Our Team

Dr. Jamie Saliman, DVM

Veterinarian, Owner

Dr. Jamie Saliman went to Washington University in St. Louis for her undergraduate degree, receiving a BA in psychology with a minor in biology. While taking some time to prepare for vet school, she took a position with AmeriCorps working with at-risk youth in downtown Denver. Shortly thereafter, she attended Colorado State University, where she received her doctorate of veterinary medicine. After graduating in 2004 , Jamie did a one-year rotating internship and subsequently joined a small animal hospital where she practiced for 15 years.

Jamie’s main interests are internal medicine, emergency and critical care, abdominal and cardiac ultrasound, wellness and geriatric medicine. “Animals are my passion. I feel extraordinarily fortunate to be able to spend my life caring for, and hopefully bettering the lives of, the very creatures that make me so happy.”

Jamie lives in Denver with her Frenchie Monte and Cavalier Franny. She enjoys running, reading, hiking, and traveling, but most of all she enjoys spending time with her family.

Dr. Emily Rhodes

Veterinarian

Dr. Emily Rhodes grew up in Colorado. She has always had a passion for learning and growth, plus a great love for animals. She attended Colorado State University for her undergraduate degree in Biology and Anatomy and then again for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2017. After graduation, she accepted a position for a rigorous one-year rotating internship at WestVet Animal Emergency & Specialty Center in Boise, Idaho. She fell in love with the team approach, teaching opportunities, and fast-paced environment, so she enthusiastically joined the team as a full-time emergency veterinarian for 5 years. She moved back to Colorado in 2022 to be closer to family.

Dr. Emily’s main interests include emergency and critical care, gastrointestinal endoscopy, and preventative medicine. She is thrilled to be a part of the wonderful team that is Inspire Animal Hospital.

Dr. Emily enjoys exploring the Colorado outdoors with her husband. She has a passion for gardening, traveling, and reading. She also loves to spend time with her rambunctious Australian shepherd, Rucker, and her unruly, lovable cat, Rhett.

Dr. Brittany Haskins

Veterinarian

Dr. Brittany Haskins grew up in Massachusetts with the typical veterinarian backstory of deciding her occupation at 5 years old. She attended Brown University for her undergraduate degree in biochemistry. She then proceeded to Tufts University for her doctorate of veterinary medicine before moving to northern Virginia, where she practiced both mixed animal and then companion animal-exclusive veterinary medicine for 7 years.

Dr. Brittany’s interests include a little bit of everything, although she has a special place in her heart for feline medicine and geriatric care. The most rewarding part of this career for her is the relationship with the family unit as a whole- animals and humans!

When not at work, Dr. Brittany spends her time chasing around her two toddlers, two dogs, and four cats with the help of her very patient husband. She is hoping to develop more actual hobbies once everyone is fully settled here in Colorado.

Dr. Shannon Costello

Veterinarian

Dr. Shannon Costello grew up in Duluth, Georgia. She has always had a passion for working with animals and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age. Dr. Shannon received her Bachelor’s in Animal Science in 2018 and her Master’s in Comparative Biomedical Science in 2019 from the University of Georgia. She continued on to attend Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee where she earned her DVM.

Dr. Shannon’s particular interests include nutrition, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, and emergency and critical care.

Outside of the hospital, Dr. Shannon spends time with her Labrador, Tiller, and enjoys all of the wonderful activities Colorado has to offer, including hiking, skiing, and running. She is very excited to be a part of the team at Inspire Animal Hospital!

Dr. Betsy LaCroix

Veterinarian

Dr. Betsy LaCroix is a Colorado native-born and raised in Grand Junction, CO. From the age of three, she knew she wanted to be a vet, and much to the chagrin of her parents, brought home all sorts of animals. She attended Washington State University for undergraduate and graduated summa cum laude with a BS in zoology and minor in Spanish. She attended veterinary school at Washington State University and graduated summa cum laude in 2009.

After veterinary school, Dr. Betsy moved back to Colorado and worked for a year in Summit County before moving down to the Front Range. She has been practicing in the South Denver/Highlands Ranch location for the past 13 years.

Dr. Betsy’s professional interests include soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, palliative care/chronic pain management, cardiology (she’s a Cavalier King Charles lover), and developing long-term relationships with the pets and clients. She is a certified veterinary medical acupuncturist.

In her personal life, Dr. Betsy enjoys traveling, skiing, hiking, drawing, reading, and spending time with friends and family. She lives in Highlands Ranch with her husband, adorable son, and sweet (but not the smartest) Cavalier named Harper aka “Tiny Dog”.

Dr. Betsy is thrilled to be joining such an incredible team at Inspire.

Dr. Sydney Murphy

Veterinarian

Dr. Sydney Murphy is a Colorado native. She has always had a passion for medicine and a love for animals, making veterinary medicine a perfect fit. She attended Clemson University in South Carolina for her undergraduate degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Sydney then returned to Colorado for veterinary school, earning her DVM from Colorado State University.

Dr. Sydney’s professional interests include internal medicine, chronic pain management, cardiology, and preventative care. She is also currently in the process of completing her veterinary acupuncture certification.

Outside the hospital, Dr. Sydney enjoys traveling, skiing, playing tennis, and spending time with her family and her two dogs. She is very excited to join the amazing team at Inspire!

Josh Saunders, RVT

Practice Manager, Owner

Josh grew up in southern New Hampshire, an hour outside of Boston and 45 minutes from the ocean.  Having originally attended Johnson State in Vermont for Business Management, he moved to Colorado for something different.  Josh attended Bel-Rea Institute, graduating in 2011 with highest honors.  He worked in shelter medicine while in school and then went on to work alongside Dr. Jamie for 9 years at a large 24/7 emergency, limited specialty, and general practice hospital, where he was the Lead RVT.  He then went on to be the Specialty Department  Manager at an emergency and specialty hospital, and quickly learned that he missed the relationships that are created with patients and their owners in general practice.  He enjoys emergency medicine and surgery, but most importantly, he genuinely loves providing compassionate patient care, and ensuring the comfort of all patients and their owners.

Josh lives in Littleton with his wife, three children, and three Great Danes.  He enjoys the outdoors, attending concerts and above all, spending time with his family.  Animals are Josh’s passion, and he is excited to share his life long passion with the community of Parker and surrounding areas.

 Melissa, RVT

Registered Veterinary Technician

Melissa was born in California and raised in Aurora, Colorado. She has had a love for animals since she was a young girl, when she often got into trouble with her mom for always bringing home stray animals. Throughout high school and after, she worked for a few different boarding facilities as a kennel staff member. It was then that she decided to take her love for animals to the next level by becoming a veterinarian technician. She attended Bel Rea
and graduated in 2011.

Given the difficult job market at the time of her graduation, she worked for 2 different boarding facilities. The second facility was attached to an animal hospital, where she started in 2014. She worked there for 9 years, having started out as a kennel assistant, then moved up to a veterinary assistant, and finally a registered veterinarian technician. In spring of 2023, she decided she was ready for a change after a big corporate shake up. She then found Inspire Animal Hospital, a family-owned business and she jumped on ship.

She excels at dentistry and animal husbandry. Melissa has recently discovered that she loves orthopedic surgeries and orthopedic rehabilitation. She hopes to soon extend her knowledge in this medicine.

In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, go “glamping” and binge watch her favorite TV shows while cuddling her 2 cats, Moon and Ferb, and her French Bulldog Pierre. The entire staff of Inspire Animal Hospital has welcomed her as part of their family, and she is excited to meet you and your furry friends.

Celeste, RVT

Registered Veterinary Technician

Celeste was born and raised in Parker, CO. She worked at Camp Bow Wow as a daycare attendant during her later years of high school, and was a manager while completing general education courses at Metro State University. After years of watching “Vet Ranch” on YouTube, Celeste decided to make the switch to Bel-Rea Institute and pursue a career as a Veterinary Technician. She worked as a Veterinary Assistant in a small general practice while finishing school, which confirmed her love for veterinary medicine and spending her days helping animals.

Celeste graduated from Bel-Rea in December of 2022 after completing her internship at Inspire. She passed the VTNE in April, earning her registration and the title of RVT. “I aspire to provide the best care possible to each and every one of my patients, while continuing to expand my knowledge everyday!”

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends, live music, and baking!

Jillian, RVT

Registered Veterinary Technician

Jillian was born and raised in Colorado. She grew up in Pueblo in a neighborhood with no kids her age, so as a young child she would play pretend games with her dogs; they were her best friends. This is what started her love for animals!

She attended the Veterinarian Technician Program at Pima Medical in Colorado Springs and graduated in 2013. She first started working at the humane society in Pueblo for about 6 months, and then went to a general practice where she worked for 2 years. In 2015 she left the small town of Pueblo to head to the big city of Denver where she worked at an ER practice for 6 months, then parted ways and joined another general practice for 7 years. Needing a new change of pace, she decided to join the team at Inspire Animal Hospital in the spring of 2023. She hopes to one day specialize in animal behavior and toxicology. She loves client education and firmly believes that you can’t help the animals unless you educate the owners.

In her off time when she is not playing with her 2 young kids and watching Bluey, she enjoys getting lost in a good book, hiking, writing and going to concerts with her husband. Josh, Jamie and the rest of the staff have welcomed her with open arms, and she can’t wait to meet you and your 4-legged family members.

Tamara, RVT

Registered Veterinary Technician

Tamara was born and raised in Colorful Colorado. She has always had a love for animals and knew at an early age that she wanted to become a Veterinary Technician. She remembers watching Bel Rea’s commercials on TV growing up, and once she obtained her GED as a late teen, she knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She attended Bel Rea Institute of Animal Technology in 2009 and graduated in 2011. During her internship, she met Josh Saunders and Jamie Saliman, at a 24-hour Emergency and GP practice in Littleton, CO. After graduating, she started her career as a Registered Veterinary Technician at a small GP practice, but soon found her passion in Ophthalmology. She worked in Veterinary Ophthalmology for several years, where she wanted to further her passion, so she decided to go into human medicine and began working with an Ocular Immunologist and Uveitis Specialist. Although she has a passion for Ophthalmology, caring for animals was something she missed dearly. So, after 6 years, she made her way back to working with Josh and Jamie and fell in love with Emergency Medicine and Critical Care. During her time there, she became the coordinator for their internship program, coordinator for the blood donor program, and finally a technician supervisor. She is excited to continue providing excellent patient and client care, as well as following her passion for ophthalmology, emergency and critical care medicine.

Tamara lives in Littleton. She enjoys reading, getting outdoors and spending time with her two dogs Kitty the Pitty and Sansa.

Mallory, RVT

Registered Veterinary Technician

Mallory has called Colorado her home for the past 20 years. After graduating from high school, she went on to pursue an education and grow her passion for photography. She obtained a Bachelors of Fine Art but realized soon after graduating that she wanted to work with animals. Mallory was hired as a kennel technician at a 24-hour emergency hospital with a boarding facility attached. In that position, she was able to see the extraordinary veterinary care that doctors and technicians provide every day. This led her to pursue an education to become a veterinary technician. She graduated from the Veterinary Technician program at Community College of Denver in 2015 and continued her work in her new role as a Registered Veterinary Technician alongside Dr. Jamie and Josh.

Mallory wants to continue her interest in emergency medicine and provide the best care for her patients.

Mallory lives in Littleton with her two dogs Yosh and Harper. On the weekends, you’ll find her spending time with her family and friends. She still enjoys capturing beautiful moments and memories of weddings, engagements, and pets behind the lens of her camera.

Jenn, RVT

Registered  Veterinary Technician

Jenn has always loved animals since a young age and after graduating high school in Castle Rock, CO she immediately attended Bel-Rea Institute. She graduated from Bel-Rea in 2006 and worked at a large, 18 Doctor emergency/general practice hospital for 7 years where she was the Lead RVT. She then took a leave to manage her family’s restaurant but was called back to the field that she loves. In addition to her many years of experience, she brings exceptional customer service, and always goes out of her way to care for our patients and clients. Outside of work she enjoys family time, music (especially Backstreet Boys), hiking, golfing, and skiing. She and her husband live in Aurora with her stepdaughter, dog “Powell”, and rescue cat “Hippopotamus”. Jenn is excited to be a part of the family at Inspire Animal Hospital.

Cynthia

Technician Assistant

Cynthia has always had a love for animals. As a kid she dreamt of working at the Denver Zoo with their large mammals. After leaving Colorado and spending some time moving from state to state, she settled in Utah where she got a job in an aquarium. Upon getting married and returning to Colorado, she wanted a career change and got a job at a dog daycare. Working with dogs soon became Cynthia’s passion and she began transitioning into veterinary medicine. She met Josh through an animal ER and jumped at the opportunity to work with him again. “For the first time in my life I feel genuine excitement about going to work and learning from Josh and Jamie.

Kellen

Technician Assistant

Kellen is a Colorado native born in Littleton. He grew up loving the natural areas of the beautiful state, often going hiking and camping in the mountains with his family. He was always fascinated by the wildlife found in the forests. This fascination led him to own and care for various animals, from dogs and cats to more exotic pets like ferrets and hedgehogs. Kellen worked as a kennel attendant at several pet boarding facilities, where he realized that caring for animals made him fulfilled. He transitioned to vet med for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of animals. Furthering that goal, Kellen is pursuing a degree in veterinary technology from Penn Foster’s online program and hopes to one-day continue education in wildlife conservation.

When not in the clinic, you can still find Kellen in the mountains. Kellen is a snowboarder in the winter and a rock climber in the summer; the mountains have always felt like a second home, and he will take any chance he can for more adventures in them. “Animals have given me so much joy and wonder in my life; it feels right to give something back.”

Amy

Technician Assistant

Amy has had a passion for helping animals since she was a young child. She was born and raised in Northern Indiana and worked at a local small animal hospital there in the kennels. That job was quite enjoyable and opened Amy’s eyes to the many opportunities in veterinary medicine.  After high school, she moved to Glenwood Springs, CO to pursue her degree in Veterinary Technology at Colorado Mountain College, graduating in 2002. Her internship led her to a job at a specialty and emergency hospital in the metro area where she worked alongside the surgical specialists.  There she really enjoyed surgical nursing and client education.

While she took a break from tech work to raise and home educate her children, Amy continued to be involved with animals through pet sitting, volunteer work, and teaching her own children about animal care.  Now that the kids are older, Amy is excited to be part of the Inspire family where she can again help provide exceptional care to clients and their furry family members.  Her goal is to learn about all the advancements in veterinary medicine and work her way back up to a Certified Veterinary Technician in the near future.

Amy is a dedicated runner, and enjoys the outdoors, especially the mountains.  She lives in Parker with her husband and their teenage children along with their dog, Ember; cat, Sierra; chinchilla, Forrest and bearded dragon, Crush.  In her free time she can be found hiking with her dog, kayaking, baking, and playing board games.  Amy looks forward to learning about you and your animals at your next visit to Inspire.

Leslie

Customer Care Representative

Leslie is a Colorado native having grown up in the city above the clouds, Woodland Park, Colorado. From a young age she began pet sitting on a neighbor’s ranch, developing an admiration for all the animals she cared for which included horses, sheep, chickens and of course plenty of cats and dogs.

Her most impactful job was as a pharmacy technician where she developed an enthusiasm for medicine while enjoying the ability to help make a noticeable difference in the lives of patients. Leslie now hopes to eventually become a Veterinary Technician, as her real passion is getting to connect with animals. “The opportunity to work with the entire team at Inspire Animal Hospital has been a dream come true. I am excited to come to work everyday where I get the chance to learn from such a passionate group of people.”

Leslie currently lives in Parker with her boyfriend and two very spoiled cats, Fable and Hiro. In her free time she is making plans to build a tiny house on wheels and enjoys getting out in nature; especially the mountains, which she will always consider home.

Courtney

Customer Care Representative

Courtney was born and raised in Southern Nevada. She moved to Colorado just over 2.5 years ago. When Courtney first moved to Colorado, she started working at Doggy Daycare and boarding facility. After a few years there, she knew she had to get into the animal medical field to help the owners and pets get the care they need.

In her free time she enjoys cooking and trying new recipes, playing dice with her boyfriend and binge-watching all the true crime shows while cuddling with her spoiled pets, Rossi and Luna.

Tonya

Customer Care Representative

Tonya grew up in Nebraska, graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and moved to Colorado shortly after graduating. Coming from a prior career in telecommunications, it has been quite a career jump into veterinary medicine.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her little dog, Putter, whose original owner named him after her love for golf. She loves watching sports, especially the Denver Broncos and University of Tennessee football, and binge-watching several TV series. She is thrilled to be a part of the Inspire team and looks forward to meeting your pets!