Animal Care Technicians
Jacqui Desjean
Jacqui began working at the Gardner Animal Care Center in Aug of 2006. She started caring for animals at the age of 10, taking in stray cats and spending her allowance on examinations and vaccinations and finding good homes for them. Working with animals has always been her dream and she loves taking care of all the dogs and cats who board at our facility. She is currently working on achieving a Veterinary Technician degree and really enjoys her classes. Jacqui lives with her fiancé (who is very accepting of the many foster animals she brings home), their 1 year old orange tabby, Kung-Fu, and her wrinkle-faced dog, Gertie, a 3 year old Golden Retriever/ Shar-pei mix they adopted from the Humane Society.
Michelle Art
Michelle grew up in Newton with her mom and dad and three sisters. Growing up, she always had dogs and cats and one very special horse. When she bought a house in Winchendon about 7 years ago, one of the first things she did was bring pets Mandy and Beau into her home. They are the best dogs ever. Michelle has two sons. Her oldest son is a very talented guitarist and her youngest is an awesome artist. Before joining the Gardner Animal Care Center team, she worked in the telecommunications field for 10 years. She started off pulling cables through the ceilings and worked her way up to the position of office manager. Outside of work, she loves being with friends and family. Her favorite pastime is riding her Harley. She also loves to travel, and especially likes going to Maine every summer. Michelle loves all kinds of music and loves to cook.
Jessica Murphy
Jessica first started volunteering at the Gardner Animal Care Center her senior year of high school. She interned with the technicians and watched numerous surgeries. She loved the animals and the atmosphere of the hospital, so decided to apply for a job in the boarding department. Jessica joined the team in March 2009 and continues her studies at Mount Wachusett Community College. She plans to become a registered nurse and work in the emergency department.
In her spare time, Jessica likes to oil paint and dance, including ballet, jazz and hip-hop. She also has two dogs named Abby and Boston, in addition to her two cats, Miller and Jake. She has always lived with pets of her own and loves animals, so she know this is the perfect job for her.
Molly Velasco
Molly began her work at the Gardner Animal Care Center as an intern during the second half of her junior year. Before she did her internship, though, Molly was still struggling to find out what career path she would pursue in college. When a friend suggested animal care Molly decided to give it a try. After her first day as an intern, she fell in love with the joy and happiness that comes from working with animals. When the school year began to come to an end, Molly knew her time as an intern was coming to an end as well. Eager to continue working with our staff and animals, Molly decided to apply for a job in the boarding department here at the Gardner Animal Care Center. She was happy to find that her fellow workers in boarding are just as passionate about animals as she is. Molly is going to be a senior at Cushing Academy this year and hopes to continue her work with animals by majoring in pre-veterinary medicine in college. In her free time, she enjoys hobbies such as drawing, reading, and spending time with her big Golden Retriever, Theodore.
Emily Sumner
Emily has been with the Gardner Animal Care Center since 2007. Emily has a love for all animals which began when she was only a few months old. She would spend time playing with her animals, which included rabbits, chickens, a ferret, dogs, and cats along with exploring the wilderness which surrounded her country home. She also developed a love for science and graduated from Saint Joseph's College of Maine in 2009 with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology with a minor in Philosophy.
Emily spent three years working for the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook, Maine. At the shelter she specialized in felines, handling and caring for sick, abused, and feral cats. She has also opened her home to Ahimsa Haven to foster animals waiting for their future forever homes.
Emily plans to continue onto graduate school to earn her DVM degree. Emily enjoys spending time outdoors running, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. Emily shares a home with her spry 11 year old German shepherd/Rottweiler mix Maggie.