Leslie Cremer
Scott Espanet
Front Office
Savanah Wood
Dr. Grimes grew up in Anniston, AL owning an array of animals that ranged from cats to horses. She attended Auburn University, where she became a 1982 graduate of the Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine. She began practicing in Birmingham, AL in 1984 and made her purchase of Altadena Valley Animal Clinic in 1995. As well as veterinary services, the clinic offered regular boarding for cats and dogs up until 2008, when Dr. Grimes expanded into the neighboring building. This expansion produced 8 luxurious doggy suites as well as a spacious new cat boarding area and cat playroom. What Dr. Grimes loves about her job as a veterinarian is building long-term relationships with her clients, human and animal. She loves treating pets from puppies and kittens all the way to their geriatric stages of life. In her free time, Dr. Grimes loves spending time with her husband, 3 children, daughter-in-law, and 2 grandchildren. Of course, Dr. Grimes also has animal children as well. She currently owns Lucky Lou, a quirky, tail-less black cat; Dinah, a sassy black cat; and Smokey, a dachshund who loves to dig holes in the backyard. She also frequently babysits her grand-dog, a Boston Terrier Mix, named Alia.
Dr. Grimes is a member of the Jefferson County Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Addie Hobbs
Jeffrey Neville
Laney Green
Groomers
Aspyn Gibson
Anna Hobbs
Jaymie Hornsby
Olivia Houtz
Grace Payne
Patrick Nichols
Hannah Franklin
VETERINARIANS
Laney Browder
Olivia Varnedoe
Jasmine Cai
Kennel Staff
Amy Sanford
Skylar Newton
Helen Mwangota
Jade Rigsby
Stevie Long
Dr. Wilson was born and raised in Birmingham and is married to veterinarian Dr. Bobby Wilson. She graduated in 1983 from Auburn University. The Wilsons have four grown children and three grandsons. In addition, they own Telli, the best black Labrador Retriever ever born, and Kit-Kat, a mischievous, loving, brown tabby cat.
Educating clients on how best to take care of their pets and helping them solve various behavioral issues are very rewarding for Dr. Wilson. She loves new puppy and kitten visits to lay a solid foundation for a strong human-animal bond and discussing nutrition and training with owners. Dermatology is another favorite area of hers in veterinary medicine.
Hobbies and other interests for Dr. Wilson include reading, cooking, keeping her grandsons, and writing inductive Bible studies.
Professional memberships include the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Jefferson County Veterinary Medical Association.
Angie Bullock
Izabella Janush-Hernandez
Keegan Barboza
Patrick Willing
Jade Luntz
Paula Brown
Kaelin Espanet
Kennel Staff
Dr. Desiree Cooley grew up in the upstate of South Carolina. She attended Clemson University and
graduated with a Bachelor’s in Animal Veterinary Science in 2010. She then moved to Starkville,
Mississippi, to attend Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating in 2014, she worked in rural towns promoting preventative care, such as vaccinations, spays/neuters, and heartworm prevention with treating the occasional exotic pet, goats, and horses. In the last semester of vet school, Dr. Cooley also received her mixed animal acupuncture training and certificate. In July of 2020, she attended her veterinary medical manipulation training and became certified in manipulation aka chiropractic.
Now in Birmingham, Dr. Cooley sees exotics, dogs, and cats. She enjoys performing soft tissue surgeries, dentals, and handling internal medicine type cases. However, through her experiences over 19 years with her horse, Chief, she was able to see the need for additional therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic, as they kept him comfortable and doing well through arthritis and not being able to urinate. While Chief is no longer physically with her, he taught Dr. Cooley life lessons that she carries with her every day.
Dr. Ann Brennan was born and raised in Memphis. She then went to Auburn University for her Bachelor's in Poultry Science and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. She worked as a veterinarian in Georgia for 6 years before moving to Birmingham three years ago and is so excited to be joining the Altadena Valley Animal Clinic team.
Outside the clinic, Dr. Brennan enjoys spending time with her husband Eric, son Tucker, and daughter June. Her furry family members include two German Shepherd dog sisters Luna and Nova and crotchety cat Boo. When not chasing her kids around, she enjoys watching college football, baking, gardening, and cross-stitching.
Her professional interests include internal medicine, ophthalmology, preventive care, especially discussing spays, neuters, and heartworm prevention with clients. Dr. Brennan’s professional memberships include Jefferson County Veterinary Medical Association, Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, and American Veterinary Medical Association.
Veterinary Techs and Assistants
Falon Russo
While Dr. Cooley does practice “traditional” medicine, she’s aware that there are diseases and pets that need additional help, such as alternative herbal formulas, acupuncture, and/or chiropractic. The irony of this is one of her current pets, Macho, who has significant joint issues, is not a big fan of receiving acupuncture, and Dr. Cooley leans on herbal formulas and cold lasering to take care of his joints. Some pets aren’t keen on being needled despite the needles being tiny. In those cases, she can use cold lasering alone and in combination with acupuncture points to getingt as much improvement as possible.
When Dr. Cooley isn’t at work, she can be found outside on the porch in a hammock, reading, swimming, at the gym, or walking the dogs (and cat!). She has a tripod cat, Evoli, who she adores. She also has a rescue Pitbull, Macho Kings Latte, and then another rescue Pitbull, Kismet aka Lizzy Lickin Lips. She also likes to hike and travel.
Sarah Brown, LVT
Jess Browder
Jessica Kerrick, LVT
Altadena Valley Animal Clinic
Office Manager Front Office Manager