Our Team

Drs. Chris Chart and Birgit Vierheilig are both graduates of the University of Saskatchewan. In 1992 they moved to Nelson to open the Selkirk Veterinary Hospital and to realize their dream of developing a practice where the bond between pets and “their humans” is fully recognized.

In developing the Selkirk Veterinary Hospital, they have integrated the use of conventional and alternative medicine and developed their own areas of special interest; acupuncture and orthopedics (Dr. Chart) and internal medicine and ultrasound (Dr. Vierheilig).

Muffasa is our clinic cat. He joined us in January 2005. Muffasa has quite the attitude but we all love him even more because of it. He spends his day hogging all the chairs in the office, taste testing Dr. Chart's beverages and trying to eat our lunches, making phone calls, and having races from the front of the clinic to the back of the clinic.

Grizz arrived in the summer of 2007 and like all Siamese he is quite a character. We are never quite sure where we will find him hanging out- under the bathtub, in the towel cupboard or on top of the computer in the office! He is a friendly, cheerful cat who strangely enough is missing the typical Siamese howl. He needed to have some surgery on his hips soon after he arrived so he does have a distinctive wiggle to his walk which we like to tease him about.

Jody Horvath

Jody was born and raised in Salmo. Growing up on a farm, she quickly developed a love for all animals - with an extra soft spot for kittens. In 2009 she took in little orphaned Oliver - who quickly took over the house. When she is not in her vegetable & flower gardens, she is usually out in the back woods with her husband: hiking, snowshoeing, or just driving on gravel. Jody has worked for Drs. Chart & Vierheilig since 1997. First as a Receptionist & Veterinary Assistant and now as Office Manager. Her many tasks keep her very busy.

Kendra Nakaska

Kendra moved to beautiful Nelson from Calgary, where she was born and raised. She graduated as an Animal Health Technician from Olds, Alberta, in 2007. In Kendra's free time she is an avid snowboarder and is very excited to be close to Whitewater Ski Resort! Kendra also enjoys painting and listening to loud music.

Allison Ritson

Allison has been a Veterinary Receptionist since 2000.  Even when she was very young, she knew that this was the profession for her.  Allison competes in many horse shows, including English Flat and Western events.  She enjoys working with young horses and loves trail riding.  She currently resides with two dogs, Rusty and Hope, two cats, Sushi and Feta, and four horses, Vahalla Ra el, Blazin Sweet n Low, Mingo's April Lady and her pride and joy, Ablazin Hot Knight.  Allison loves all animals and hopes to meet yours soon! 

Patti Foster

Patti joined our team in May of 2002 - if you're not sure which one she is, she will be the one regaling our clients with a selection of her many jokes!  Between working at our hospital and her other job as a Court Reporter, Patti is a single parent raising her 2 wonderful sons and driving them to their many, many activities.  If she wasn't busy enough, Patti's got one big pooch named Koji, 3 kitty-cats named Dallas, Mya and toby and a bunny named Buster.  Patti's hobbies include sunbathing, gardening, dancing, jogging, walking, baking and laughing.  She feels that she is one lucky lady to be able to work with such wonderful people and to meet the extraordinary clientele that we have at the hospital! 

Colleen Chisholm

Colleen was drawn to Nelson's architecture, fresh waters and beautiful mountains in 1998. Her son Eden and dog Sadie are her greatest treasures. Colleen has travelled and volunteered in Africa over the past two years, mainly working in Zimbabwe at a lion conservation project. She has cared for cubs ranging from 3 months to 21 months old and has worked alongside Arabian horses and elephants. She was also privilaged to be involved with children at an orphanage in Gweru and to stay with a Maasai tribe in Northern Tanzania. Nature, animals and ethnic travels are her passion. Colleen likes to comfort pets when their owners are not present and hopes to improve every pets stay as much as possible.

Debra George

Debra grew up on a farm in Northern Alberta.  She now resides in the Kootenays with her husband and 3 children.  Deb has 1 Shepherd/Husky cross named Simba and 2 cats, (Luna) and blind rescue cat (Smudge).

Brooke Molitwenik

Brooke was born and raised in Castlegar. She joined our team in 2007 as a Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist in both our Nelson and Castlegar practices. In her spare time, Brooke can be found drawing, making crafts, going on outdoor adventures and gardening. She has two highly entertaining cats named Bosley and Goji as well as several aquariums full of a wide range of happy little fish. Since Brooke was a child, she has always had a soft spot in her heart for animals and is thrilled to have the privilege to work with them each day!

Jennifer Jameson

Jennifer was born and raised in Nelson. She has 4 children and 1 grandchild. She likes to spend her free time square dancing, sailing and spending time with her family. Jen has 1 Persian cat named Sparky and 1 dog named Charlie.

Jeannie Edmondson

Jeannie trained as a Veterinary Receptionist in Kelowna and now works at both our Nelson hospital and our Castlegar location, the Arrow Lake Veterinary Clinic. She resides in Genelle with her 3 dogs, (Jake, Twyla and Sadie), 1 cat,(Lilah) 1 lizard, (Rex Pickles) and her 2 children who keep her very, very busy!   

Michelle West

Michelle moved to Nelson from Red Deer, Alberta in the winter of 2009 with her husband, Chris. She has a beautiful, energetic Lab/Chow cross named Sydney and 2 crazy cats, Floyd and Hobbes. She enjoys sharing the outdoor lifestyle of the Kootenays with her husband and dog, along with painting, yoga and traveling. Growing up, Michelle was surrounded by animals of all kinds and loves spending her days working with them.

Iyla Morane

(Picture and Biography coming soon)

Phaedra Rieff