Dr. Jeff Johnson

Dr. Johnson's love of animals started as a child, playing with barn cats and dogs and riding a variety of horses on the family farm.   As he grew and matured so did his interest in horses and pets. He channeled that interest into a career in veterinary medicine, starting out by working in the local veterinary hospital as a teenager. He went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota with both his Bachelor of Arts and doctorate in veterinary medicine.

Meet his pets

Dr. Andre Mormile

A native of Vermont, Dr. Mormile became interested in veterinary medicine while growing up on a small farm in Rutland.  After graduating high school, he joined the military and worked as an Animal Care Specialist. Upon receiving an Honorable Discharge, he pursued his veterinary education at Auburn University. He joined the Army’s elite Veterinary Corps after graduating with his veterinary degree. His military career took him to Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Gordon, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq. His travels provided him with diverse experiences including: working directly with the West Nile outbreak in Israel, the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Saudi Arabia, vaccine programs for cattle, goats, sheep and horses in Afghanistan, and caring for Arabian horse herds and exotic zoo animals in Baghdad, Iraq.

Dr. Rachel Gierke

After receiving her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Gierke started her career in a small animal and exotics hospital in Chicago. For the past 5 years, she has been an associate veterinarian at Blue Sky, where her special interest in exotic pets has flourished. Concurrently, she serves as an associate veterinarian at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley – now that’s exotic!  Dr. Gierke and her husband have three young children to keep them busy. Dr. Gierke has reduced her clinic hours to spend more time at home with the kids. They also share their home with Yogurt, a very independent cat, and Mac, a black lab who doubles as a family pet and a hunting dog. She and her family enjoy the great outdoors, including hiking, bicycling, and camping