Our Doctors

Dr. Sara Rice

Dr. Sara Rice graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts with a degree in European History before beginning her veterinary studies. Dr. Rice attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and received her V.M.D. in 1978. After graduation she moved to Ukiah where she was hired by Dr. Tom Broaddus to be the second doctor in a previously solo practitioner clinic. Mendocino Animal Hospital has continued to grow and expand and this year attained AAHA accreditation, a goal that Dr. Rice had set for the hospital team after moving to their new facility in 2003. Dr. Rice’s clinical interests include oncology and senior care and when she is not working she enjoys sailing, gardening, cycling and traveling. An avid Francophile, she loves to travel to countries where she can practice her French — In 2006 she did a two week stint as a tour guide in Provence on one of her vacations. In 2007 her travels took her to school in Lyon where she studied literature and grammar. Then, in 2008, she joined Veterinary classmates on a two week sailing cruise in French Polynesia.
She is a past president of the Ukiah Players Theatre and was the Mendocino County Veterinary Disaster co-ordinator from 1986 to 2005.

Dr. Katy Sommers

Dr. Katy Sommers graduated from University of California Davis in 1981 with a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Science and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). She joined Mendocino Animal Hospital in 1981 and became a partner with Dr. Sara Rice in 1991, practicing general medicine and surgery. In 1997, Dr. Sommers decided to pursue her interest in the specialty of Holistic Veterinary Medicine. She became a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist in 1997 and served as a Teaching Assistant for the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 1998. She continues to study veterinary acupuncture and herbal medicine and has expanded her practice to serve clients all over northern California who are interested in a holistic approach to their companion animal's care. She is also co-author of The Complete Holistic Dog Book. In her spare time, Dr. Sommers enjoys photography, learning Taiko drumming, and above all, riding and working with her Azteca horses.

Dr. Charlotte Burns

Dr. Charlotte Burns received her DVM from University of California, Davis and joined Mendocino Animal Hospital (MAH) in the same year, 2006. Dr. Burns was well known to clients and staff as she had been a technician and then technical supervisor at our hospital prior to going to veterinary school. In July of 2010, she became a junior partner at MAH. Dr. Burns' professional interests are soft tissue surgery, Acupuncture/Integrative Medicine and "Spay and Neuter"/Population Control. Dr. Burns is certified as a Veterinary Acupuncturist through the Chi Institute in Florida. Lately she has been traveling down to Sayulita, Mexico, to do volunteer work spaying and neutering dogs and cats for a local group called Sayulitanimals. When not working, she can be found fire dancing, walking her dogs, Louie and Norman or napping!

Dr. Jennifer Bennett

Jennifer is originally from Lake County where she grew up on a hobby farm with her five younger sisters. She completed undergraduate and graduate work in psychology and behavioral neuroscience in Seattle and then worked in laboratory animal research in Connecticut for several years where she studied the effects of sex hormones on learning and memory. Jenn graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. She has owned and worked with a variety of species including cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, camelids, cows and horses. Oliver the English Springer Spaniel, frequently comes to work with her, while Califa the Border Collie, and Scout the Akbash, go to work on the ranch, herding and guarding the Merino sheep she and her husband raise. Jenn is an avid reader and enjoys purusing the local bookstores and coffee shops, traveling to foreign countries (most recently to Chile, where her husband Leo is from!), baking cakes from scratch, and listening to bluegrass music. Jenn volunteers as a 4-H leader in Lake County, and a House of Delegates Representative for the Mendo-Lake Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Tim Helms

Dr. Tim Helms was born and raised in Poway, CA, located in north inland San Diego County. Growing up he was always a friend of the local fauna and domesticated animals alike. Interestingly, he never thought too seriously about becoming a Veterinarian, as he was very involved in competitive sports like soccer, baseball, wrestling, golf, cross country running, and track and field. Ultimately, he ran competitively from 6th grade through college as a UC Davis Aggie. While racing for UCDavis, he received All American honors placing fourth in the 3000 meter Steeplechase at the 2003 NCAA National Championships. He did find time to go to class receiving a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology in 2004. While applying to veterinary school, he worked for a biotechnology company based in Davis. It took two years, but he was accepted to the UCDavis School of Veterinary Medicine. He married Jessica, his gorgeous girlfriend of 7 years after the first year of Veterinary School. During his second year he conducted research on the Pet Owner /Guardian Issue which was published in JAVMA in 2009. They survived the onslaught and Dr. Helms graduated in June, 2010. On August 6th 2010, they celebrated the birth of their first child, Jackson Riley Helms. The move to Ukiah has brought about many changes, which has especially been "ruff" on their 10 year old Bernese Mountain Dog/Australian Shepherd X, Bouncer. Dr. Helms now races Triathlons for a San Francisco based team, enjoys abalone diving/ spear fishing, gardening with Jessica, and any activity with his family. Dr. Helms’ interest lies in surgery, specifically Orthopedics. He plans to continue his education in surgery thus expanding the surgical capabilities of Mendocino Animal Hospital.