Meet Our Team
Dr. Nancy Holling
Owner/Veterinarian
Dr. Nancy Holling Graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She practiced small animal medicine at two large, busy Veterinary Hospitals in Florida for 4 years, and then spent 6 years at Prevost Veterinary Clinic in Duncan.
Dr. Holling started Sitka Veterinary Services in 2009 with the hopes of a less stressful experience for dogs and cats. She felt an in-home experience would at least avoid the travel anxiety that can occur with patients. In addition to being in the comfort of their own home.
Dr. Holling lives with her spouse and 3 dogs in the Cowichan Valley. All of Dr. Holling’s dogs are rescues. Two are from Spain: Walter is a Spanish Galgo. Sabou is an Ibizan Hound. And Georgia is a mixed breed from Mexico.
Dr. Sarah Begbie
Veterinarian
Born and raised in the lower mainland, Dr. Sarah Begbie has always been drawn to the wilderness of Vancouver Island and was eager to begin veterinary practice in the Cowichan Valley after graduating from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. Since then she has enjoyed the relationships she has made in the veterinary community with colleagues, coworkers, patients and their humans. She also loves exploring her surroundings with her husband, two daughters, and faithful dog Joey. Three cats at home completes the family.
Sarah's veterinary interests include animal behaviour and cracking complex medical cases, while desiring to learn more about nutrition and complementary medicine. In her free time, she likes to camp, play baseball, read and write but travel has always been her number one passion. Dream trip? Antarctica because that means she will have visited every continent!
Amanda
Office Manager
Amanda has always loved animals ever since a young age and knew working in the veterinary field was her calling. When she was younger she was involved in 4-H and got her first horse Kashtin when she was 10 years old. She was born and raised in the Cowichan Valley and started her career working with animals in 2010 as a veterinary assistant. She graduated from Thompson Rivers University in 2014 with her Animal Health Technology Diploma. Amanda is very passionate about animal dentistry and loves being able to give the patients the best quality of care. After 6 years of working in general practice and emergency medicine, Amanda decided to change career paths and joined Sitka Veterinary Services in 2020 as their office manager.
When she is not working, Amanda loves to spend her time outdoors. She enjoys gardening, hiking with her two dogs Prim & Kita, riding her horse Kali or spending time on the lake whether it be fishing or kayaking. Her and her husband Lance are growing their family by welcoming a baby boy in June 2022.
Celine
House Call Assistant
Ever since Celine can remember, life has always been about animals. She grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and created a menagerie in her home. From early on in life she knew she wanted to work in the Veterinary field helping animals. Celine has over 18 years experience working along side Veterinarians. She primarily worked in a busy, 24-hour emergency/referral hospital and later as an assistant to an equine Veterinarian. In 2013 she gave up the city life for the quieter, Vancouver Island life and joined Sitka Veterinary Services in 2017.
Celine loves to spend time with her family, training her dogs and tending to her homestead.
Leah
Leah was born and raised in the beautiful Cowichan Valley. She has worked with the Sitka team since May 2018 and feels pretty lucky to be part of it.
Leah lives on a small acreage with her husband, 2 boys, retired sled dog “Louie”, and cat “Monkey”. She enjoys hanging out with her family and spends most of her time trying to tire out her boys and her dog.
Kathleen
Kathleen was born and raised on Vancouver Island. Upon completing high school, Kathleen attended Olds College in Alberta and graduated as Registered Animal Health Technologist. She joined the Sitka team in February 2019.
Kathleen grew up on a family run farm and was a proud participant in the 4-H program for 10 years. She currently lives on her own organic farm where she raises chickens, ducks and geese. In her spare time she can either be found in her cutting garden, tending her bees, or with her horses and 4 hounds!
Nemira
Nemira joined Sitka’s team in 2021, settling down on Vancouver Island after several years of travelling and working with a variety of different animals and wildlife. Nemira brings with her many years of experience in the veterinary field. While working in busy clinics and emergency facilities has been rewarding, she very much enjoys making house calls and building connections with pets and people alike. In her free time she enjoys spending time growing veggies is her garden and exploring on the island. You might also catch her entertaining folks around town on her banjo, along with her partner, Greg.
Kelsey
Kelsey was born and raised in a small town on the mainland. Growing up she would help her family on their farm which sparked her love for animals. In 2019 Kelsey moved to the Cowichan Valley and started her career with animals in 2020 working as a veterinary assistant. It is very important to her to have her patients feel comfortable and safe in their environment and this is why she joined the Sitka Veterinary Family in 2022. She enjoys spending her time outdoors whether it be playing sports or spending time near the ocean.
Catherine
Catherine started her journey in the veterinary field back in 2006 as a Technician Assistant. After learning her passion for medicine and love for animals, she graduated from Thompson River University with her Animal Health Technology Diploma in 2010. Since then she worked in veterinary clinics in Kamloops where she learned many skills and love for emergency medicine and nursing. Over the years she has taken a step back to raise her 3 children and recently moved back to Vancouver Island for her husband's career. She joined Sitka Veterinary Services in 2022 and is enjoying the medicine Dr Holling and her team provide. Her favourite thing is seeing animals in their own environment stress free from car rides and the smell of the clinic. When Catherine isn't at the clinic, you can find her cheering her kids on with their activities, spending time in the garden or hiking with her dogs.
