Dr. Liz Vaughn developed her passion for veterinary medicine while caring for a menagerie of animals on her family’s farm in St. Catharines. She completed a major in Wildlife Biology and a minor in Forest Science at the University of Guelph before moving onto the Ontario Veterinary College, graduating in 2008. She decided to move home to Niagara and work in small animal general practice and emergency clinic settings. Dr. Liz wanted a place to call her own in her home town, so she opened Lakeside in the spring of 2022. Her interests are internal medicine, dermatology, soft tissue surgery, pain management and preventative care.

Dr. Liz loves learning and staying up to date on the most current treatments and medical procedures for her patients. She is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and is working on acquiring her cat friendly veterinary certification. The clinic is also planning to obtain fear-free certification to improve the experience of the dogs and cats that walk through the door.

She lives in St. Catharines with her husband, 2 daughters, 2 cats - Remi and Lynx - and her Plott Hound Lina. In her spare time you will find her out on the many hiking trails in Niagara with her family - both 2-legged and 4. Dr. Liz enjoys meeting new people and their 4-legged family members helping them to reach the goal to “live their best life”.

Dr. Andrew Bush grew up just down the road from LNVC and couldn’t be more excited to serve the community that raised him. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue his passions for medicine and teaching, completing his B.ScH and B.Ed at Queen’s University in their Concurrent Education program. He loved every minute of the classroom, but in the end decided that coughing kindergarteners were not quite gross enough for him and one year later began his journey at the Ontario Veterinary College.

Dr. Andrew believes every animal should enjoy their trip to the vet, and proudly uses fear-free practices and plenty of treats to ensure every tail is wagging both on their way in and out of the clinic door. Through his time as a veterinarian, he’s developed a passion for internal medicine cases and especially for the care of his geriatric patients. He is an advocate for early medical intervention and prevention of disease. His promise to you is that he will treat your animals with all the care and attention he would give his own pets, and will go out of his way to ensure they receive the kindness they deserve and the best medical care available.

He lives in Niagara with his partner-in-crime and fellow veterinarian, Emily, as well as their handsome dalmatian Dexter and their big and little cats, Doris and Bugsy (respectively). Dr. Andrew loves travelling to new places around the world, enjoys playing volleyball in Port Dalhousie, and is a lifelong Buffalo Sabres fan (during the regular season) and in a very limited capacity roots for the Leafs (4-7 playoff games per year).Dr. Andrew looks forward to the privilege of taking care of your furry friends and meeting the wonderful people of North End St. Catharines and beyond.

Melissa was born and raised in Niagara Falls and attended St. Lawrence College in Kingston, where she graduated from their 3-year Veterinary Technology program. She has been a registered member of the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians since graduating in 2001. Melissa has worked as an RVT in regular and emergency practice in both the Niagara Region and Kingston area.
Melissa has loved animals since she can remember and has always knew the veterinary field was for her. So it’s no surprise to see her smushing faces with a cat, or giving dogs a huge hug. Melissa is passionate about her patients and tries to ensure they have the best experience coming into the clinic. She currently lives in Niagara with her animal loving daughter. She is a big Leafs fan, enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending concerts, watching sports, heading to the cottage and traveling.

As a child I was more often found playing with the animals (be it our pets or the wild ones) than I was with a human friend. That is still true to this day.

I began working in a grooming salon as a bather when I was twelve years old and continued this job all through high school. I also took on a job as a veterinary assistant at the local clinic and continued to work these positions through college when I would return home to visit.

I attended Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology where I obtained my certificates with honours throughout in the Animal Grooming, Veterinary Assistant, and Veterinary Technician programs.
While in college I worked with rescues and fostered many dogs, this is how I came to find most of my own pets.

I have worked at a few veterinary clinics in various parts of Ontario as a Registered Veterinary Technician and owned a grooming business in Northern Ontario for several years. Today I find myself at Lakeside Niagara Veterinary Clinic as a Registered Veterinary Technician. My main goal as an RVT caring for your pets is to make them as calm and comfortable as possible while in our care.

After 8 long years in emergency work, she decided to join the Lakeside Niagara Veterinary Clinic team to help provide families with pet care -before- accidents happen and to assist in preventing them.
She has had many animals throughout the years ranging from fluffy, feathery and covered in scales. Currently, she has a fur family of 3, Aeris (miniature australian shepherd), Flutie (pom-chi), and Stevie (golden retriever). Her hobbies include reading, gaming and occasional house projects! She looks forward to meeting you and your furry family!

Talia spent 5 years of her life growing up in Terrace Bay, Ontario which helped develop her love for animals. She spent every day outside whether it was hiking, tracking moose or feeding the foxes at night with her dad. She loves being outdoors and always knew she wanted to have a career involved with animals.

She decided to get her veterinary technologist diploma at Northern College and graduated with honours in 2011 from both the Veterinary Technician program and the Wildlife Rehabilitation program.
She spends most of her free time being a Mom to her two young boys and loving her two cats (Penny & Louie) and chaotic beagle (Howl). She also enjoys camping , hiking and going to the gym.
She strives to get a 5 star rating from all the patients who cross her path at the clinic. She is super passionate about fear free and making the vet clinic as stress free as possible.

Caleigh grew up in the Niagara region with a passion for vet med. She attended the University of Guelph and graduated from the Animal Biology degree program with honours. While in university she began working in an emergency clinic. After learning an incredible amount in emergency she worked at various clinics before joining the Lakeside Niagara team.

Her role as an assistant allows her to help with different aspects around the clinic from answering questions clients might have to assisting in appointments and surgery prep. Her goal is to ensure that clients and patients feel comfortable from the moment they enter the clinic.

When Caleigh is not working at the clinic you can find her at the gym, relaxing by a pool, travelling abroad or in the Tim Hortons drive-thru.

I have always had a passion for all animals. Growing up on a farm in a small town I had my fair share of animals such as horses, donkeys, goats, birds, bunnies, cows, cats, dogs, etc. My younger sister and I were often found in the paddocks and pens hanging out with all of the animals. I realized at a young age I wanted to surround myself in this environment, as I was so fulfilled with animals around me.

After high school I took the veterinary assistant program and received my certificate. I worked for a few large animal practice veterinarians specializing in equine medicine; then decided to peruse a career in small animal practices. I feel truly blessed to be employed at Lakeside Niagara Veterinary Clinic with such a welcoming, caring and compassionate work family. It’s such a great feeling being excited for each new day at work!

My husband JJ and I currently have just 1 fur child. His name is Trigger, he’s a rescue dog who is our whole world. I can’t wait to meet all of the wonderful clients and their babies at Lakeside Niagara!!