Meet Our Skilled Veterinarians

Dr. Cooney was born and raised in Alabama. He attended Auburn University (War Eagle!) where he received a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and ultimately, Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. He practiced for a short time in Hickory, NC, from 1991 to 1995.

Dr. Gaither was born and raised on a farm in Iredell County. Pre-college, she worked as a Veterinary Nurse at Animal Hospital of Statesville, until she was accepted at NC State University.

Dr. LaRoche was born in Kankakee, IL and grew up throughout the Midwest, including Minnesota, Iowa and Ohio. She attended Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and later attended veterinary school at the University of Illinois, where she met and married her husband, Paul.

Dr. Christy was born in North Carolina, and grew up in Salisbury. She graduated from West Rowan High School and then attended veterinary school at NC State, where she earned her DVM in 2005. She’s married to Chad and they now live out in the country in Iredell County. They have 3 dogs and 1 cat.

Dr. Brett Pendergrass was born and raised in Statesville, NC. In 2003, he got his undergraduate degree at University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and went on to North Carolina State University where he graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2009.

Dr. Julia Zuercher joined the Team at Animal Hospital of Statesville in July of 2021. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia, but was raised in Richmond. Long story short, she found out about AHS and decided to come and observe our hospital. We immediately wanted to "keep her"!

Dr. Amber Talbot is a Virginian by birth, and was raised in Lorton, VA, not far from Washington, DC. She attended Virginia Tech, where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Animal and Poultry Sciences with a Pre-Vet emphasis.