Our Team

Dr. Wieringa graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. She is originally from the Chicago suburbs and moved to the Seattle area after graduation to work at a busy combination general practice/ER practice for 6 years. Dr. Wieringa then transitioned to doing solely emergency medicine at Seattle Veterinary Specialists in Kirkland until 2016. She then returned to general practice at Wilderness Animal Hospital in Maple Valley, where she served as an Associate Veterinarian and then as Medical Director.

Dr. Wieringa lives in a busy household full of boys, dogs, and cats. When she is not transporting kiddos to sports and other events, she enjoys running, biking, baking, and binge-watching true crime shows.

After several months of relief work at Arrow Animal Urgent Care, Dr. Alyssa Faltin officially joined the team in July 2024. She graduated from Royal Veterinary College in 2021. Dr. Faltin was born in New York and raised in Florida before moving to London, England, for veterinary school. After graduation, she moved to the Seattle area and has been working in general practice and urgent care medicine.

Dr. Faltin has a smooth collie named Mason who has traveled with her around the world. She enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, paddle boarding, cooking, and going to concerts.

Dr. Buikema graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. He moved to Seattle after completing a small animal rotating internship at Auburn University. Before joining the team at Arrow Animal Urgent Care, Dr. Buikema spent the past 5 years as an emergency clinician at Seattle Veterinary Specialists in Kirkland.

Before becoming a veterinarian, Dr. Buikema enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served with 1^st Battalion 5^th Marines. He equally enjoys getting out and exploring the Pacific Northwest via hiking and motorcycle touring, and hanging out at home with his family and their orange tabby, Attila.

Dr. Stoka-Hanley graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. She completed a small-animal rotating internship at a busy practice in Akron, Ohio, prior to moving to the Seattle area. Dr. Stoka-Hanely worked in emergency medicine for 4 years and then for a year with animal poison control. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking, and gardening.

Alison is a Veterinary Technician who has been with Arrow Animal Urgent Care since October 2022. She helps with sedation and anesthesia and works hard to ensure pets stay safe during these procedures. Alison has GP and ER experience and enjoys educating people on follow-up care for their pets and explaining their medications.

She appreciates the urgent care aspect of our clinic; it’s a happy medium and liaison between keeping pets out of the ER and still being able to help clients and pets when they cannot get into their primary care vet.

In her free time, Alison enjoys hiking and trying new restaurants. She also enjoys traveling to visit her family in California, Colorado, and Alaska. She has four furry family members; two Ragdoll mix cats, Kitty Beyonce and Marvin, and two Cockapoo puppies, Tigger and Cheetoh.

Veterinary Assistant Ashlee rejoined Arrow Animal Urgent Care in May 2024. Ashlee is an enthusiastic assistant with a zest for life, always eager to lend a hand to animals in need. What truly makes her time at Arrow special is collaborating with Brielle, her best friend (and neighbor). Ashlee thrives on the diverse range of unique and unconventional cases that come her way, and her vibrant energy is a fantastic addition to the team.

On her days off, you can find Ashlee foraging through the forest for mushrooms, hiking the mountains, gardening, or playing with her two German Shorthairs — Otis, a retired champion show dog, and Ben, who competes in field trials and hunt tests. On the more relaxed days, Ashlee enjoys baking sourdough bread, drawing, and singing the night away to some karaoke with Brielle.

In August 2022, Licensed Veterinary Technician Betty joined the Arrow Animal Urgent Care team, where Cystocentesis is one of her specialties. She is a patient and caring presence for pets and their owners at the clinic. You can count on Betty to triage your pet promptly while listening and taking in all your concerns. She appreciates the high level of quality care the clinic provides to patients.

Betty was born and raised in Upstate New York and relocated to Seattle in 2012. She currently resides in Renton. Betty and her Shepard mix Elsa love going on adventures, and you can catch Elsa howling along with every ambulance and fire truck that drives by. Recently Betty has taken up roller skating, reading, Lyra, and joined a pool league. She loves to hike, swim, watch movies, like her favorite Homeward Bound, and try new restaurants!

Veterinary Assistant Brielle is a spunky, exuberant, and dedicated addition to the Arrow team, joining in January 2022. Brielle enjoys the fast pace of the urgent care model of veterinary medicine and always gives 110%! She truly cares about her co-workers — especially her neighbor, Ashlee — and all creatures that come see us in their time of need. If Brielle encounters a spider, however, her Krav Maga skills come out to quickly send the creature to spider heaven where it rightfully belongs (or summon her neighbor to do it).

Brielle enjoys hiking (with Ashlee), car camping, paddle boarding, reading, eating burgers, and going to heavy metal concerts where she can let loose and express her frustrations in a fun, healthy way! To keep her occupied in all of her free time, she has a slithery snake (Josephine), a cheeky tuxedo kitty (Spinelli), another kitty and the most handsome gentleman (Foigras), and an unhinged English sheepdog mix (Guinea Hen, or Pig for short). She prefers the company of animals to people, but will take Ashlee up on a night of karaoke at a moment’s notice! 

Eli is a Customer Service Representative at Arrow Animal Urgent Care. He joined our team in March 2023. Eli specializes in supporting clients during difficult situations and delivering reliable solutions with a friendly and warm attitude. 

Originally from Northern Nevada, Eli resides in Renton with his two short-haired cats, Jay and Lu. In his spare time, he loves picnics with his partner, exploring downtown Renton, reading books, and writing fiction stories. Eli’s love for animals was inspired by watching The Crocodile Hunter and other shows on Animal Planet as a kid; Steve Erwin’s passion for all animals and his drive to maintain populations of all animal species solidified Eli’s desire to work with animals.

In March 2022, Veterinary Assistant Emily started with Arrow Animal Urgent Care, where emergency triage is one of her specialties. She very much enjoys being able to help animals and working with a great team.

Originally from Maine, Emily lives in Seattle with Pepper (a German Shepherd mix), Kirby (a Pitbull), and Princess Zelda and Princess Peach (two cats). In her free time, Emily enjoys watching movies while tending to her 100+ house plants and seven fish tanks.

Joining Arrow Animal Urgent Care in January 2025, Erika has a passion for making a meaningful difference in the lives of pets and their families. Originally from Southern California, Erika moved to Washington in 2015 and stepped into the veterinary field for the first time as a receptionist at a busy animal hospital. Despite being completely new to veterinary medicine, her dedication to client satisfaction and her commitment to the comfort and care of every pet quickly set her apart and helped her grow into the role of Practice Manager.

Erika has a deep love for helping people and their pets and treating every animal as if they were her own. A self-proclaimed “dog whisperer,” she’s always ready to comfort and spoil any dog — big or small. Erika isn’t the kind of manager who simply gives directions; she leads by example, diving headfirst into the chaos to lend a hand. Whether it’s holding a nervous pet, grabbing supplies for the medical team, or being the calming voice in a tough situation, Erika is a true problem-solver and go-getter. Her goal every day is to create a positive experience for both clients and staff, spreading kindness and laughter along the way.

Outside of work, Erika enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, their two children, Bella and Carter, their three dogs—Simon, Benny, and Mara—and their cat, George. She loves camping, hiking, painting, lifting weights, going to the beach, listening to music, camping, fishing, anything outdoors.

Joining Arrow Animal Urgent Care in June 2024, Marissa brings her bubbly personality and genuine love and care for all animals to our Client Service Representatives team! Marissa shows professionalism and kindness to every client and strives for excellence while supporting their unique needs. She’s grateful to work with such a great team and to be helping animals.

In her free time, Marissa enjoys hiking, listening to music, spending time with family and her partner — all while caring for her 4 dogs: Bubba, a Black Lab/Pit mix; Zuzu, a Dalmatian; Amara, a Cattle dog mix; and Tequila, a Terrier/Chihuahua mix; 2 cats: Batman and Whiskey; 2 crested geckos (and geckos eggs); and snake.

In January 2022, Licensed Veterinary Technician Michelle started working at Arrow Animal Urgent Care, where she is known for her optimistic attitude, being a connoisseur of cat wrangling and pilling, and for replenishing the candy drawer. It is important to Michelle to make sure clients know that their concerns are heard and their pets are cared for in a compassionate, loving way.

Originally from Western New York, she lives in Seattle with a small menagerie of critters: Reggie (a Pug), Cornelius (a Selkirk Rex kitty), Archie (a Sphynx cat), and her three guinea pigs (Mango, Goose, and Rooster). When not at work, Michelle keeps busy watching anything and everything Marvel as well as enjoying the Pacific Northwest with her boyfriend and son.

Samantha joined our team in September 2022 as a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She is a midwest native who relocated to Seattle many years ago and has served numerous roles in the veterinary community. Her background with The Cat Doctor honed her skills as a “cat whisperer,” and more recently, she was with BluePearl Specialty Hospital.

In addition to being an amazing veterinary technician, Samantha is a talented artist and often creates drawings or crafts for friends and family. In fact, she designed the logo for Arrow Animal Urgent Care! In her spare time, Samantha enjoys working out at the gym, spoiling her cats, and visiting thrift stores for creative inspiration.

In January 2022, Licensed Veterinary Technician Taryn joined Arrow Animal Urgent Care, where she specializes in anesthesia. She enjoys working at this walk-in clinic and feeling like she’s actually helping pets at the end of the day, especially as regular veterinary offices and emergency clinics are inundated with critical patients.

Originally from Vermont, Taryn lives in Tukwila with her two cats: long-haired Munchkin and short-haired Banshee. In her free time, she likes drawing, photography, collecting rare plants, hiking, and spending time with her husband and kitties.

Fern is from Hoboken, N.J., and she was raised by a family of black bears. She meant to marry rich but she lost sight of her goals during a walkabout that took her over 2,000 miles away to Yakima, Wash. Though her upbringing would lead you to believe that she has street smarts, she absolutely cannot even fathom that any ill fate could ever befall her.

Her favorite activity is pretending her yard is an elaborate labyrinth from which she must escape while her family searches for her in a desperate panic. Even though she lost all of her teeth in a horrible boating accident, she still enjoys eating gently used food from the floor whenever possible. Fern has no idea what melanoma is and she loves absolutely roasting her body in the sun like a dried-up catfish — the kind that you think is dead, but comes back to life when you get them wet. Her pet peeves include pedicures and people who mock her wall eye. She takes her job at Arrow very seriously, even though she is responsible for absolutely zero tasks and is not on the payroll.