CALL US (248) 587-PAWS
TEXT US (248) 587-7297
FAX US (248) 587-7266
EMAIL US Clinic@PawsitiveCareMI.com
Due to the overwhelming demand for veterinary care across our nation, we are currently booking appointments 1-2 weeks in advance. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Meet The Team
Dr. Ashley Hotchkiss
Veterinarian
Dr. Ashley Hotchkiss is our wonderful veterinarian.
She graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine with the passion to save animals from being euthanized in our shelters. This passion lead her directly into working in the non-profit veterinary field where she focused on high quality high volume spay/neuter surgery.
Dr. Hotchkiss realized early in her career that she could make the most dramatic impact on euthanasia in our shelters by spaying and neutering all pets.
The idea of Pawsitive Care Affordable Pet Clinic has been on Dr. Hotchkiss’ mind for quite some time. She realized that by providing affordable veterinary care to the public could lessen the number of animals that are surrendered to shelters every year.
Dr. Hotchkiss is thrilled to open the doors of Pawsitive Care. It’s a dream come true for her to touch the public through positive education and by providing good veterinary medical care!
Dr. Julie Kelly
part-time Veterinarian
bio and photo coming soon...
Alyssa
Licensed Veterinary Technician, LEAD Technician
Alyssa is our extraordinary licensed veterinary technician.
She graduated from Baker College at the top of her class and quickly dove into her dream career by working with animal shelters and non-profits.
When first meeting Alyssa, you will notice that she is very passionate about improving the human/animal bond. She is diligent about educating animal owners how to effectively train and communicate with their 4-legged family members.
Even outside of the clinic you will find her actively involved with animals, especially taking her 4 dogs (Chief, Ava, Duke and Boston) on long walks and cuddling with her 4 cats (Vida, Blade, Marley and Cry Bebe).
Most importantly, Alyssa is very excited to be a part of the team at Pawsitive Care. The strength of the human/animal bond is what drove her to pursue her career and working at Pawsitive Care allows her to develop lifelong connections with our patients and clients.
Airial
LEAD Receptionist
Airial joined Pawsitive Care in 2019.
Airial grew up being around animals throughout her entire childhood. There was no question that a career involving animals would be in her future.
After meeting Dr. Hotchkiss at another veterinary clinic, Airial quickly chose to join the Pawsitive Care team.
We couldn't be happier that Airial has decided to grow her career with us! Airial has taken a love for feeding our wildlife, including the birds, opossums, and raccoons that regularly visit our clinic after-hours.
Airial has 2 dogs of her own, Khan and Rascal, whom you will see accompany her to work on a normal basis.
Matt
Technician
Matt is interested in a long-term career in veterinary medicine, and we couldn't be happier to have him on our PAWSITIVE team!
Matt is currently attending college classes virtually, which gives him time to continue to work with us.
Matt and his girlfriend have two rescue dogs of their own, Hudson and Ruby. Matt enjoys walking and hiking with Hudson and Ruby, playing guitar in his band, and volunteering with the Pawsitive Cause rescue organization.
Holly
Technician
Holly recently moved to Michigan from Tennessee where she worked in a veterinary clinic. Holly always keeps herself busy - inside and outside of Pawsitive Care.
She has three dogs, Rebal, Peaches, and Hazel, and 1 cat, Dan D. Lyon. Both Hazel and Dan D. Lyon are alumni from Pawsitive Cause Rescue. In addition, she continues to provide a foster home for the animals waiting for homes in Pawsitive Cause Rescue. It is hard work but she loves it!
Holly was not sure if the veterinary medical world was for her, but this quickly changed when she met the Pawsitive Care Team! We are grateful to have her on our Pawsitive Care team and family.
Destiny
Technician
Destiny has come to us from the foodservice industry. She has always wanted to work with animals, but never found the right clinic. She is now enjoying the fulfillment of that dream by working with Pawsitive Care.
Destiny loves both cats and dogs, but she is truly a "cat person" with two rescue cats of her own. She has a young son, Zaden, and is also caring for her 3 younger siblings, making her a very busy lady!
Her co-workers find her to always be positive and happy. She is always calm when an animal is nervous, putting animals at ease during their visit.
Jordan
Clinic Assistant
Jordan is eager to learn everything she can while working with us. She strives to be a Veterinarian herself one day. She is Pawsitive’s first clinic assistant. She is always full of smiles and ready to help!
Jordan spends her time studying, working, and spoiling her dogs, Isis and Piper. She comes from a large family and makes a great big sister to look up to.
Her favorite patients here at Pawsitive Care are puppies and dachshunds. She is great with every animal but her passion is dogs and trying to make them feel calm and comfortable. She is also finding that she really likes observing surgery as well.
Her co-workers always find her fun and easy to be around. Company get-togethers are never dull with Jordan around. We are happy to have Jordan as part of our Pawsitive team and family.
Carly
Technician
In June 2020 we received an email from Carly explaining her dream to become a vet tech. She wanted to gain experience before applying to Michigan State Veterinary Technician school. Carly worked with the Pawsitive Team for an entire year and received her MSU Vet Tech Program acceptance letter for the Fall Class of 2021.
Carly is currently attending MSU in pursuit of her veterinary technician degree, but she still regularly visits us at the clinic. Carly plans to continue with Pawsitive Care after she graduates.
Carly’s favorite type of appointment is new puppy and kitten visits. You will often find Carly bribing other technicians to trade appointments with her to get these types of appointments. She loves starting them off right with good education and open arms.
Carly loves spending time with her dogs (Charlie and Ringo) and her rescue cat Missy.
We encourage Carly’s endeavor to become a licensed vet tech and we can't wait until she graduates!
Our Story
Our story began in 2016 in the surgery room of a small non-profit pet rescue.
Dr. Ashley Hotchkiss, our veterinarian, had just finished school and was working as the surgeon. The only thing she could imagine using her new degree for was spaying and neutering to help remedy the crisis of pet overpopulation. As a doctor, she wanted to relieve others of the pain and sorrow of euthanizing the unwanted.
Alyssa Pennington, the licensed veterinarian technician, had also just graduated from technician school. Much like Dr. Hotchkiss, Alyssa’s passion and life goal was to save as many animals as she could. She dreamed of being able to take care of the damaged and the broken that had been let down by humans.
We quickly found that we were all very much alike. We realized that our goals were so closely related, and this led us into a very close friendship. As our friendships grew, we decided that the best way we could help animals (and the community) would be to open Pawsitive Care Affordable Pet Clinic. In our eyes, the more we could educate & assist people about caring for their animal(s), the more animals we would be able to help. It was about making veterinarian medicine affordable and understandable for everyone!
From that first day we met, we have each been fulfilling our passions. We have cared for many animals; most of them ill or abused. We have sterilized thousands of animals to help control the crisis of pet overpopulation in our shelters. We have supported one another during the hard times, and we have been there to celebrate our successes.
Our motivation to start Pawsitive Care arose one (very) late night when we were endlessly caring for some unfortunate puppies that were fighting against Parvo disease. Parvo is a highly contagious and fatal disease with a poor prognosis without medical intervention. Some puppies can do very well with supportive care while others, sadly, do not. We strived for all of them to survive and when some did not, all we had was the support of one another to lean on. We also found ourselves treating heartworm disease much too frequently. Both Heartworm and Parvo were difficult for us to watch because both are completely 100% avoidable and preventable diseases. If owners had been informed that vaccines and monthly preventative medication would have prevented these diseases, they could have avoided harm to their animals.
Our collective experiences before and after we met are what drive us to reach our goals. The number of animals that we can save by vaccinating, sterilizing & providing preventative care to could skyrocket by just educating and serving this community – OUR COMMUNITY!
