Meet Our Team

Meet the Veterinarians and care team of Ken-Ton Animal Clinic. We’re pleased to provide compassionate care for your pets.

Our Veterinarians

PETER FREYBURGER, DVM

Dr. Pete Freyburger has been practicing compassionate veterinary medicine in WNY for nearly 40 years. For the majority of those years, he practiced in this very building at 903 Brighton Road, Tonawanda. When the new corporate owners of Brighton-Eggert decided to relocate last summer, Dr. Pete decided to open a value-orientated full-service clinic in the building more consistent with the roots of the clinic he co-founded in 1979 and owned until 2005.

ERIC O’HARA, DVM

Dr. Eric O’Hara worked with us for a year as a Licensed Veterinary Technician prior to entering vet school in Tennessee. He is back with us, and we are proud to have him as our newest Veterinarian.
He attended Alfred State College for Veterinary Technology. He then worked as a Veterinary Technician for a few years and then decided to attend the University of Tennessee for Veterinary. Dr. O’Hara is married to his wife Ashley, have soon to be two children, and have 2 dogs & 4 cats. Outside of work his hobbies include watching and playing sports, being outdoors & camping especially at his family’s new campground (Mud Bay RV Park and Motel) in Cape Vincent, NY.

JENNIFER STACHNIK, DVM

Dr. Jennifer Stachnik was born and raised in the Town of Tonawanda. She completed her undergraduate degree from University at Buffalo before attending Cornell University for Veterinary school. After graduating from Cornell in 2006, Dr. Stachnik returned to Western New York and began her career as a Veterinarian at local animal hospitals. She joined our team at Ken-Ton Animal in July 2016. In addition to treating canines and felines, Dr. Stachnik enjoys working with exotic pets such as birds, reptiles and small mammals. In her spare time she enjoys hiking with her rescue dog and and riding horses.

Dr. Stachnik serves on the Board of Directors for the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society Pet Emergency Fund. She has also volunteered as a speaker at the Mini Vet School at Medaille College. Past accomplishments include working on research projects at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and working with the veterinary team at the Buffalo Zoo.

JENNIFER ZAGST, DVM

Dr. Jennifer Zagst is an Elma, NY native who attended the University at Buffalo before studying abroad at Ross University in St. Kitts. She returned back to our area to complete her Veterinary degree at Cornell University in 2009. She has practiced at other area animal hospitals in the area prior to joining our team in June 2018.

Dr. Zagst has extensive experience working with a variety of exotic species, both in private practice and through her time volunteering with the Veterinary team at the Buffalo Zoo. Her professional interests include soft tissue surgery and end-of-life care.

When not at the clinic she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters. She also likes to play with her two Pugs, work in the garden, and enjoy a good book.

CHRISTOPHER BROWN, DVM

Dr. Christopher Brown is originally from Flint, Michigan. He completed 4 years in the US Army and attended the University of Tennessee where he obtained a BS in Biochemistry. Dr. Brown received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Ross University in 2005 after completing his clinical year at Kansas State.
Dr. Brown comes to us with a trifecta of experience including GP, ER and shelter medicine. His focus is on preventive medicine as well as minimally invasive soft tissue and orthopedic surgery.
When not at the office, Dr. Brown spends his time with his wife and children. He also enjoys golfing, playing the guitar and riding his motorcycle.

Our Hospital Administrator

EILIS, LVT

Eilis is a graduate of  Medaille College and earned her Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology. She also has attended the University of Maryland and studied Veterinary Medicine before transferring back here to the Western New York area. She is the proud parent of two Rabbits (Kelleu and Faedra), one Dog (Snowball), and one Horse (Little Man). Her hobbies include horseback riding, reading and embroidery

Our Licensed Veterinary Technicians

OLIVIA, LVT

Olivia is a 2015 graduate of Medaille College where she earned her Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology. Besides working at our clinic since January 2016, she also spends her free time working at a local doggie daycare and hanging out with her rescue dog “Petunia”. Her goal is to become certified in anesthesia.

AMANDA, LVT

Amanda is a 2012 graduate of Medaille College. She earned her Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology. She currently resides in Niagara Falls with her new husband Tim and guinea pig “Jethro” and new puppy “Clover”. In her spare time she enjoys crocheting, sewing, camping & fishing. Her special interests include animal behavior, exotic pets, and wildlife. She joined our practice in November 2016. Amanda also runs our Puppy Enrichment classes and runs her own business Compassionate Companion Training.

LISA, LVT

Lisa is a Medaille College of Veterinary Technology graduate and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Buffalo State College. She is the mom of three beautiful children. She is also a mom to a dog (Dottie), a two cats (Delilah and Goliath) and a special-needs guinea pig (Chestnut). She enjoys spending her off time at Disney World and enjoys scrapbooking. Lisa and her husband Matt are born and raised here in Town of Tonawanda. Her professional interests include exotic care and pocket pets. She brings a vast amount of experience to our clinic having worked at our local SPCA and local veterinary clinics.

KATIE, LVT

Katie is a 2018 graduate of Alfred State College where she earned her Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology. In her spare time, she enjoys Crossfit, reading and hanging out with her Terrier mix Flicka. Katie joined our practice in 2019

JACQUELINE, LVT

Originally from Northern New York and the Adirondack Mountains, Jacqueline grew to love the Buffalo area over the years during family visits. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from SUNY Potsdam and a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science Technology. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, hiking and exploring hew newly adopted hometown of Buffalo. She has a passion for felines and exotics, sharing her home with a red-tailed boa named Javier and a blue-tongued skink named Steve.

ANDREA, LVT

Andrea is a graduate of Medaille College where she earned her Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology.

In her spare time she enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with her family. She’s the proud mama of Beau, an Australian Shepherd and two feline foster failures Finn & Munchkin.

JENNIE, LVT

Jennie is a 2022 graduate of Medaille College and earned her Associate degree in Veterinary Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.  She has a vast amount of experience working as a Veterinary Assistant for a local shelter and previously at our clinic. During her spare time, she enjoys going on walks with her boyfriend and her two dogs Bailey and Ethel.

MARA, LVT

Mara earned her Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology from Medaille College. Her passion is assisting in high volume spay/neuter surgeries. She brings a vast amount of shelter experience with her to our clinic. In her spare time she enjoys fishing and spending time with her family. She’s the proud mom of a German Shepherd “Jax”, a Corgi “Dobby”, a 3- legged Terrier mix “Blue” and four cats, “Ronald”, “Draco”, “Oliver” and “Dakota”. She joined our team in 2021.

LINDSAY, LVT

Lindsay earned her Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology at Medaille College in 2022. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2020. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her fiancé and all of  her fuzzy and non fuzzy pets!

Our Client Service Representatives

LISA

Lisa is a graduate of Daemen College and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing Management. She has over eighteen years of experience in veterinary customer care. She likes to spend time with her family and her three Jack Russell’s (Tucker, Elvis, Rocco) a Chihuahua (Scooter) and a Chinese Crested mix (Sonny), and a Cockatiel named Chloe. She became a part of our team in August 2016.

SARAH

Sarah has over thirteen years in the Veterinary field as well with grooming and training. She enjoys travelling, hiking and spending time with her husband and two children. She is also the proud mama of her dog Kai and her two cats Winter and Ambrosius. She became part of our team in 2019.

BAILEE

Bailee attended Erie Community College for Sports Science. She has previous Veterinary experience prior to joining our team. She enjoys tending to her plants, and spending time with her dog Paisley and her family.

STACY

Stacy brings a vast amount of rescue experience with her to our clinic. She’s currently a volunteer for Diamonds in the Ruff Animal Rescue as their Community Outreach Coordinator. She is the proud Mom of 2 cats and 2 dogs, of which three are foster failures. She’s excited to be part of the Ken-Ton family!

CASSANDRA

Cassandra is new to the veterinary field but has worked in customer service for 10+ years. She loves traveling with her daughter and playing volleyball. She is excited to be a part of the Ken-Ton Family!

KATIE

Katie has been with us since January 2023, she comes from 21 years of customer service experience. Katie has had a love for animals all her life & interned at the Buffalo Zoo for 1 1/2 years. In her free time she enjoys playing with her dogs Jaxon, Kooper, Blue & Bailey & hiking with her husband Nick.

Our Veterinary Assistants

GREG

Growing up as a kid, Greg always had a fascination with animals. Whether it was snakes, dogs, birds or fish he wanted to care for them all. After graduating High School, he started an internship at the University at Buffalo an as Animal Caretaker. With that experience and knowledge he then became part of the team at Roswell Park Cancer Institute as an Animal Lab Technician. Greg is the proud parent of two Pit Bulls, a shorthaired cat, a Hingeback Tortoise, a Ball Python, a Diamondback Terrapin, a Florida River Cooter and a Blue Tongued Skink.

TAYLER

Tayler received her Associate degree in Animal Management in 2019. She was an intern at the Aquarium of Niagara and the Buffalo Zoo while in school. She is a volunteer at Whispering River Rescue and works with donkeys and at Messenger Woods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center working with native wildlife. She knew as a young child that she wanted to work with animals no matter what the job was. Tayler is the proud Mom of 6 foster fail felines- Sadie, Ireland, Tuna, Mila, Gideon and Miso Soup. In her spare time, she likes to travel, hike and gardening.

MERCE

Merce received her Bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in Veterinary Medicine in May of 2022 at Canisius College. She was a research assistant in the Freshwater biology lab and then was able to present her research at a national conference in Grand Rapids Michigan. Her end goal is to become a veterinarian and plan on applying in the coming years. She is a proud owner of a morkie (Maze) toy poodle (maple) , German Shepard (Kali), 2 Guinea pigs (Momo and appa) and a cat (in picture- Butterscotch)

PATRICK

Patrick graduated from Canisius College in 2022 with a Bachelors in Biology as well as minoring in Animal Behavior. He also attended Purdue for Veterinary school this past semester and will be likely returning to continue to earn his DVM in a year or so. He has 2 dogs and 1 cat and in his free time he loves spending time with family and friends and doing anything nature related.