Meet Our Team

Education

• UW-Madison
• Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine
• Dr. Torhorst is the founder and former owner of North Shore Animal Hospital. He sold the practice in 2012 and still works part-time, performing surgeries at NSAH.
• 
  Dr. Torhorst was born in Burlington and has been an important member of the community and has been with North Shore Animal Hospital for over five decades!  Dr. Torhorst graduated from UW- Madison with a degree in Economics and then went on to receive his degree in Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University in 1968. (UW-Madison did not have a Veterinary School at the time).
•  In 1972 he became a Veterinarian at the Racine Zoo where he worked until 1997.  He was the Zoo Director and President of the local Zoological Society for several years and also became a Wildlife Rehabilitation Veterinarian. It wasn’t unusual to see wildlife and zoo animals, such as; Fox, Bald Eagles. Deer, Leopards and Ostriches at the clinic back then.
•  Dr. Torhorst also performed many surgeries for injured wildlife and zoo animals, including a c-section on Bonnie, the zoo’s famous White Tiger. 
• Dr. Torhorst and his wife, Jeanne have three sons and nine grand kids, a retriever named Annie and a cat named Tebs. Their home also doubled as a nursery for Orangutans, Fawns, Lion Cubs and many other furry babies that needed extra TLC and rehabilitation.

Education:

• UW-Madison
• UW-Madison college of Veterinary Medicine

As part of the NSAH team since 1999, Dr. Linda Axnick enjoys practicing preventative medicine as well as performing surgery. Along with her husband Dr. Whitney, she spends much of her free time participating in dock diving and agility with their four Retrievers.

Education:  UW-Madison

UW-Madison College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Whitney joined the North Shore Animal Hospital Team in August of 2012 when he became a co-owner with his wife Linda, who is also a Veterinarian here at North Shore Animal Hospital. 

Dr. Whitney is from Green Bay and graduated from UW Madison in 1995 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. One of his favorite things about working at North Shore Animal Hospital is educating clients regarding pet health and especially helping new puppy and kitten parents with behavior training to give them a happy start. When Dr. Todd isn’t spending time with NSAH patients, he enjoys spending time with his wife Linda and their three Retrievers; Effie, Quest and Meg. They travel around Wisconsin and the country competing in (and winning) Canine Agility and Dock Diving Competitions with their dogs.

Education

• UW-Madison
• UW-Madison College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Heidi Jahn has been with NSAH since 1991. She has a special interest in internal medicine and working up complicated cases. She loves her patients and they love her back.

 Dr. Jahn received her degree from the University of Wisconsin with the second graduating class in the School of Veterinary Medicine. She has been a Veterinarian since 1988 but has been keeping North Shore Animal Hospital patients happy and healthy since 1991!

When Dr. Jahn isn’t giving lots of attention and TLC to our client’s pets, she enjoys spoiling and spending time with her quad of cats; special needs brothers, Ricky and Simon and 'the twins', Gilley and Roarke. She also enjoys traveling, photography and spending time at the lake hiking, swimming and lots of book reading.

Education:

• Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine

As part of the North Shore family since 1992, Dr. Arbas currently works part time as a Relief Veterinarian. He enjoys educating our clients on the importance of preventative medicine, wellness exam and vaccines.  When he isn't helping keep our patients healthy, Dr. Arbas enjoys cooking, golfing and being outdoors, fishing and traveling with his wife, Anne.

Education: UW-River Falls, University of Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine 

Dr. Hollis grew up in the Twin Cities and graduated from The University of Minnesota in 1998 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. She moved shortly after that and began her career working with horses. For the past nineteen years she has worked at Small Animal Veterinary Hospitals in SE Wisconsin and enjoys creating bonds with clients and their furry family members. 

She has many dogs, cats, goats, chickens horses and a mini donkey. Besides caring for her own furry and feathery critters, she also enjoys being outdoors with her family, camping and trail riding with her horses.
Dr. Hollis has many passions when it comes to her position as a Veterinarian including Feline and Canine Dentistry. She also loves counseling families with new kittens and puppies to ensure that they have a good start in life as well as helping senior pets live the longest, healthiest and happiest life possible.

Dr. Melissa Sheth joined the North Shore Animal Hospital in September of 2025.  She was born in Miami Florida but grew up in beautiful Northwoods of Rhinelander, Wisconsin.  She received her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Anthropology from Amherst College before pursuing combined DVM-MPH degrees from The University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Dr. Melissa has experience in both primary care and urgent care medicine and she is passionate about pursuing a career that embraces One Health (the human-animal-environmental connection).  Her clinical interests include internal medicine, advanced imaging and surgical procedures (soft tissue and dentistry).  When she is not helping her patients live their healthiest lives, Dr. Melissa can be found outdoors- hiking, playing soccer, sailing or traveling around the world.  She also enjoys spending time with her two cats, fiancé and a good book! 

Education

• Concordia University
• Concordia University

A member of the NSAH team since 1983, Lori started out as the morning kennel cleaner. She loves her job and feels fortunate to have such a great place to work. Lori and her husband Eric have 2 daughters, 3 Border Collies, 6 cats, 5 goats, 2 rabbits and a horse. In her free time Lori serves as a board member of H.O.P.E. Safehouse and Wisconsin Border Collie Rescue.

Kim joined our staff in 1988 as a kennel technician and has been with us ever since. Kim wears many hats here, one of them being our 'Cat Whisperer' as she has a special way with making cats feel calm during their visits.  Kim was born and currently resides in Racine with her husband and their six cats of which she considers to be her Fur Kids; Herb, Clark, Mayday, Bunsen, Fannie and Spindles.  When she isn't working, Kim enjoys crafting, camping and beachcombing.  On sunny days you might find Kim and her husband riding in their Corvette or on their Harleys.  Kim favorite thing about working at North Shore Animal Hospital is building a life-long bond with pets and their parents.

Suzanne was born in Texas and graduated from UW- Madison. She has worked part time at NSAH as a bookkeeper since 2006.  She has four children and one dog and two cats that keep her busy.  When she isn't enjoying time with them, she likes attending music concerts, vacationing in Door County, staying fit on her Peloton and shopping.  Suzanne enjoys her time here as a staff member and a client because her pets get the best of care at North Shore Animal Hospital.   She believes that animals bring much happiness, joy and love to all and make every day a good one. 

Lindsay worked at North Shore Animal Hospital in high school as a Kennel Technician and returned in 2009 after graduating from Arkansas State University. She is now one of our Certified Veterinary Technicians. Lindsay and her husband Chase have two children and several pet family members that include Aliquot who is a three legged bottle fed kitty and Beebe, an adorable fluffy Bichon mix, two Conures, a Turtle, a Tortoise, a Cockatiel named Fiddlesticks and Five Fancy Goldfish.  In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys crafting, artwork and spending time with her family and her pets.  

Sue has a degree in English but has worked in the veterinary field for over twenty years and has a plethora of experience working with animals of many species.  Sue has three college aged children and many Fur Kids including; two dogs, Sid and Reggie, four cats named; Clara Ollie, Steven and Waffles, a herd of goats, a flock of chickens and several hives of bees.  When Sue isn't working or taking care of her small farm, she enjoys horse back riding, reading, hiking, travel and spending time with her favorite people and pets.   One of Sue's favorite things about working at North Shore Animal Hospital is being with her 'Work Family' and the new experiences that each day brings. 

Joining the hospital in 2010 as a receptionist and brought her many years of dog training experience with her. Vicki has three grown children, six grandchildren and several dogs, including a special needs deaf Dalmatian named Garnet that she rescued.  Vicki also enjoys gardening and doing home repairs in her spare time.  Vicki enjoys meeting clients and helping them with their pet's training and behavioral concerns. 

Michele is one of our receptionists and has been working at North Shore Animal Hospital since August of 2016.  Michelle and her husband have two children; Haylee and Brandon and many pets in their family including two dogs, a cat, two rabbits, hermit crabs and fish.  Michele’s has a passion for all animals but especially enjoys riding horses.  She also enjoys volleyball, four wheeling, roller skating and working in her yard and being outdoors. Michele enjoys working on the animal health care field because it brings her happiness to be able to support pet parents in all situations.  

Chris joined the NSAH team in November of 2018. She recently moved back to Wisconsin with her husband and their pets; Kevin a seven year old Retriever mix and their clowder of cats.  Since moving back they have adopted two rescued dogs from Kentucky; Bourbon and Yeti, a Great Pyrenees. They also have two grown daughters who live out of state. Chris has been working for Veterinary Clinics and volunteering with animal rescue organizations for more than thirty years.  Her favorite organizations are; The Wisconsin Humane Society, H.O.P.E. Safehouse and Kindred Kitties. Chris loves animal of all kinds but especially has an affinity for cats.  She opened Ohio’s first cat café, Eat, Purr, Love which was fortunately taken over by the Columbus Humane Society when she relocated but unfortunately closed due to Covid shortly thereafter.  Chris is one of our receptionists and also helps with our social media and marketing and occasionally fills in as a Veterinary Assistant.  Chris loves working at North Shore Animal Hospital because we have so many great clients that live their pets and treat them like part of their family. 

Melissa was born in Chicago and moved to Wisconsin in 2019. She has twenty years of experience working in small animal practices and emergency veterinary hospitals and is looking forward to meeting and creating bonds with our NSAH clients and patients.

She enjoys spending time with her two rescued dogs; a Jack Russell Terrier mix named Sesame and Pippi a Lhasa Apso mix. Melissa has had several special-needs pets as well, including a diabetic dog and a dog with Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA).

In her spare time, Melissa likes to shop, attend concerts and spend time with family, including her fur-kids; Peppi and Sesame. 

Annalise is a Racine native and joined the North Shore Animal Hospital in 2020. She has two cats; Lucifer and Gabbi and three dogs; a Mastiff named Willow. a rescued Bully named Doug and a Labrador Retriever named Diablo.

Annalise studied Animal Behavior and graduated from a Veterinary Technician accredited University.  In 2024 she received her Veterinary Technician certification.  She enjoys working with animals and worked at a doggy day care before joining the North Shore Animal Team.

One of her favorite things to do is walking with her dogs and her favorite movie is The Secret Life of Pets.
She is excited to meet all of our NSAH clients and patients!!!

When Karla isn’t working at North Shore Animal Hospital, she enjoys spending her time with her husband, Leo and all of her pets, which include several active dogs and a horse named Penny. Her favorite hobbies are camping, horseback riding and show jumping and training and competing in Dog Sports; Flyball, Dock Diving and Disc competitions.  Karla enjoys working at North Shore Animal Hospital because she gets to be around animals all of the time. 

Myla is a Racine native and has been working at North Shore Animal Hospital since 2020 while attending school to acquire a degree as a Certified Veterinary Technician.  She currently has an Associate's Degree in Applied Science - Veterinary Technician and is studying for her Veterinary Technician Board Exams. She was a soprano in High School and has always loved animals. Myla has a Corgi named Ken, several cats and three horses; Ninja, Dudley and Mr. Big.  In her spare time, Myla enjoys horseback riding and spending time with her family, her boyfriend and her pets.  Myla enjoys working at North Shore Animal Hospital because she gets to work with and learn from some great co-workers and she gets to help educate our clients while helping their pets get better.

Staci is originally from West Virginia and moved to Caledonia in 2022 with her wife and two dogs; Sybill and Gryffin.  She is also owned by a cute cat named Huck.  She was originally a client at North Shore Animal Hospital and then started working as a Veterinary Assistant shortly thereafter.  Staci has a degree in education and previous experience as a Veterinary Assistant.  Staci enjoys meeting people and their pets in our community. 

Laurel was born in the Milwaukee area and currently lives in Burlington.  She has an Associates Degree in Applied Science and started working at North Shore Animal Hospital in 2021 and also has a successful on-line business of over ten years.  She shares her home with her husband and two Boston Terriers; Buddy and Lacey.  Laurel enjoys working at North Shore Animal Hospital because animals are so endearing and enjoyable to be around. 

Karen has worked at North Shore Animal Hospital for several years.  She wears many hats while at work.  Besides being a Veterinary Assistant, she helps facilitate phone calls and estimates and inventory and ordering and fills in as a receptionist when needed.

When Karen isn't working at North Shore Animal Hospital, she enjoys watching football, crafts, camping up north and spending time with her adorable Poodle mix, Ashley.  

Karen likes helping clients with their furry family members. 

Kylee has been a part of the North Shore Animal Team, working as  Kennel Technician since January of 2022.  Since then, she has taken on additional responsibilities and learning new skills assisting Doctors and Technicians. 

Kylee is  Vegetarian and a Racine Native. She lives with her family, which includes a Boston Terrier, A Syrian Hamster named Oliver and her Pitbull named Prince.  When she isn't at school or working at NSAH, she enjoys painting, crafting, woodworking and caring for animals, including volunteering at The Wisconsin Humane Society.

Kylee enjoys meeting and caring for patients while learning about different illnesses and their cures.

Olivia came to us in August of 2022 with eight years of Veterinary Assistant experience and is a Racine Native.  When she isn't working with animals at NSAH, she enjoys vacationing and spending time with her family which includes three dogs; Joey, Lambeau and Rollie, a tortoise named Tortilla and a cat named Poppy, adopted from H.O.P.E. Safehouse.  

Olivia enjoys working at North Shore Animal Hospital because her coworkers understand her sense of humor and she also gets to help animals recover from sickness and help educate clients care for their pets.

Gilbert joined the North Shore Animal Hospital team in 2023 while attending UW Milwaukee pursuing a chemistry major and a biology minor with pre-veterinary designation.  He hopes to continue to make a difference in animals lives white providing a valuable service to people.

Gilbert went to Union Grove High school with his triplet brothers and lives in Raymond with many furry family members including; three cats, three dogs and lots of farm animals.   

He enjoys working at North Shore Animal because there is a high standard of excellence and a very friendly staff.

Maggie joined the North Shore Animal Team in August of 2024 with several years of experience as a Veterinary Assistant and Receptionist.  She received her Veterinary Assistant certification through Penn Foster.

When Maggie isn't working at North Shore Animal Hospital, she enjoys reading, watching movies and snuggling with her two cats; Coco and Abby.

McKenzie joined the North Shore Animal Hospital Team in September of 2025 shortly after she moved to Caledonia with her husband, Traer and their Cockapoo Sammy from North Carolina.  McKenzie was born in Iowa and joined the Army where she was a Veterinary Food Inspector and assisted with the Veterinary Technicians. She enjoys working with animals, even if it's giving them some love.

Kristi joined the North Shore Animal Hospital in August of 2024.   She has a bachelor's degree in biology and many years of experience working at Humane Societies and Veterinary Clinics.  When Kristi isn't working at North Shore Animal Hospital, she enjoys reading, being outdoors and spending time with her husband, children and several cats.  She also fosters for H.O.P.E. Safehouse.