Dr. Erica Merrill grew up in Colorado and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2006. She took a four-year break to spend time in the workforce and did a six-week trip to Arusha, Tanzania. There, she volunteered at a nursery school, as well as a hospice and orphanage for those affected by HIV and AIDS. Dr. Merrill graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014 and completed a year-long internship at VCA Mission Animal Referral and Emergency Center in Mission, Kansas.

She always had a soft spot for the PNW, having spent summers at her grandmother’s house in Indianola, Washington. She accepted a position in Washington and worked in the emergency field for her first three years in the area. While the emergency practice was exciting, Dr, Merill missed the continued client and patient interactions and decided to move into general practice.

Dr. Merrill has a Whippet mix named Buster, a Chihuahua mix named Ollie, and two Siamese mixes named Monty and Beth. In her free time, she enjoys walking, spending time with her pets, playing the piano, spending time with friends, and watching movies of all genres. She has a special place in her heart for angry Chihuahuas and nervous Greyhound breeds and loves all of the dogs and cats that walk through the doors of Renton West!

Dr. Jenny Lakritz grew up in Wisconsin with her parents, two older sisters, and a loving
Australian shepherd named Roxy. She attended the University of Minnesota where she
completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Science in 2016. After college, Dr.
Lakritz traveled to Australia for an externship working at the Bunbury Wildlife Rehab
Center. Among other activities, she helped nurse native Australian animals back to
health such as kangaroos, King parrots, and Wombats. Following this, Dr. Lakritz
attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine located on the island of St. Kitts
and Ohio State University for clinicals.

While in school, Jenny fell in love with a stray puppy during a community outreach day
on the island of Nevis. Her name is Talia and the two have been inseparable ever since
she brought her home. They have traveled across the United States all the way from
New York to Washington! Dr. Lakritz fell in love with Washington after visiting her sister,
who currently resides in Newcastle. She had planned to move to the Seattle area after
graduating in 2021. She loves hiking with her dog, team trivia, and watching the Packers
defeat the Seahawks! Dr. Lakritz is eager to explore the Pacific Northwest and is
excited to be a part of the Renton West family. We are so happy to have her with us!

Mary Tremblay-Crouch was born in Washington, D.C., and has lived all over the United States. She went to high school in Bloomington, Minnesota, and attended college at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI where she ran track on a partial scholarship. She graduated with a BA in Psychology and Communications. Immediately after graduation, Mary joined the Peace Corps as an English teacher in the French-speaking country of what was then Upper Volta (now Burkina Fosse) in Africa. Mary eventually found her way to the Pacific Northwest where she now resides. She remains passionate about horses and animals of all kinds.

Mary came late to the veterinary field having worked in various occupations – one of which was owning her own business working with physicians of all specialties for ten years. When she sold her company, Mary was fortunate enough financially to be able to take a “temporary” job as a kennel assistant. It’s funny how life does not always work out the way one envisions. In Mary’s case, it turned out so much better. She began a long-standing love affair working in a field with both animals and people. Mary says it “feeds her soul” and she means it!

Mary has been in the veterinary field for over twenty years. She started working at Renton West at the end of November 2019. Working alongside Dr. Merrill and Dr. Lakritz is exciting and she feels blessed to be a part of this dynamic and growing practice. Mary looks forward to many more years of service to the community.

Raised on her grandpa’s farm in Springdale, WA, McKenna was surrounded by animals before moving to West Seattle as a young girl.  During her summers at Vashon High School she volunteered in Tanzania, Africa at a primary school teaching the children English.  She helped build desks, garden and paint the school.  McKenna also traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand to teach English and build bathrooms at an orphanage.  During these two humanitarian trips McKenna’s love for animals grew as she spent time bathing elephants and making natural medicines for them, explored animals in their natural habitats, and sadly saw many dogs and animals in need.  She hopes to return to do humanitarian vet work internationally.  McKenna attended PIMA Medical Institute where she received her Veterinary Assistant Certification in 2021, with plans to become a Veterinary Technician.

Mckenna has a black lab mix named Stoney and a doberman pincher pitty mix named Crüe and loves looking after her roommates dogs

Leanne was born and raised a Renton local whose love for animals started at a very young age. Having grown up with a large veriety of pets, from birds to rabbits, to horses and of course cats and dogs, Leanne dreamed as a child of becoming a veterinarian, and even attended Western Washington University with the intention of going to vet school. However, while studying she discovered a love for the the natural world in general and ended up with an Environmental Science degree, followed by an internship in wildlife rehabilitation.  She hopes to eventually work her way up to becoming a wildlife biologist in the future. For now, she is focusing on giving her elderly dog, Elphie, the best golden years that she possibly can, while helping owners to do the same for their beloved pets. 

Cassandra grew up in Colorado and has always had a love for animals. When she was little she used to visit her grandparents in Wyoming to see the wild deer and ride horses at her aunt’s ranch. Her parents let her keep toads, tortoises, and a snake and got her her first personal puppy at 15. 

 She has worked in the Veterinary field since 2016 with various different hospitals in Colorado, Nevada, and Washington as well as a Mobile Vet Clinic. She loves to work especially with pit bull breeds and helping cats feel more comfortable in the clinic.  

She and her husband bought a house in Auburn for their four dogs, and two cats. Karrin Murphy, Jumanji, Rufio, Declan Harp, Floki, and Finn. She loves all the outdoor activities in Washington and is looking forward to exploring more areas here.

Kylen was born in Burien, WA and has lived all throughout the Puget Sound area. Kylen’s love for animals started at a young age after adopting his first pet, a Lhasa Apso named Puddles. Growing up with dogs, cats, goats, frogs, and hamsters, Kylen knew his passion was with helping animals in need. Beginning his career as a kennel attendant in 2019 at the Animal Hospital of Newport Hills in Newcastle, WA, Kylen quickly worked his way up to veterinary assistant. In his spare time Kylen enjoys spending time with his 4 dogs Lily, Skye, Coco, and Pucca, spending time with his family/friends, and collecting supply donations for his local animal shelters. 

Kylen joined the Renton West family in September of 2022 and plans to get his Veterinary Technician license as well as his phlebotomy license to further his career.

Courtney grew up in Boise, Idaho working at a horse ranch and learning to ride every summer, where she fell in love with animals. She attended Washington State University for 2 years before she took a break and joined the U.S. Army in 2015. After 7 years of living all over the world, Courtney knew she was meant to work with animals and took an Animal Care Internship at Pasado’s Safe Haven where she participated in many rescues and the daily care of animals healing from their past lives. Working with animals every day made Courtney happier and more fulfilled than any other endeavor in her life. She loved seeing animals come to the rescue needing all the love and help in the world to later leave with a family willing to love them and change their lives further. It fueled her fire to make animals her entire life. Soon after, she started working as a veterinary assistant and is currently enrolled in school to become a Veterinary Technician; always wanting to help animals and help their people love them longer. Courtney loves taking her dogs on adventures, exploring the mountains, going to the beach, or doing any single thing where she can take her dogs with her. She and her husband have a Rottweiler/Boxer mix named Bodhi and a German Wirehair Pointer named Olive.