Veterinarians

John Ankenbrandt, DVM 

Growing up in Decatur Illinois, Dr. John has always known he was going to be a veterinarian.  He spent his childhood begging his parents to let him keep every stray dog and cat he ran across!  After finishing high school, he went to the University of Missouri where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology then  graduated from the veterinary school in 1989.

 

While in veterinary school, he met his wife, Dr. Cheryl Ankenbrandt.  They moved to Florida the day after graduation, settling first in Spring Hill which is an hour north of Tampa.  In 1999, they sold their practice in Spring Hill and moved to Fort Myers to be closer to family. In December of 2001, they opened Summerlin Animal Hospital.  Three years later, the practice was thriving and the size of the clinic had doubled.

 

In his free time, Dr. John can usually be found on his boat.  He enjoys fishing, and spending time with his wife and two children.

 

Karen Rasmussen, DVM -- With Summerlin since 2008

Dr. Karen  graduated from the University of Maryland in 1991 and Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. She practiced in an equine and small animal practices in the Maryland area before moving to a small animal/equine practice in Weeki Wachee, FL.

 

Dr. Karen moved to Ft. Myers in 1998 and has been with Summerlin since 2007. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine and has special interests in internal medicine and geriatric medicine.

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Dr. Erica Fry, DVM -- With Summerlin since 2022

Dr. Erica Fry is a 2005 graduate of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She grew up the daughter of a military officer, so she spent her childhood in many different states and military bases. Prior to moving to southwest Florida to be closer to family, Dr. Erica practiced at veterinary clinics in Alabama, Missouri, and Texas. Although she finds many aspects of veterinary medicine exciting, she has a special interest in all things related to feline medicine and enjoys the challenges of wound management and geriatric care.  She is a certified Feline Friendly Practitioner through the American Association of Feline Practitioners.

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Dr. Erica shares her home with her two spunky children and their two mischievous Siamese cats (littermates Molly and Olive). When not herding kids or cats, she loves to watch college football, explore new restaurants, and be outside. She is also a self-proclaimed bookworm and is perfectly content curled up with her cats and a great novel.

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Management

Chelsea -- With Summerlin since 2019

Chelsea was raised in Redondo Beach, California and moved to Southwest Florida in 2018 with her husband and 2 children. She joined the Summerlin family in July 2019.  She started in the veterinary field when she was just 17 years old and has 10 years of veterinary experience. She has an English Bulldog, Red Heeler, 4 cats and a ferret. In her free time she enjoys scuba diving, boating, and gardening.  

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Technicians and Assistants

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Sandra P -- With Summerlin since 2010

Sandra was born in Bogota, Colombia and relocated to the Miami area with her family as a young child. In 2000, she started working at an animal hospital as a grooming assistant, eventually training to become a veterinary technician. Sandra joined Summerlin Animal Hospital in December 2010. Her hobbies include photography and drawing.  

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Francesca -- With Summerlin since 2014

Francesca was born in Pennsylvania but relocated to Florida with her family when she was five. She has a background in banking, customer service, and has recently earned her degree in Veterinary Technology. Her love of animals and longtime dream to work with them led to a career change.  Her dog Xena and her cat Bandit are best friends. In her spare time she enjoys the beach and spending time with friends and family.

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Sarah -- With Summerlin since 2016

Sarah was born in Massachusetts but has spent most of her life in Fort Myers. She has worked in the veterinary field since high school and has recently graduated with her Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology. She has owned cats, dogs, rabbits and homing pigeons and has always known she wanted to work with animals. Sarah has two Chihuahua mixes named Batman and Bandit.

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Sandra -- With Summerlin since 2020

Sandra moved from Ohio to Florida in 2010 and has years of experience working in veterinary medicine. She holds a veterinary technology degree from the University of Cincinnati and has two lab mixes named Mason and Mia.

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April -- With Summerlin since 2022

April was born in Ohio and raised in Kentucky until moving to Florida. She has years of experience working with animals. She has three dogs. A poodle named Henry, a Dachshund named Ollie, and a Maltese named Cheyenne. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with her dogs and relaxing.  

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Emily --With Summerlin since 2022

Emily was born and raised in Fort Myers, Florida. She grew up with Pitbull's and fell in love with them and their breed. She would love to eventually foster/rescue Pitbull's in the future.  Since she was young she always knew she wanted to work with animals and would enjoy it. When she's not working she spends quality time with her Pitbull mix Gunner and family. 

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Alex --With Summerlin since 2023

Alex has been working in the veterinary field for 6 years. He was raised in Atlanta, Ga. and went to college at Auburn University in Alabama. His wife is also a veterinary technician and he and his wife have two dogs together, Brody and Daisy. Alex has studied in Barcelona, Spain for a year, where he got to travel much of Europe. He enjoys baseball, football, fishing and being a MUFON investigator. He also enjoys traveling to historic sites in different countries. Alex has spent time in Egypt, at the pyramids and in Greece at the ancient temples. He is thrilled to be apart of the Summerlin family!