Staff

Dr. Steele has an undergraduate degree from LSSU and a veterinary degree from MSU College of veterinary medicine. Dr. Steele has owned Caring Animal Hospital since 2000. Dr. Steele’s practice philosophy includes determining the best methods to achieve positive results. Each patient is treated as an individual. We may ask you questions that seem intrusive about your pet’s life or your lifestyle. These questions are important because your pet can’t answer them, and we want to develop an individualized plan for treatment that works best for you and your pet.
Dr. Steele graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in May 1998. Originally from Grand Rapids, she spent her first 2 years after graduation in Houghton Lake. She moved back to the Lansing area in August of 2000 and purchased Caring Animal Hospital in Holt. She now resides in Charlotte with her husband, 2 children, German Shorthair Pointer (Rooster) and cat (Tiggy T). Dr. Steele enjoys working with all aspects of veterinary medicine, but dentistry (now that we perform dental x-ray on every patient), internal medicine (especially since we have added the ultrasound & digital x-ray), dermatology, behavior, and surgery are some of her favorites. Of course, seeing puppies and kittens is always a joy. Outside of work, Dr. Steele spends much of her time coaching and watching her children play volleyball, baseball, & basketball. If you’ve met Dr. Steele you know why basketball is her favorite, but she also loves working outside landscaping.

Dr. Cotter graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. It was also here where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Medicine. She was awarded her certification as a veterinary acupuncturist through the Chi Institute in Reddick, FL. Dr. Cotter is a familiar face around Caring Animal Hospital. Prior to veterinary school, she started off here as a veterinary assistant, and has since returned to us. She has 2 beloved cats at home named Sookie & Keiko, and 2 lovely dogs named Theo & Ranger. Dr. Cotter’s special interests include acupuncture, exotic animal medicine, and soft tissue surgery.

Cindy Downey is our “Jack of all Traits” at Caring Animal Hospital. She has worked here for over 22 years and was part of the transition from Rooker Animal Hospital to Caring Animal Hospital. She has been married for 41 years to her husband, Harold, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force. Together they have a son and a daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren. Over the years they have had a variety of animals including Black labs, chinchillas, a ferret and a rabbit, but currently have Rottweilers, and a cat. Cindy and Harold are also very active in AKC Conformation

Paige started here at Caring Animal Hospital in June of 2016. She came to us in her final year of the veterinary technology program at Baker College and graduated in June of 2017 as a Licensed Veterinary Technician after passing her board examination. Paige has interests in exotic animal medicine and wildlife rehabilitation. At home, she has a cat named Lola. In her free time she enjoys reading, camping, hunting, and just being outdoors

Erica Suarez graduated from Baker College of Jackson’s Veterinary Technology Program in 2006 as a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She has worked for Caring Animal Hospital since 2002 when she was hired in as an assistant. When not at work, Erica enjoys spending time with her family. She keeps her plate full as a dance, wrestling, and soccer mom. Erica, and her husband, Rocky currently have 7 children. Her furry family members include 2 dogs, Tipp and R2D2, and 2 cats, Umbreon & Lucario. Her personal interest in the veterinary field is animal behavior. Animal behavior is one the number one reason why pets are euthanized today. Erica feels, “If I can make a difference in just one pets life I have done my job.

Maggie Smith started working in the veterinary field in 2001 as a receptionist and assistant. She loved it so much, she went back to school to become a LVT and graduated from Baker College of Flint in 2009. Since then Maggie has taken special interest in dentistry, parasitology, and practice management. During her time off Maggie loves to participate in local theater and has performed with Peppermint Creek Theater Company and Owosso Community Players. When she isn’t on the stage, she is enjoying the outdoors with her girlfriend Deanna & son Caleb. She has 2 dogs - Edith and Duke, and a cat named Penny. She loves working with Caring Animal Hospital’s fantastic staff and works hard to help the practice grow. 

Beth lives in Olivet with her husband and 2 boys. She is a graduate of Wayne State University with a BS degree in biology. Prior to coming to Caring Animal Hospital, she has worked many years as a veterinary technician. She has experience in emergency medicine and wildlife rehabilitation. Her favorite part of the job is patient care. She currently has a dog, 2 calico cats, 1 gerbil, and 6 chickens. She enjoys hiking and being outdoors with her family, watching her boys play football, basketball, soccer, and baseball, and just spending time at home.

Casey is our newest employee, having just started here in January of 2020. She graduated from Baker college of Flint in 2018 with an Associate's degree in Veterinary Science. After passing her state board exams, she is now a licensed Veterinary Technician. She has always had a passion for wanting to help and care for animals since she was a young girl. She has interests in all fields of veterinary medicine, especially in surgery, large animals, and exotics. As a technician, she has acquired a lot of animals. She has 3 dogs named Autumn, Nala and Lily. She also has a three-legged cat named Charlie. In her spare time, she enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and being in the outdoors. She also loves spending most of her time with her family, niece, and her animals.

Hannah started with Caring Animal Hospital in November of 2020. She has worked as a Veterinary Assistant since 2017.  She started in the veterinary field by working in the kennel room, taking care of hospitalized patients, cleaning, and doing laundry. Then she slowly worked her way up to assistant by learning to restrain animals and working with clients. Gaining more confidence and experience she has now started helping in appointments and answering our phones.  Hannah lives in Henderson with her three cats, dog, and cow. In her free time, she spends a lot of time with her family and friends camping and having fires at my family's property. She likes being outside, fishing, going for walks, and swimming. She also likes going up north on trips and vacations to visit family and explore new places. 

Cimone, originally from Detroit, graduated from MSU in May of 2019. She received a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science with a concentration in companion & exotic animals. During college she enjoyed her time with livestock including sheep, goats, cows, pigs, chickens, & horses. Her final year she participated in The Shepard’s Weekend to present her research on sheep. Building upon research from Cornell University, she worked under the supervision of Dr. Ehrhardt at MSU. She also spent time post-graduation as a lab tech where she cared for the guinea pigs. She currently lives in Lansing with her animals, including her boyfriend Xavier. In her spare time, she enjoys naps and eating. She hopes to apply to MSU for Vet Tech school this Winter for the Fall semester.