Meet Our Veterinary Team
Our Veterinarians
Michelle C. Schraeder, DVM, MEd, FAAVA
Dr. Michelle Schraeder grew up in New Jersey and received her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. In 1986, she and her husband moved to Bellingham.
Dr. Schraeder practices integrative medicine, combining Traditional Chinese Medicine with conventional Western medicine. During her veterinary career, she has encountered cases where conventional medicine by itself was not helpful. This led to her interest in alternative medicine. In 1996–97, she took the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society’s (IVAS) Basic Acupuncture course and exams and became an IVAS-certified veterinary acupuncturist and a charter member of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAVA). She also completed a three-year course in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine and a course in veterinary Tui-Na, a Chinese massage/manipulation therapy.
In January 2006, Dr. Schraeder was one of the first veterinarians to become a Fellow of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (FAAVA), which is an advanced acupuncture certification process. She obtained a Master of Education in College and Continuing Education in 2009 from Western Washington University. Presently, she is chair of the IVAS International Education Committee, an IVAS board member, and a member of the AAVA Advanced Certification Committee. Dr. Schraeder is a regular speaker at various US and international veterinary conferences and teaches at several veterinary acupuncture courses, nationally and online.
Edwin J. Stone, DVM
Dr. Ed Stone grew up on a farm in the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern Virginia. Being around animals from an early age influenced his desire to become a veterinarian.
He attended undergraduate school at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (now known as Virginia Tech) and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982, where he met and married Dr. Schraeder. He practiced in New Jersey before moving to Bellingham and Mountain Veterinary Hospital in 1986.
Believing a person is never too old to learn new things, he enrolled at Western Washington University in 2006 and earned a master’s degree in Education in 2009.
His love of the outdoors drew him to this area, and when he is not at the clinic, he is doing outdoor projects at home or hiking the mountains with the dogs.
Lindsey Watson, DVM
Dr. Lindsey Watson grew up in Olympia and moved to Bellingham in 2003 to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Western Washington University, and she absolutely fell in love with the area.
She had the pleasure of working at Mountain Veterinary Hospital from 2007 to 2009 and again in the summer of 2011, and attributes much of her inspiration to attend veterinary school to the incredible doctors and staff there.
In her spare time, she loves to go hiking with her German Shepherd mix, Costello, or curl up with a good book and her beautiful cat Moira. She enjoys horseback riding whenever she finds the opportunity and has recently started scuba diving. Photography is another passion that she would like to explore further sometime in the future.
After her graduation from Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2013, she moved back to Bellingham and returned to Mountain Veterinary Hospital, where she has been ever since.
Nicholas Counsell, DVM
Bio coming soon…
Hospital Manager
Amanda
Amanda was born in Kansas City, MO, and moved around quite a bit with her family before finally settling in Bellingham in 1985. She began volunteering at the Whatcom Humane Society in her senior year of high school and got hooked on animal welfare.
After adopting a dog that required corrective surgery for hip dysplasia, she found her way to Mountain Veterinary Hospital, where she found her dog received excellent care. She began working part-time for Mountain Veterinary Hospital soon after, starting out as Kennel Staff. Amanda continued to work part-time for both the Humane Society and Mountain until her graduation from Western Washington University, when she went to work full-time for the Humane Society for four years as the Animal Care Supervisor and the Animal Behavior Program Supervisor.
As a child, when asked what she wanted to be, she usually said either a horse or a veterinarian. In high school, she discovered a passion for physical anthropology. At Western, she discovered she had no scientific aptitude and so majored in painting. She has a BA in Fine Arts, specializing in Painting and Drawing. She has sold numerous pet portrait commissions, participates regularly in the Chalk Art Festival, has painted animal murals at both the Humane Society and the Ferndale Library, has donated many paintings to assorted auctions, and has work hanging at the Humane Society and Mountain Veterinary Hospital. She would love to have more time to paint, but often finds herself just too darned tired to stretch a canvas. Plus, she would have to clean the basement as that’s where the studio is located.
Amanda returned to the Mountain Veterinary Hospital family in the fall of 2005. She has been promoted from Kennel Staff to the role of Hospital Manager, or at least that’s what they let her believe. She loves making a difference in the lives of pets and their people, helping one to help the other, and tries to personalize everyone’s visit to the clinic. Being on a first-name basis with clients is one of her favorite things about Mountain Veterinary Hospital.
You will notice she rarely wears anything but Halloween scrubs and will discuss her home’s Halloween decorations at length with anyone brave enough to initiate that conversation. She and her girlfriend share their home with two dogs, two cats, one snake, one tortoise, and fish.
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Cassidi
Cassidi came to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University, and like many people, she fell in love with the city and never left. In 2012, she started working at Mountain Veterinary Hospital and received her veterinary technician license in 2020. She currently has three cats but would have many more if her husband allowed it. Her free time is limited due to chasing after a toddler all day. When she does have a moment to relax, she enjoys being outside in her garden or hiking in the mountains.
Veterinary Assistants
Gloria
Gabby
Gabby has been working at Mountain Vet since 2020. She is also a student at Western Washington University, majoring in biocultural anthropology with a minor in biology. She has a grey cat named Gravy, a sphynx named Norman Wrinkles, and a horse named Nemo, and they are all the biggest goofballs she knows. She is both a veterinary assistant and receptionist, so you might see her on the phone with a client or helping your pet with a doctor! In her free time, she loves to watch movies, bake, ride her horse, and hang out with friends!
Lydia
Lydia joined the Mountain Veterinary team in 2023 and became a veterinary assistant in 2025. She is a lifelong dog and horse lover, and since working here, she’s learned she likes some cats too! She is from Seattle and graduated from WWU’s therapeutic recreation program in 2022. She also works at The Northwest Therapeutic Riding Center helping folks of all ability levels enjoy horseback riding. In her free time, she loves going to the movies, cooking, and swimming in the icy water of Bellingham Bay! She looks forward to meeting you and your pets soon.
Kerry
Kerry has been in the veterinary field for 30 years. Her hometown is in Southern California. She has horses, chickens, ducks, cats, dogs, tortoises, and a rabbit. She’s an adrenaline junkie and loves the idea of a nomadic lifestyle. She loves all of the animals whether they have paws, hooves, fins, wings, or antennae. She didn’t like Barbie dolls when she was a little girl; all she wanted was stuffed animals. Her mom figured that out in a hurry when she saw what she did to one of the dolls she gave her.
Liam
Our Clinic Cats
Charmin
Abby
Wiley
Fact 1: I will do anything for a scoop of Friskies.
Fact 2: The girls here enjoy scooping me up and playing with my belly and toes.
Fact 3: I have multiple toes. I am one of those polydactyl kitties.
So, if you hear me clicking around, then it’s because I am either racing away for the Friskies or resisting arrest. My partner-in-crime is my best friend, Bags.
Bagheera
If you ever see a big black cat running around outside, do not worry, it is not a panther. It is just me, Bagheera. “Bags” for short. I am either lounging in the sun on top of someone’s car or I am chasing around critters. I am what you would call the security detail. If you don’t see me outside, then I am taking it easy with my best friend, Wiley.
Spazzy
Ahhhhhhh, you will never see me! If you think your shadow is scary, you should see mine. It is always chasing me around. You know what they say, “Keep your friends far away, and keep your enemies even farther.” However, I can be enticed to come up and say hello on a very quiet day with some delicious shrimp treats.