened in September 2005, Jenny focused her attention there, where she can spend time with the dogs and use her skills in case of an emergency. This picture shows Jenny with Nena, her lab mix puppy dressed up for Snow Fest 2007. Isn’t she cute?! |
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 Elina Woudenberg
Veterinary Technician, Agate Bay Animal Hospital
Elina joined the Agate Bay team after moving to Lake Tahoe in December of 2006. She spent the last 27 years soaking up the sun in San Diego, and 15 of those years were spent as a veterinary technician. Prior to that, she was a professional groomer for five years. While in San Diego, Elina worked at a veterinary speciality hospital, originally as a technician for the neurology department. During her final year there, Elina sought a change in pace, which she found working for the emergency department. Elina has shifted gears again, coming from a large hospital in a metropolitan area to the small community of Tahoe and the intimate, personal setting of Agate Bay Animal Hospital. In her spare time, Elina loves all types of outdoor activities and pretty much anything involving animals. She has two cats, an orange tabby named Jack and a black domestic shorthair named Ebony. |
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 Julianne Boswell
Dog Groomer, DogGoneCrazy
Julianne grew up in the small lake town of Lake Isabella where she attended Kern Valley High School. She has been an animal lover her entire life, so once she and her family moved to Lake Tahoe, her first job was at a local dog grooming shop. After working there for about six months, Julianne adopted a six-week old puppy named Velvet, seen here as a hoola dancer. After working as a dog bather/brusher for a year and a half, Julianne decided to take her career up a step and become a professional dog groomer, so she began working at DogGoneCrazy. Her skills continue to grow in this position, and she is in the process of becoming certified in the field. |
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 Melissa Mayo
Veterinary Assistant, Agate Bay Animal Hospital
Melissa grew up in a small mill town in Rumford, Maine. After graduating High School she attended Alfred University in upstate NY, where she studied Communication and earned a BA. After college, Melissa decided she wanted to see the country so she traveled in a van across country. Tahoe was one of her destination spots and she loved it so much she decided to stay. She has been in the Tahoe area for a year and a half now. Melissa has always had a passion for animals and decided after numerous other jobs to try what she loves, that’s how she ended up at Agate Bay Animal Hospital. In her spare time she loves hiking with her dog Zoey and exploring the beautiful Sierras.
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 Firestar and Cloudpaw
Official Kitties, Agate Bay Animal Hospital
Our hospital cats, Firestar (orange tabby) and Cloudpaw (grey and white) are very friendly and will greet you at the door! |
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