A Fur-Less Family Member
Garret Barcheski
Shelter Director
Garret has a lifetime of pet ownership and is our in-house dog whisperer. He keeps everyone at the shelter on their toes with his crazy amount of energy! Garret is knowledgeable about so many aspects of dog training and being a pet parent, he is always willing to share his advice with everyone! But it's not all fun and games, as Garret handles most of the business related to the shelter as well. Garret can usually be seen walking a dog when he's not hard at work at his computer - usually singing a tune while he does so! Make sure you say hi - he is always ready to talk to new people about their pets!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Evan Kerekes
Animal Care Manager
Evan has ten years of experience working as a Veterinary Technician, mainly in the non-profit spay and neuter sector. He is a life long pet owner who's dedication to animal welfare inspires all of those around him. His wife, Amy, and him are the proud parents of three rambunctious human boys, Hendrik, Robin, and Seamus. They have two furry babies as well, Heidi, the ever bouncy ball of energy in dog form and Mimi, the perpetually sleeping cat. Evan spends most of his free time with his family, outdoors, cycling, and running.
A Fur-Less Family Member
Dr. Michelle Hewitt
Veterinarian
Dr. Michelle Hewitt has been a veterinarian at the Tranquility Veterinary Clinic since 1997. In 2008, she started volunteering at Father John's Animal House. Dr. Hewitt examines all of the dogs and cats that come to the shelter, manages their preventative health care and treats illnesses and injuries. She is one busy veterinarian but working with all of the wonderful animals and dedicated staff at Father John's has been extremely rewarding for her. Dr. Hewitt looks forward to finding happy homes for all of the special animals that she meets.
A Fur-Less Family Member
Michael DeLuise
Volunteer Coordinator
Mike joined the Father John's team back in 2015 as a kennel attendant and certainly found his niche. Having a few dogs and cats of his own, he felt right at home. Over the years Mike as drawn on his art background to creatively aide in the development of our volunteer and customer service programs. With his big personality, sense of humor, and warm, welcoming attitude, he loves to welcome new people to Father John's. Thinking of contacting the shelter? Say "hi" to Mike!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Leon Richards
Caretaker
Leon started as a volunteer for the shelter but for many years has lived in the apartment at the shelter as Caretaker. In addition to keeping the facility looking good, his commitment to the animals is non-stop. He is up before the sun and tucks all the dogs into their kennel runs each night. He treats each animal here like they're his own, and showers them with love and affection during their stay with us! You're sure to run into Leon walking a dog or doing some important maintenance work when you stop by, so be sure to say hi!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Patti Mastellone
Administrative Assistant
Patti helps out in so many ways at the shelter, primarily by inputting donations into our database and organizing them. It's a lot of computer work, so she is also one of our fantastic kitten fosters! Patti specializes in little bottle feeders, and doesn't mind waking up in the middle of the night to feed these precious babies. If you ever adopt a kitten from us, chances are he or she was one of Patti's fosters!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Breanna Talmadge
Receptionist
Breanna is one of our newest team members! She is our receptionist, meaning she is there to answer the phone and will also help with both surrendering and adopting animals. You'll see Breanna helping out in many other ways, from walking dogs to socializing cats to doing laundry! When she's not at the front desk, Breanna is always on the move helping our animals. If you call our facility, you'll probably end up speaking to Breanna!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Rhianna Jameson
Communications & Events Associate
Rhianna started as a volunteer focusing on cat cleaning and socializing, and has recently joined the team as a staff member. She runs our social media on Facebook and Instagram, and is also the point of contact when it comes to running events. In addition to all of this, she is one of our kitten fosters, focusing especially on kittens and young cats who are shy or have behavioral issues. If you have questions about your kitten's behavior, Rhianna may be able to help!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Guiselle Montero
Veterinary Technician
Guiselle is one of our dedicated vet techs, and you'll have a hard time finding someone who loves animals more than her! Not only is Guiselle responsible for making sure all of our animals get their medications, are healthy and on track with their weights, checking for parasites and so much more, but she is also an amazing kitten foster who specializes in caring for kittens who are sick or otherwise very fragile. When you adopt your pet, be sure to check with Guiselle to see if they have any medications to take!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Christian Montanez
Veterinary Technician
Christian is one of our vet techs, although he has worked in pretty much every department here! He started off being the first team member to be cross-trained to work with both the cats and dogs, and now uses that knowledge in his newest position as a vet tech. Christian cares about each individual animal so much, and the rest of the staff here agrees that he has the biggest heart! Talk to Chris when you adopt your new pet to learn about their medical history!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Maribeth Brancato
Cat Care Counselor
You'll be hard pressed to find someone who loves cats as much as Maribeth! She started as a volunteer and now is a dedicated staff member, primarily responsible for our feline population. Maribeth is a pro at calling potential adopters to make a match with one of our cats, since she is the best at getting to know each kitty on an individual basis. She loves every cat here, so when you come by, you'll probably find her cuddling our cats before they go home!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Lynn DePasquale
Cat Care Counselor
Lynn has been with us for many years as a volunteer, and was hired as a team member in 2015. Since then, she has been diligently caring for our cats. Have you ever noticed a sparkle to our shelter when you walk in? That's all thanks to Lynn! She's got a constant flow of laundry going and polishes the floors once a week! If she's not with the cats, she's keeping our shelter clean and tidy!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Noelle Titus
Kennel Care Lead
Noelle is the head of our kennel team, so if you're looking to adopt or surrender a dog, you'll probably be working with her! Noelle is an expert at getting to know each dog individually to make the perfect match with potential adopters. Since each dog is so different, and may display different behaviors in a kennel vs in a home, Noelle does her best to understand each dog's behavior. She cares for every dog like they're her own! You'll probably see Noelle when you go to adopt your new pup, or maybe you'll find her taking our dogs on a nice walk outside of our facility!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Sarah Oehler
Kennel Care Counselor
Sarah has been with us working with our dogs since 2015! She loves and cares for every dog that comes to our facility. When she's not out with the dogs getting some exercise in one of our beautiful play yards, she's checking adoption questionnaires to see if there are any potential matches. Outside of the shelter, Sarah is also a realtor in the local area! Sarah can help you with so much, so make sure you stop by to say hi!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Sandy Pender
Kennel Care Counselor
Sandy is one of our dedicated kennel team members, so you can usually find her out walking some of our adoptable dogs, or counseling potential adopters. On the weekends, you may find her here with her daughter, who volunteers with us! Sandy is so loving to all of our animals, and is always trying to find the best possible home for each pup. Come in to meet some of our adoptable dogs and say hi to Sandy!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Diane Tees
Kennel Care Counselor
Diane is one of our team members dedicated to caring for our many dogs. She is always on the move - from thoroughly cleaning the runs every morning to walking the dogs throughout the day to meeting with potential adopters! Diane never slows down! If she looks serious, that's because she's so dedicated to finding each one of our dogs a forever home. Give her a high five if she stops moving long enough!
A Fur-Less Family Member
Kaila Yezuita
Kennel Care Counselor
Kaila is our newest team member, and she is already diving on in! She's only here in the morning to help with the morning duties of the dogs, mostly walking them, but you'll find her helping out all over the place. Kaila has already shown how much she loves the dogs here! If you see her walking them in the early hours of the morning, give her a wave!
Our Fur-less Family
Meet the humans behind Father John's
OUR MISSION
The main objective here at Father John’s Animal House is to find homes for otherwise homeless pets. We provide veterinary care, necessary medication, housing, love, food, companionship and time for their rehabilitation process. We know that this will give our animals the best shot at being able to find a forever adoptive home. Our intake animals, including some of which are homeless, handicapped, elderly, abandoned and abused, often come from local municipal shelters or are owner surrenders. This can be a time consuming and costly process.
We also seek to be a resource of information and service for the community to encourage responsible and committed pet ownership.
Father John’s Animal House is a limited admission shelter. This means that no adoptable animal is ever euthanized because of breed, age, space requirements, or a treatable condition. We will also take our adopted animals back if, for any reason, the adopter can no longer care for their pet.
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Garret Barcheski
Shelter Director
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Evan Kerekes
Animal Care Manager
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Dr. Michelle Hewitt
Veterinarian
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Michael DeLuise
Volunteer Coordinator
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Leon Richards
Caretaker
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Patti Mastellone
Administrative Assistant
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Breanna Talmadge
Receptionist
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Rhianna Jameson
Communications & Events Associate
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Guiselle Montero
Veterinary Technician
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Christian Montanez
Veterinary Technician
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Maribeth Brancato
Cat Care Counselor
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Lynn DePasquale
Cat Care Counselor
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Noelle Titus
Kennel Care Lead
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Sarah Oehler
Kennel Care Counselor
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Sandy Pender
Kennel Care Counselor
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Diane Tees
Kennel Care Counselor
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Kaila Yezuita
Kennel Care Counselor
Staff Expertise
We have a well rounded staff full of knowledgeable folks that simply want to help animals. In addition to our teams specific expertise's, we have a well rounded understanding of the following.
- Adoption Matchmaking
- Dog Behavior
- Cat Behavior
- Pet Loss
- Pet Ownership Counseling
Volunteers that Care
Our volunteers are fur-less friends that are simply the best. They come out and spend their time, compassion, and effort to help all of us here at Father John's with everything; from socializing animals to fundraising events. Volunteers are an absolute necessity for Father John's to continue doing what we do. If you are even curious about volunteering, please stop by and check us out!