Lani Krauss, D.V.M
Dr. Krauss was born and raised in Ohio but escaped to the warm state of Arizona in 1986. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology. She then worked as a zookeeper, first for the Phoenix Zoo and then for four years at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, where she cared for everything from bats to bears and hummingbirds to eagles. She left Tucson to attend veterinary school, and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 1999. The warm sun drew her back again after graduation, and she spent a year at an emergency practice, followed by four years at a general daytime practice. In 2004, she began to pursue her dream of building and owning her own hospital. During the next 2 years of planning and building, she practiced at a local specialty hospital and gained valuable experience working with board certified veterinary specialists. Rita Ranch Pet Hospital opened in January 2006 with just Dr. Krauss, one technician and one receptionist and has quickly grown into the busy practice it is today. Dr. Krauss’s two dogs Bandit and Badger love to run and play on the beach when she and her husband go to Puerto Penasco or San Carlos to race their Hobie catamaran sailboat. Her cat Jack prefers to stay at home for these trips.
Sherry Johns, D.V.M
Dr. Sherry Johns, who has a twin sister, was born in California. Their father was an Air Force Pilot, and they lived in many different places while they were growing up. Dr. Johns spent much of her early childhood in Iran, but has lived in Arizona since 1974. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science, and then received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 1997. She has a broad range of experience as a veterinarian. She first worked in a mixed animal practice in Benson attending to both large and small animals, and then practiced as an emergency veterinarian for 3 years, where she honed her surgical and trauma skills. For the last 11 years she has focused entirely on small animal medicine in general practice, with interests in internal medicine and dentistry. Her attention to detail, commitment to learning the most current medicine, and ability to connect with clients make us proud to have her on our team at Rita Ranch Pet Hospital. Dr. Johns is the devoted “mom” of Lucy, a 16 year old Jack Russell Terrier.
Sarah
Sarah graduated from the Pima Community College Veterinary Technology Program in 2010, receiving her associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology. She passed her board exam to become a Certified Veterinary Technician in May of 2010. She had originally studied broadcast journalism at Arizona State University, but found that her heart was in the veterinary field. She started at Rita Ranch Pet Hospital as an intern in 2009 and became a full-time employee when she graduated with her CVT. In addition, she broadens her technical skills by working part-time at a local veterinary emergency hospital as an emergency technician. Sarah is our resident social media expert and monitors our Vetstreet and Facebook presence. Her long-haired dachshund Sadie, calico kitty Lollipop, and boxer puppy Stella are her pride and joy!
Chris
Chris has been at Rita Ranch Pet Hospital since 2009, and has also previously worked with Dr. Krauss at a local emergency hospital prior to her opening RRPH. Before coming to Tucson, he worked at a small mixed animal practice in El Paso from 2001-2004, and during that time he passed the Texas state board exam to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. He moved with his family to Tucson to work for a veterinary ophthomologist at a local specialty hospital. At the same specialty hospital, he spent an additional 2 years working as an emergency technician, and then another year as the technician for the orthopedic surgeon. Chris has been an integral part of the process of Rita Ranch Pet Hospital becoming AAHA certified, which required many hours of documentation and protocol writing to meet the Standards of Care. Chris spends his free time with his daughter Tatiana cheering for the Tucson Roller Derby. His cat, Li-lu, allows him to share a home with her.
Mary
Mary joined Rita Ranch Pet Hospital in April 2011. She is an Arizona native, born and raised in Benson. She was studying biology at Cochise College in 2005 when the loss of her beloved Border Collie mix Ivy drew her into the veterinary field. Not one to waste time, within a week she was working in her local veterinary clinic, and has continued to expand her veterinary skills ever since. She took a position as a technician at a Tucson veterinary clinic and in 2006 became certified as an Emergency Animal Medical Technician. In 2010 she took and passed the state and national board exams to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. In addition to working at Rita Ranch Pet Hospital, she gains skills and experience working as an emergency technician at a local veterinary emergency hospital. Mary considers herself very lucky to have found a field that she enjoys so much, and we consider ourselves lucky to have such a positive, compassionate technician on our staff. Mary shares her home with her husband and their two cats Little Miss and Tigiris.
Darah
Darah is our newest member of the Rita Ranch Pet Hospital team. She was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She graduated from the Pima Community College Veterinary Technician program in May of 2011. She started college with her goal being oriented toward graphic design, but decided her passion was in the veterinary field. Darah is currently enrolled at the University of Arizona and is studying pre-veterinary and animal science courses. Once she graduates from the University of Arizona, she plans on pursuing her dream of becoming a large animal veterinarian. In her spare time she loves to paint, read and is an avid World of Warcraftinian. Darah recently adopted “Dingo”, Chihuahua-Dachsund Mix who was found in the desert and managed to wiggle his way into her heart.
