Naomi Kirschenbaum, D.V.M.                                                         

"Dr. K" arrived in Santa Cruz County fresh from completing her veterinary education at UC Davis in the summer of 1990. She came to the original Aptos Animal Hospital to work with the founder Dr. Jerry Rusk in 1991 and then purchased the practice in 1994.

Together in 2008 Dr. K and Dr. Sarah Hawklyn made the decision to join practices, combine expertise and dedication to establish Aptos-Creekside Pet Hospital at the Aptos Animal Hospital location.

Dr. K grew up in Orange County, California. She has had a life long love affair with horses and has always been a farm girl at heart. She has enjoyed many opportunities to travel through the years and to live and study abroad in diverse locations including Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Guyana and Brazil to name a few.

Over the years Dr. K has been in Santa Cruz she has served our local community on the board of friends of Long Marine Lab, as an officer of the Monterey Bay Area Veterinary Medical Association, as a member of AD HOC Committees to advise animal control issues for Santa Cruz county and a board member for ECI. On the national front she served as a member of the advisory board to the director of the National Zoo, Washington DC for the Smithsonian Institute.

Dr. K's daily practice is dedicated to dog and cat medicine. She has special interest in geriatric patients and management of chronic disease, osteoarthritis, nutrition and husbandry concerns for her patients.

Dr. K's passions are her farm "The Lost Ark" with sheep and goats, her horses and competitive dressage, all the wonderful dogs that have graced her life, kitties to snuggle and her fabulous husband, Steve, who understands all the crazy and wonderful animal demands.


   Sarah Hawklyn, D.V.M.

Dr. Hawklyn grew up in Berkeley, CA. She received her BA degree in Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley in 1980 and then earned her DVM degree in 1986 from UC Davis. She moved to Santa Cruz after graduation from UC Davis and did her internship at Animal Hospital of Santa Cruz where she worked as an Associate Veterinarian until 1986. In July of 1996, she opened her own practice, Creekside Veterinary Hospital in Soquel, CA, with two partners. Creekside rapidly grew into a highly successful hospital which operated for 12 years until outgrowing it's space.

In March of 2008, Creekside Veterinary Hospital merged with Aptos Animal Hospital, forming Aptos-Creekside Pet Hospital. The merger made it possible for both hospitals to successfully expand and increase services to their clients. Early in Dr Hawklyn's veterinary career she developed an interest in husbandry, medical and surgical care of rabbits. Rabbits have made up a large percentage of her medical practice for 24 years. In addition to dogs, cats and rabbits, she also sees many other pocket pets such as guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, rats, mice and chinchillas.

Dr Hawklyn has two sons ages 15 and 21. She is active in science education for youth and has been involved with science fairs and Boy Scouts for many years. She is also an active member of the Santa Cruz Gem and Mineral Society and enjoys making jewelry as well as interesting rock creations. She loves dance and participates locally in Folk, Contra and Ballroom dancing.

                                                              George Hall, D.V.M. 

Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Physiology, 1984
D.V.M. Degree, U.C. Davis, 1990

Dr. Hall received his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Physiology from U.C. Davis in 1984. He remained in Davis and worked as an animal health technician in the Small Animal Intensive Care Unit, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, U.C. Davis until his graduation from veterinary school in 1990. Upon graduation he moved back to the Santa Cruz area and has been practicing medicine and surgery with dogs and cats since that time. He joined the Aptos Animal Hospital in 1994.

Dr. Hall has been active in the sport of Ride & Tie since 1980. This sport, which involves a team of two humans and a horse alternating riding and running over mountainous terrain, is what initially stimulated his interest in physiology and medicine. He has also participated in ultra-distance trail running, completing the Western States 100 Mile run several times. Surfing has also been one of Dr. Hall's great passions since he was a teenager.

Dr. Hall is married to wife Judy, who shares his passion for surfing and running the trails. He has two daughters, Sadie Lynn and Molly Rose, age 23 and 19 respectively. He also has stepson Jesse Eastman and stepdaughter Micaela Eastman, ages 25 and 22.

   Mary Siri, D.V.M.                                                                                            

Dr. Mary Siri was born and raised in Watsonville, California.  She attended UC Davis and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science in 2001.  After graduation, Dr. Siri returned to Santa Cruz County where she worked as a Veterinary Technician.  
 
It was during this time, while working at Creekside Veterinary Hospital, that Dr. Siri met Dr. Hawklyn and was introduced to the world of exotic animal medicine.  After a few years, Dr. Siri returned to school, this time branching out to Southern California.  She earned her D.V.M. degree from Western University of Health Sciences in 2008.

In addition to treating dogs and cats, Dr. Siri has also been expanding her knowledge of rabbits and birds.  Since graduation, she has continued training with Dr. Fern Van Sant at For the Birds, an all-avian clinic in San Jose.

In her free time, Dr. Siri enjoys being outdoors, whether that is hiking, snowboarding, gardening, or visiting the beach with her Labrador Retrievers, Toby and Haley.  She is delighted to have returned to the area she grew up in and to have joined the family at Aptos-Creekside Pet Hospital.