Hi! I’m Dr. Jeni Waeltz, the excited and grateful new owner of The Welcome Waggin’. I started here part-time in November 2019. Then on April 1st, 2020, at the start of a pandemic, I made the leap to ownership. I received my DVM degree from Purdue University in 2011. Since then, I’ve worked in various capacities that include private general practice and director level recruiting roles for two veterinary corporations. I’ve completed certifications in Veterinary Practice Management, Compassion Fatigue, and I’ve almost completed my certification to become a Professional Coach. Being a veterinarian is an amazing gift but the profession is suffering from burnout and compassion fatigue, and high suicide rates. After hiring 100s of doctors during my recruiting years, I wanted to give back to the profession and support others on their journey of developing the mindset and resilience to become their best selves. So in September 2019, I started a life and leadership coaching business that supports busy professionals struggling to be and do it all. You can check out my website here.

The wonder and awe of the human-animal bond are what motivates me to get up in the morning to care for your pets. Using my skills as a veterinarian and a coach, I love taking a holistic approach to keeping your pets as vibrant and healthy for as long as I can. Examining and treating your pet in the place they love most, their home, makes all the difference. I have a special interest in the education of preventive diseases, dentistry and oral health, dermatology, weight loss in overweight pets, feline medicine, and the care for elderly and geriatric dogs and cats. My love for animals started as a little girl. My childhood cat lived to be 20 years and 3 months and the bond we shared sealed the deal of wanting to spend my life around animals. You can read that story here. Currently, I live in Oswego with my husband and our two girls, two cats, and two dogs! During my time away from the practice, I enjoy all things outdoors, scrapbooking, and spending time with my family.

I have had a life-long interest in all creatures feathered, finned, and furry; my parents were animals-lovers sharing their home with dogs, cats, tropical fish, guinea pigs, iguanas, frogs, anoles, and rats… oh my! I was incredibly fortunate to have my uncle, Dr. Lester Fisher, and cousin, Dr. Herb Lederer, as mentors in the veterinary field. In 1999, I graduated second in my class from the University of Illinois and began my journey as a small animal vet. After 8 years working at shelters and small animal practices throughout the Chicagoland area I founded Welcome Waggin’. Making housecalls to clients and their pets has enabled me to educate pet owners, children, and the general public, sharing knowledge and experience to better the lives of all living things. In the warmth and comfort homes, I have witnessed the true richness the human-animal bond can bring. In this setting, I’ve also had the opportunity to observe the subtilities of behavioral, dermatologic, orthopedic, and internal medical diseases, all strong professional interests, at a level not seen in a traditional practice. Currently, I split time in Naperville and Tampa, Florida where I enjoy year-round running, swimming with my Golden Retrievers, and rooting for the Tampa Lightning, ChicagoCubs, and Illini Football with my husband and three sons.

Hi! My name is Matt Waeltz, an animal lover since birth. I was born and raised with horses, dogs, cats, and a goat. I’ve been exposed to animal species of all kinds being the son of a small animal veterinarian in southern Indiana. This includes responding to after-hour emergency calls, community vaccine events, helping the local DNR with wildlife, and a fond memory of watching my father perform surgery on a rather large python pet.

I went to school at Purdue University and graduated in 2008 as a Mechanical Engineer Technologist. I started my career in the biomechanical engineering field by programming robotic pipettes that allowed faster times to analyze blood samples. I then spent the majority of my engineering career working on heavy-duty equipment while at Caterpillar in Peoria and GKN in Woodridge.

Oh – and I just happened to be the husband of Dr. Jeni Waeltz. I’m so excited to join forces to help with the operational side of the business. Bringing together my upbringing in vet med with my engineering background sounded like an amazing challenge and opportunity.

I’ve always appreciated seeing the wonderful bond between animals and humans. This bond has proven to be a deep love between companions and excited me to become a team member within The Welcome Waggin.

My interests are everything outdoors from spending hours in the barn practicing woodworking. I also value quality time with my family which includes my lovely wife, two daughters, two dogs, two cats, and a random chipmunk.

Hi! My name is Dr. Jaclyn Rumpf, a 2010 graduate of Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and have been proudly working as a veterinarian in the Chicago suburbs ever since. I am passionate about the human-animal bond and am Fear Free trained and am therefore extremely excited to be able to provide care for my patients in the home setting, allowing for more comfortable visits for both my furry friends and their families.

My special interests within the field of veterinary medicine include preventative care, internal medicine, dentistry, geriatric and palliative care, and pain management.

My love for animals started at an early age and I have cared for many of my own beloved animals including fish, crawdads, a box turtle, and several dogs. I currently share my home in Naperville with my two sweet Italian Greyhounds, Maris and Cosmo. We enjoy exploring the wonderful parks and walking trails that the area has to offer. I also enjoy reading, knitting, and scrapbooking in my spare time.

Hi! I’m Dr. Aubrey Fagan. I graduated from St. Matthew’s University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. I started working as a veterinarian in the Chicago suburbs before moving down to Texas to treat horses, dogs, and cats. Family drew me back a few years ago, and I have been treating pets in the Chicago suburbs since then.

Many of my appointments in Texas were to see animals in a home/farm setting. I am so excited to get back to seeing pets at home versus in a clinic! Home visits are a much more relaxing setting for both pets and their families.

My special interests include preventative medicine, nutrition, and weight management, dermatology, pain management, and chiropractic. I am certified in veterinary spinal manipulation therapy, which is otherwise known as animal chiropractic. This therapy is so useful for pain management in pets of all ages.

My desire to be a veterinarian started at a very young age after growing up with dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and horses! In my free time, I love spending time with my husband (Ryan), daughter (Jocelyn), and our two dogs (Emma and Shawzy).

Sarah has been with The Welcome Waggin’ since 2012. She has been an animal lover since she was a small child and has had a variety of animals. Right now, she only has two fur babies: two beautiful cats that she rescued from a client’s window well. She hopes to be adding more fur babies to her family soon. She loves working for The Welcome Waggin. She says, “it’s different every day, and you really get to know your patients and see them in their own environment. They are much more comfortable in their own home.” Sarah lives in Bolingbrook, and she enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, family, and friends. She also loves reading, being in the outdoors, and volunteering for animal-related organizations.

Christy started working in this profession by accident. In 1996, she was working in a fast-food joint and floundering through college, changing majors every semester. One day, her dog’s veterinarian pulled up to her drive-through window. When she handed Christy the money for her happy meal, the doc asked if she might be interested in a part-time kennel attendant position. Two weeks later, she was offered a full-time job as a vet assistant, and over 20 years later, Christy still finds herself excited to go to work. She started a pet-sitting business to pay her way through college. She earned her CVT license through Joliet Junior College and holds a bachelor’s in veterinary technology from St. Petersburg College. Christy taught classes in a veterinary technology program for over 12 years and is the coordinator and instructor for a veterinary assistant program at Moraine Valley Community College. She’s worked in general practice and emergency and critical care, and she is a certified pet loss companion and a vet tech educator specialist. When she’s not vet-tech-ing, she enjoys traveling, live entertainment, photography, music, writing, reading, and every moment with her family. Working with animals has taught Christy that love can be unconditional, kindness is everything, and that pets are family members. She’s also developed a unique skill: Christy is a master doggy-paddler. If it were an Olympic sport, she’d be a gold medalist.

Marissa, like many veterinary professionals, has wanted to work with animals from early on. As a child, she wanted to be a veterinarian, but the more experience she gained in the field, the more she realized becoming a veterinary technician was her true calling. Marissa earned her CVT license through Fox College Vet Tech Program in 2013. She has experience working in emergency medicine, general practice, diagnostic laboratory, and animal control.

Marissa’s veterinary passions include learning about and implementing low-stress and fear-free handling techniques, client education, and dental health care. When Marissa is not vet-tech-ing, she can be found spending time at home with her family zoo, including her husband, two human kids, two dogs, and a cat.

Heather has been working with animals since 2010. She began as a dog trainer before starting her veterinary medicine career in 2012. She is passionate about animal behavior and uses her dog training skills to help her canine patients feel more comfortable and to educate owners on common behavior problems.

Heather has an Australian Cattle Dog named Sheila and two cats: ZuZu and South Sider. In her spare time, Heather enjoys going for runs with Sheila. She is an active member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. She has run three marathons and raised over $3,000 for blood cancer research so far.

Michael has been working in veterinary medicine since 2002. He has experience in multiple roles within the veterinary field, including Receptionist, Lead Veterinary Technician, Surgical Technician, and Practice Manager. He has also had a lot of experience working alongside various rescues, Trap Neuter Release programs, The Chicagoland Bird Collision Monitors, and a canine physical rehab facility. He has always had a passion for animals and their well-being and is Fear Free Certified. Michael enjoys client education, especially surrounding vaccines, preventative care, and training. In his spare time, Michael enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors with his dogs. Michael has a menagerie of animals at home, including dogs, cats, rabbits, chinchillas, birds, turtles, and lizards.

Michael is currently obtaining his Master’s Degree in Social Work, his Drug and Alcohol Counseling degree, and a minor in Psychology from Aurora University. Michael plans to combine his passion for veterinary medicine and his degrees surrounding mental health to assist clients in difficult situations further when it comes to their pets. He feels the human-animal bond is extraordinary and needs to be recognized more within veterinary medicine.

Jackie has been working in Veterinary Medicine since 2012. She started working at an emergency and specialty hospital where she fell in love with emergency medicine and helping patients recover after scary emergencies. Her special interests include cardiology and wound management. Jackie most recently moved back from Alaska where she traveled the state seeing Cardiology cases. While in Alaska, she even got to film an episode with Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet.

Jackie is finishing her Bachelor’s degree and is hoping to eventually work with the CDC in habitat conservation and zoonotic disease prevention. She is excited to work with pets in their homes and continue her passion for client education and helping pets feel their best. In her free time, she is an avid traveler and enjoys road trips with her fiancé and two dogs Parker and Shrimp.

Hi! My name is Annette Todd and I’m new to The Welcome Waggin and veterinary practice. In April 2022, I did a career change and I’m grateful and love being part of The Welcome Waggin family. My desire was always to work with animals, and I have the best of both worlds, working with animals and their families.

Outside of the office, I keep busy with my husband, my daughter, twin boys, and two dogs. All three of my children are in college and all three are college athletes. I love attending all their games and meets. I also have 2 dogs that keep me busy that I spoil since I became an empty nester.

Some of my hobbies I enjoy include travel, bird watching, gardening, cooking, and hiking with my dogs. My dream and goal one day is to have a therapy dog to help others in need, such as in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospice, and veterans.