Meet The Team

Head Veterinarian & Practice Owner

Long ago in a small town in Pennsylvania, a toddler rode on her bouncy horse and proudly told everyone she was going to be a "horse doctor" when she grew up. That little girl never lost sight of that goal. She earned her undergraduate degree and then her doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1992 from Cornell University and is Dr. Leah Greenberger. Her path took her to Maryland and then Virginia where she operated a successful small animal practice in a rural area near Norfolk. Along the way she rescued, fostered, and adopted a legion of dogs and cats and developed her love of birds, reptiles, and other exotic animals. She never lost her love for horses and riding. When she moved to Massachusetts in 1999, she practiced emergency and critical care veterinary medicine throughout the area. These specialties developed her skills as a diagnostician and exposed her to a wide variety of medical experiences. Dr. Leah brings all of her background, love of animals, and experience to both Canterbury Tails & Belchertown Veterinary Hospital.

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Alperson completed her undergraduate education at Wellesley College and earned a joint doctorate in veterinary medicine and masters of science at Tufts school of veterinary medicine in 2017. She lives with her husband, 2 golden retrievers, 3 cats, several chickens, a leopard gecko, a rescued bearded dragon, and at their convenience, 2 adult sons. Dr. Alpersons dogs are masters of counter surfing and getting into the garbage, so she has a particular fondness with clients with similarly behaved pets. In addition to dogs and cats, she enjoys seeing birds, reptiles, small mammals, and other exotics, and she is certified in acupuncture. Veterinary medicine is her second career. She has many fond memories bringing her pets to the vet while toting her two young children in arms. She is happy to see clients with any sort of pet, accompanied with or without children!

Practice Manager & Technician

Kirstin has been with our hospital since we first opened in 2012! Kirstin is a Veterinary Technician and skilled in all aspects of veterinary care. She has a big soft spot for German Shepherds / large breed dogs. Providing all patients with the best care possible is always her goal. Kirstin feels especially passionate about geriatric and end of life care.  ​
Kirstin was born and raised in Germany and is a proud army (retired) wife and mother to two adult sons. In her free time she loves to spend time with her dogs Forrest and Orson and her grand dogs Nitro, Bentley and Rocket. Kirstin also enjoys kayaking, long walks and motorcycle rides. You will often find her supporting benefit rides for causes close to her heart. Kirstin is very passionate about customer service and patient care and hopes to make your visit a great experience.

Technician

Meet Dani! Dani joined our hospital in 2023. We often refer to Dani as our cat wrangler, she has the amazing ability to calm even the most scared cats. Aside from  wrangling cats you will often find her in surgery scaling and x-raying teeth. Dani is the proud owner of two Papillion's Finley & Piper (pictured with her).

Receptionist & Assistant Technician

​Meet Kelsey! Kelsey joined our hospital in the spring of 2024. Fun fact about Kelsey is she is the daughter of a cattle rancher in Northern California! Kelsey has always had a passion for animals. She had owned everything from cows, goats, cats, and dogs. She graduated from California State University with a bachelors degree in accounting. She looks forward to combining her passion  of animals with math and accounting. 

Receptionist

Meet Sue! Sue joined our team in 2016. She previously worked in the human medical field but her love of animals drew her to work in the veterinary field. She is a Native Vermonter who now lives in Belchertown with her husband, three dogs, three cats, a chinchilla and several chickens. Susan's favorite animals are the down-trodden ones no one else wants. Her dream is to win the lottery and open a huge rescue! Besides her animals Susan loves to garden and restore furniture into pieces of art. Look how happy our patient LuLu makes Sue

Advance Assistant CVA

Caitlin joined the BVH team in the summer of 2024. She went to Westfield State University for childhood education but decided to take a different career path in 2020. With the help of past and current veterinarians and co-workers, she passed her exam and is now an Advanced Veterinary Assistant. She adores all animals and enjoys assisting the team in helping our patients feel better. When Caitlin isn't working, she is riding horses, working on DIY projects, fostering dogs, and traveling. She owns 3 dogs (Cocoa, Maverick, and Lucy-Mae) and 2 cats (Piper and Raven). 

Assistant Technician

Meet Debbie. 
She has been an assistant at BVH for just about a year now. She is the proud owner of a dog named Blu and two cats, Handsome and Lila.
Debbie decided to work in the veterinary field because she loves animals and wants to take part in making them feel better when they are sick.