Paula is married to Dr. Clarke and helped open Ringgold Animal Hospital in 2003. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and worked in the field of human medicine for many years after serving in the Army. Paula manages the day-to-day operations of the hospital, as well as assisting in rooms and surgery as needed.

The Clarkes share their home with a dog named Jack (he can be seen lounging under the clinic's front desk most days!). They also have two children - a son who lives in Seattle, and a daughter who is an oncological pharmacist in Augusta, GA. 

Kittie joined us in 2010 as a veterinary assitant. She received an Associate in Applied Science - Veterinary Technology, and passed the Veterinary Technician National Examination to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) in 2019. In addition, she maintains our social media sites and our website. She has a particular interest in nutrition and behavior, and serves as our AAHA Certified Diabetes Educator for newly diagnosed diabetic pets. She is also a NAVC certified Pet Nutrition Coach and holds a Human-Animal Bond Certification from HABRI. 

She lives in La Fayette with her husband, son and step-daughter, as well as two dogs, two cats, horses, a pot-bellied pig, and a parrot.  She enjoys knitting, sewing, and crafting, as well as spending time outside with her family.

Colby joined our team in 2009 as a veterinary assistant. She currently works at the clinic only on Saturdays. During the week, she is a human Phlebotomy Technician and Team Lead at a local testing laboratory.

She lives in Chickamauga with her husband, daughter, and son. They have a Dachshund named Rose (who loves to visit the clinic whenever possible), a Shih Tzu named Jake, and a flock of chickens. Colby enjoys yoga, gardening, being outdoors, and working on projects around the house.

Ross joined the Ringgold Animal Hospital in 2016 as a veterinary assistant. He had previously worked in animal hospitals as well as animal control. He is currently attending Penn Foster College in pursuit of an Associate in Applied Science in order to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT).

He lives in Ringgold with his wife and their three dogs - Manning, Maxwell, and Maggie. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time at the lake.

Dana initally joined the Ringgold Animal Hospital in 2014. After working with us for a few years, she took a hiatus before returning part-time in 2019. She graduated from the Chattanooga State Veterinary Technology program and was licensed in Tennessee for several years before making the move to Georgia.

Dana lives in Dalton with her husband and son. She also has two grown sons who live in the Chattanooga area. She has two dogs, Camo and Saban. She enjoys painting, but will drop everything for the chance to go fishing!

Grace joined us in 2021 as a veterinary assistant. She is currently attending Dalton State and is studying for her Bachelors in Biology. She hopes to one day go to vet school.

She lives in Dalton, and has two dogs and two cats (including Roo, pictured). She enjoys spending time with family and friends, roadtripping with her dogs, and being outdoors.

Melissa, or Moe as she is known, joined us as a veterinary assistant in 2021. 

Moe lives in Fort Oglethorpe and has two (almost) grown sons. She has a dog named Bella. She enjoys gardening, photography, and outdoor adventuring.

Danika is our Customer Service Representative and joined us in 2021. 

Danika has a newborn son, along with a large menagerie of animals - including dogs, cats, and horses. She enjoys barrel racing in her spare time.

Simon showed up in the parking lot as a kitten in 2004. Before sending him to the shelter, Dr. Clarke decided to test him for Feline Leukemia and FIV and vaccinate him so that he would have the best chance possible at getting adopted. The little orange kitten purred and kneaded his paws during the blood draw, successfully tugging at Dr. Clarke's heart and securing him the position of "designated blood donor" cat at the clinic (he has yet to donate any blood!).

Simon's favorite past time is sleeping on the printer, followed closely by begging for treats. He was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (an over-active thyroid) in late 2017. He successfully underwent I-131 radioactive iodine treatment just before Christmas that year, which put his hyperthyroidism into remission. 

And yes, he is a bit cross-eyed!

Simon passed away at the ripe old age of 16 in the summer of 2020. 

Fred came to us as a tiny kitten with a wound on his side. He was found in downtown Ringgold by Good Samaritans and brought in after closing time (Paula and Dr. Clarke just happened to still be at the clinic). After dosing him with antibiotics and giving him a place to spend the weekend, we had planned to send him to the shelter - but much to our surprise, Simon took a liking to him. We had toyed with the idea of a second clinic cat for a while, but Simon wasn't very keen on the idea of other cats, so we had held off. Once he decided Fred was his buddy, we couldn't bear to separate them and Fred became a permanent resident. 

Fred's favorite place to be is in the way! He especially likes clean laundry, but he also makes a good nurse cat and will curl up with our recovering surgery patients to keep them warm while they come out of anethesia. He's our most friendly clinic resident, and we often bring him into puppy rooms for socialization and playtime!

Fred passed away in the fall of 2021 due to intestinal cancer.

Reyna is our youngest clinic cat. She came tumbling out from under a car on the road in front of the clinic, and then ran into our lobby through the door, which was being held open for a client. 

Fred was instantly smitten. They bonded so quickly and so closely, we decided to keep Reyna, despite Dr. Clarke's objections that we didn't need a third clinic cat!

Reyna is our resident parkour cat - she is often found on top of our cabinets, some of which can only be accessed by jumping from the top of a door! She's been the star of a few slow-motion videos on our Facebook page due to her acrobatics. She also enjoys lounging in the sun on the cat tree in the lobby, but don't be offended if she runs when you approach her as she only accepts affection on her terms - a true cat!

Jack was a lonely travelling man who made his way into our parking lot back in 2014. He was terrified but obviously wanted someone to trust. After a lot of cajoling, we finally got ahold of him and brought him into the clinic, where he stayed for about a week. During that time, Dr. Clarke became quite attached.

We then sent Jack to the shelter for a stray hold, just in case someone was looking for him - but with strict instructions to contact us if he wasn't claimed or adopted. At the end of the week, no one had stepped forward, so Dr. Clarke promptly drove over to the shelter and loaded him up to bring him home.

He quickly settled into life at the clinic and at the Clarke's home. He's now a different kind of travelling man! He rides back and forth with them daily, spending his days curled up in his bed under the reception desk (with breaks to bark at the mailman and UPS guys and to collect treats from as many clients as possible) and his evenings curled up on the couch with the Clarkes. He's a bit dysfunctional due to his rough start in life, but we love him anyway!