Our Careteam

Practice Manager

Dan Sinclair

Dan wasn’t always a dog person; meeting his then-girlfriend and falling in love with her pet pavilion changed everything. Now he and his wife share the love of the multiple pets in their home, and now Dan gets to bring that love into the office as the Practice Manager at Santaluz Animal Care.

Dan joins the team with years of business and management experience outside the veterinary field. He has enjoyed many positions within small and large organizations, including serving as President of two educational corporations serving teachers and students in public and private institutions.

If you ever need assistance regarding Santaluz Animal Care, please call the office, and he will be glad to help.

Assistant Practice Manager

Theresa Ahrensberg

With 40 years (and counting) in the veterinary industry, Theresa has seen and experienced just about everything imaginable. Yet, every moment and milestone has only strengthened her lifelong passion for and commitment to helping animals feel special and loved. From a childhood spent bringing home strays to the countless fosters she’s helped rehome over the years, animals have defined Theresa’s life, and she’s thrilled to be able to continue making a difference in her role as Assistant Practice Manager.

At the age of 16, Theresa began volunteering at a local veterinarian in her hometown. That’s all it took to make her realize this was the field for her. Over the years, she’s held many roles, from kennel help to receptionist, from assistant technician to training and management. Professionally, she loves working with clients and their pets, listening to their stories and helping them in any way she can. Ensuring an exceptional experience with each and every visit is Theresa’s ultimate goal.

Outside of work, Theresa is happily married. The couple has been blessed with two sons, a daughter and two grandchildren. Their fur family consists of two yorkies – Abby and Cruiser, a maltipoo named Gia, and a German shorthair pointer named Sydney.

When she’s not busy running the clinic or playing with her pups and grandkids, Theresa loves to BBQ, swim and spend quality time with family and friends. She and her husband frequently go off-roading in the desert and take trips to the mountains and beach. Avid travelers, the two recently returned from a trip to Alaska, where they were awed by the beauty of the glaciers and wildlife.

Veterinary Assistant

Jessi Jackson

Jessica was inspired to help pets in the veterinary profession when she saw all of the homeless animals wandering the streets of her neighborhood. Every time she saw a neglected animal, it would ruin her day—she knew that she wanted to do whatever she could to change that. Jessica decided to take action and become a veterinary professional! She’s now a proud member of the Santaluz Animal Care family.

Jessica—Jessy to her family, friends, and coworkers—is a native of Southern California and attended Mira Costa Community College to earn her Associate’s degree in 2016. She signed up for the school’s Veterinary Assistant program immediately afterward and then launched her career in veterinary medicine after earning her degree. Jessy worked in a boarding facility for a time before taking a job in a veterinary hospital, then joined the Santaluz Animal Care team in the spring of 2019 as a Room Assistant. She’s been here ever since!

Here at the clinic, Jessy likes administering preventative medicine and helping to educate pet owners on the best possible care techniques for their animal companions. It always brings a smile to her face knowing that she’s improved a pet’s quality of life!

Veterinary Assistant

Lisa Gibbs

Lisa’s own pets have always been there for her. She’s never taken that unconditional love and loyalty for granted. For Lisa, being able to take care of animals as a member of the veterinary profession is a dream come true! She’s a proud member of the grooming team here at Santaluz Animal Care and also serves as a Room Assistant.

Lisa hails from Jackson, Georgia and has been caring for pets ever since she was a little girl. When she moved to San Diego, she knew that she wanted to continue doing just that. Lisa signed on with the Santaluz Animal Care family in 2019 and has been serving the area’s pets and animal parents ever since. Her favorite part of every shift is getting to see what a difference the team’s hard work makes for the area’s four-legged friends.

Away from the clinic, Lisa is working toward her Veterinary Assistant’s degree and enjoys fishing, drawing, and reading history books in her spare time. She has one dog of her own, adopted through her work in the veterinary world: Timber, a 70-pound-plus Malamute who likes saying hello to every human and dog he meets.

Veterinary Assistant

Ariel Bartolome

When Ariel was growing up, you could usually find her glued to the TV, binge watching shows on Animal Planet. Even back then, she had a fascination with animals and a deep desire to help them in any way she could. As a veterinary assistant, Ariel is thrilled to be able to finally put her passion to work, helping people and pets alike as she works toward her goal of one day becoming a vet.

At the age of 16, Ariel started volunteering her time at the San Diego Humane Society. After high school, she went on to pursue a degree in Animal Biology from UC Davis. While attending college, Ariel spent several years volunteering at a non-profit clinic that served the homeless community. Seeing so many people who were facing financial hardships, yet doing everything within their power to make sure their pets were taken care of – many even putting their pets’ health above their own – inspired Ariel and really brought the power of the human animal bond into perspective.

Ariel joined the Santaluz Animal Care team in the summer of 2021, at the end of her third year of college. She recently graduated with her Bachelors of Science degree and is in the process of applying to vet school. Professionally, she loves the challenge of figuring out the solution to what a patient needs. She also appreciates the variety of cases and the unique personalities of each patient. Every day is different and that really keeps her on her toes!

Outside of the clinic, Ariel has one fur baby of her own: a fluffy and moody orange tabby named Peach. In her spare time, Ariel enjoys going to the beach, and trying out new restaurants around San Diego with friends. She also REALLY loves goats and even knows how to milk them.

Customer Service Representative

Sonia Jorge

Sonia has always been passionate about helping those in the world who have no voice. She has been in the veterinary field for over 20 years and still loves every moment. Today, Santaluz Animal Care is proud to have her as a Customer Service Representative. She loves everything about her job, especially educating pet owners about wellness and preventative services so their pets can live long and healthy lives!

Having grown up in San Diego, CA, Sonia also spent a vast amount of time in Costa Rica and Panama. Being in these places helped her appreciate all types of animals, including iguanas. She grew up in a household where animals were always present.

She also recalls feeding as many homeless dogs and cats as she could while living in Costa Rica. She told herself that hopefully, one day, she would return to the country to open an animal hospital/shelter. One of Sonia’s earliest and fondest animal-related memories occurred when her pregnant cat chose her room to give birth to her kittens, and Sonia assisted.

Sonia’s first position at a veterinary clinic allowed her to experience and learn firsthand about the profession. Still, no matter her position in the field, she always returns to a customer service representative. Sonia loves the interaction with humans and their pets!

You will always find Sonia with her family when she’s not busy at the animal clinic.

Veterinary Assistant

Jamie Chu

When Jamie was in elementary school, she and a friend would often stand by the street near her home for hours, encouraging passers-by to stop and donate money for the local animal shelter. When she finally got her first dog, her lifelong love of animals turned into a career goal. As a veterinary assistant here at Santaluz Animal Care, Jamie is now one step closer to her dream of one day becoming a vet.

During her undergraduate years at UCSD, Jamie took on a biology major. The summer after graduation, she started her first job as a room assistant, right here at Santaluz. The experience taught her many valuable skills that she has applied as she works her way up. Professionally, Jamie has a particular fascination with cytology and looking under the microscope. She also enjoys radiology.

Outside of the clinic, Jamie resides with her parents and her dog, Cupcake, who won’t go anywhere without her stuffed giraffe. In her spare time, Jamie enjoys listening to music and attending concerts – the most recent of which was a performance in Vegas by BTS. She also has an interest in fashion and loves to travel to new places. So far, she’s been to the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Alaska. Still on her bucket list are Greece, Italy and her family’s home country of Vietnam.

Receptionist / Customer Service

Carol Sandham

Prior to working at Santaluz Animal Care, Carol spent more than a decade in the human healthcare field. Her deep love of animals and a desire to help their owners drove Carol to make a career change. As a receptionist and customer service representative here at Santaluz Animal Care, Carol is one of the first friendly faces our clients and patients encounter, and she does her best to ensure that all experiences with our clinic are positive ones!

Carol grew up in the San Fernando Valley and moved to Orange County during her freshman year of high school. Today, she and her partner, Scott, have three terriers – Lucky, Louie, and Lexxy – all of whom were rescues. The pups love treats and will never turn down a good snuggling session. When she’s not busy working or tending to her dogs, Carol enjoys crafting, jewelry making, and rock painting. She is also an avid Halloween enthusiast and collects costumes and vintage clothing.

Registered Veterinary Technician

Maria Terris

Maria grew up in Brooklyn, New York. As an only child, she took a special interest in the many pets her family had over the years. From dogs, hamsters, and guinea pigs, to fish, frogs, and snakes, she adored them all and that love only grew and deepened over the years. And while she didn’t initially start out working in the veterinary industry, she would eventually find her way back to that childhood passion for making animals feel safe, comfortable, and loved.

Maria attended the University of Rhode Island to achieve her general education credits and then moved on to a fantastic school that involved living outdoors, traveling around the country, studying cultures, biodiversity, environmental issues, as well as hiking, canoeing, and other activities. There, she achieved her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. After graduating, Maria spent several years traveling, exploring, and thinking about what she wanted to do with her life.

Back home in the states, Maria was working as a server when she adopted her dog, Nena. After speaking to Nena’s nurse during her spay appointment, Maria discovered there was a job called a licensed veterinary technician and instantly knew she’d found her calling. She didn’t know exactly what that job would entail, but she knew she’d be able to make pets feel better, so that was good enough for her! Since becoming an LVT, Maria worked at several hospitals before joining the Santaluz Animal Clinic team.

Clinically, Maria takes a special interest in cases that are unique, as those are the ones from which she learns the most. She also loves seeing pets improve after they’ve been treated for whatever is ailing them. Her other professional interests include monitoring anesthesia and seeing patient cases through from start to finish. In the near future, Maria hopes to share her talent for healing massage with our patients.

Outside of work, Maria resides with her husband and their plethora of dogs, which includes a chihuahua and several dachshunds. Her oldest dog, Hoku, does volunteer work with at-risk teens in a program about body language, trust, distractions, and communication. Maria considers him to be her “soul dog.” In what little spare time she has, Maria enjoys volunteering and traveling with her husband. She is currently trying to convince him to go to Switzerland.

Registered Veterinary Technician

Aaron Dimino

Unlike most of Aaron’s colleagues, he didn’t grow up knowing he wanted to work with animals for a living. A classically trained chef, he found himself wanting more out of life. He happened upon PIMA Medical Institute and the rest, as they say, is history. As a registered veterinary technician here at Santaluz Animal Care, Aaron draws from his innate affinity for nursing care and loves each patient as if they were his own.

Aaron enrolled and graduated from PIMA’s vet tech program out of Seattle WA and proceeded to pass his VTNE. He spent several years working at a busy private practice in Seattle before relocating to San Diego and joining the Santaluz team. Professionally, Aaron loves working with his hands and has a special interest in anesthesia safety.

At home, Aaron lives with his wife and their tree walker coonhound, Ally, who is a spoiled princess. In his spare time, you can usually find Aaron playing video games, an activity he’s won multiple tournaments for competitively. He also loves food and basking in the sun. One of Aaron’s most memorable moments involved personally and solely shucking over 50 dozen oysters for a friend’s wedding.

Veterinary Assistant

Gabby Cesena

Gabby hails from São Paulo, Brazil, where her love of animals and desire to help them was realized at a very young age. Even back then, she knew that when she grew up, she wanted a career that would allow her to give voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. As part of the Santaluz Animal Care team, Gabby is able to fulfill her childhood dream and work with animals for a living.

Gabby attended veterinary school while still living in Brazil. There, she was given the incredible opportunity to intern at a wild animal rehab facility – an experience that only strengthened her desire to work in veterinary medicine. Several years in, Gabby moved to San Diego, where she took a step back and spent some time learning English. In April of 2023, Gabby was offered a role here at Santaluz. Professionally, she enjoys being hands-on and solving puzzles to help heal sick patients.

Outside of the clinic, Gabby lives with her twin sister, Isabella, and their four pets. Nino is a terrier mix whose huge personality belies his small stature. Malbec and Mia are two cats who have been part of the family since they were three days old and bottle-fed. The fur family is made complete with Mamas, an indoor/outdoor cat who spreads love throughout the house to everyone she encounters.

Aside from animals, Gabby’s other personal interests revolve around sports and physical fitness. She works out at the gym daily and plays soccer with friends on a weekly basis.

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