Our Staff

Dr. Amy Murdock

Dr. Amy Murdock grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received an Associates Degree in Animal Science in 1999 and attended Washington State University for her Bachelors Degree in Biochemistry in 2003. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2007 also from Washington State University.

Dr. Murdock enjoys practicing emergency medicine and joined Southwest Animal Emergency Clinic in 2017 and is our current Medical Director. Her special interests include surgery and critical care.

Dr. Richard Strasser

Dr. Strasser was raised in Seattle and attended the University of Washington where he received his bachelor’s degree in ancient military history. He then decided to serve our country and enlisted in the Marine Corps where he served in the infantry for 4 years. He then returned to college and in 2002 graduated from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

For 16 years he practiced as a small animal veterinarian in the Sacramento area. In December 2018 he finally came to his senses and moved to Saint George. Working at SWAEC allows him to pursue his interests in emergency and critical care. His graveyard schedule also gives him many days free to hike with his dog, ride bikes (dirt and mtn.) and fly fish.

Cheryle

My name is Cheryle. I have been a Vet Tech for 11 years, mostly in Louisiana. I have recently relocated here to St. George. I love what I do; helping animals feel better always puts a smile on my face.

Liana

Hi, my name is Liana. I have been working at the SWAEC since April of 2015. I‘m grateful to have the opportunity to be with your loved pets and family during both the good and bad times and hope to help you have as good of an experience at the emergency clinic as possible. Before starting at SWAEC I worked at The Animal Tender Pet Resort as a receptionist, kennel technician and a groomer. I’m a student at DSU and currently have 2 dogs at home.

Brittany

I have been with Southwest Animal Emergency clinic since October 2019. Working here as a receptionist has been very rewarding. I enjoy helping our clients and their pets have a positive experience during both the good and hard times. Growing up with a mother as a Veterinary Technician I knew I would want to work with animals somehow. Living in Louisiana I worked as a kennel technician and helped with grooming. I recently moved to St. George Utah and enjoy spending time with my family in my free time.

Vanessa

My name is Vanessa. I was born and raised in Saint George. Caring for animals has been a love of mine since childhood! I recently started working at SWAE after taking a year off to stay home with my daughter. Before then I had worked as a veterinary assistant for 2 years while attending college.

Stephanie

My name is Stephanie and I have been a Certified Veterinary Technician for over 20 years. I moved to S. Utah from Colorado. I love taking care of animals and it’s all I have ever wanted to do! I am mom to both 2- and 4-legged babies that I enjoy spending time with.

Taylor
I moved here from Colorado. I am new to veterinary medicine but love animals and helping their people!

Johanna

I’m Johanna, I recently moved to the area from Colorado where I worked in emergency vet care for about two years. I’m really excited to work here and learn as much as I can while enjoying this beautiful area!

Kelli

I've been working in the vet field for almost four years, I've worked with animals since I was 17, include dog walking, animal shelter work, rescue work, pet sitting and dog training. I'm currently working on my master's to hopefully get accepted into a veterinary program.

I started out working in a cat only veterinary clinic back in 2017, then moved on to work with both dogs and cats up in the Salt Lake area. Now I'm here at SWAEC building my skills and knowledge of working in emergency medicine. I love learning new things and mastering my skills.

Outside of work I spend most of my time with my two border collies Apollo and Graham. Together we hike, dock dive, practice agility and all our tricks. We also love being lazy when school work needs to be done or a good book needs to be read!

Besides my dogs I love cooking, traveling, and drinking coffee!