REGISTERED VETERINARY TECHNOLOGISTS
ASHLEY RECKSEIDLER, RVT
MORGAN MATTHIE, RVT
WYATT FRENETTE, RVT
Ashley Reckseidler was the first tech hired at Grant Park Animal Hospital and we had our work cut out for us convincing her to take a chance on a new clinic that had barely broken ground. Somehow, she saw past the scaffolding and envisioned an opportunity to play a role in building something special.
Ever since, Ashley has proven indispensable. She wears so many hats around here she could run a millinery.
Ashley oversees inventory, scheduling, and so much more. We basically don’t make any important decisions without consulting Ashley first.
Her talents are multiple and varied, to say nothing of her actual technical skills- from client communication to mentorship, and chemotherapy to patient care. She’s a confident anesthetist, an invaluable ER nurse, and an enthusiastic exotics tech- no one can restrain a feisty goldfish with Ashley’s finesse!
Ashley has served on the board of directors for the Manitoba Veterinary Technologist Association. She has volunteered her skills for various local rescue and non-profit organizations. In 2017, she travelled to the northern Manitoba community of Wasagamack in the middle of wildfire season to provide veterinary care to the pets left behind by their evacuated owners. Ashley is always an asset during community clinics in far-flung places. In 2020, she served as the lone tech for the Watchee 100 Sled dog Qualifier, a sub-arctic wilderness race in Churchill, Manitoba, which involved working outdoors, in the dark and the cold, after a five hour snowmobile ride across the barren tundra.
So yeah, she’s a bad ass.
A bad ass in crisp, wrinkle-free scrubs.
Ashley has earned the respect of her fellow techs, who look up to her as a den mother and role model. We owe much of our success to the countless contributions Ashley has made to GPAH. We quite simply could not have achieved what we have without her, and for that we are endlessly grateful.
Ashley sets a standard of excellence in her field and her coworkers, clients, and patients are all the better for it.
Morgan Matthie came to Grant Park Animal Hospital like a gift from the heavens. Just before the clinic opened, an old vet school classmate of ours happened to mention a terrific former tech of hers needed a job. We knew a ringing endorsement when we heard one, and we leapt at the chance to interview Morgan before anyone else did.
Morgan earned a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from the University of Guelph, with a major in Art History before totally switching gears toward the animal health field. A few years later, she graduated with honors from Olds College, receiving her diploma in Animal Health Technology.
Morgan’s talents are too numerous to list. Her organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to solve problems are all unparalleled. She is a critical thinker and an amazing “idea person.” Many of the best things our hospital does are a result of Morgan’s ingenuity. She’s also very adept at corralling easily-distracted veterinarians, and redirecting them to their most-pressing priority (a feat akin to herding cats 😸).
Morgan has volunteered her tech skills for non-profit groups like the Canadian Animal Task Force. This summer, she fell in love with the northern Manitoba town of Churchill while serving as head tech during our last remote clinic there.
Morgan is laser-focused on her work. She is totally committed to animal welfare, and is a tremendous advocate for her coworkers and her profession. She is as empathetic towards her peers as she is towards her patients, and that’s saying a lot.
Morgan is an incredible asset to GPAH and we simply wouldn’t be where we are today without her.
The addition of Wyatt Frenette to the GPAH vet tech roster was kind of a no-brainer; from a pure nursing perspective, there is no one more conscientious.
That’s because Wyatt believes first and foremost in patient care. They’re the kind of tech who makes sure that every animal’s kennel is clean, bed is warm, and blanket is cozy. Wyatt never forgets to offer a dog a timely pee break and a bit of fresh air. They understand that meeting a patient’s needs is paramount, now more than ever.
Wyatt is a graduate of RRC Polytech’s Veterinary Technology Program. Their unwavering empathy toward animals and people earned them the Compassionate Care Award from peers in their graduating class.
Wyatt takes special pride in the work we do in Canada’s north. Though the prospect of treating a puppy for parvovirus in a dilapidated shed might seem daunting, Wyatt welcomes such challenges as an opportunity to grow as a tech. They’ve come to appreciate the extraordinary things one can accomplish with a solid foundation and a lot of grit.
The thing we love most about Wyatt is their sense of humour. Levity goes a long way in a workplace where stresses never cease. Wyatt’s naturally positive outlook serves as a tonic for even the most compassion-fatigued among us. Wyatt brings good vibes to our hospital every time they walk through the door.
Finally, Wyatt is as good a person as they are a tech. They consistently advocate for the animals in our care. They’re never afraid to speak up for what they believe in. In many ways, Wyatt is the moral compass of Grant Park Animal Hospital. They lift us all up, making us better not only at what we do, but also at who we are.
SARAH ORBANSKI, RVT
Sarah Orbanski, a 2021 honors graduate of the RRC Polytech Vet Tech program, is still relatively new to the profession. Nevertheless, upon completion of a practicum at Grant Park Animal Hospital, our staff was so blown away by Sarah’s skills they basically demanded that we hire her. They had a point- so proficient was Sarah in school that she was recognized with an award for Technical Excellency.
Sarah is passionate about being a tech. She appreciates how her job allows her to dabble in a little of everything, from microscopy to anesthesia, and internal medicine to exotics (rats hold a special place in her heart). For Sarah, the most rewarding part of her job is using her skills to help sick patients get better.
Sarah enjoys research, diving deep into a topic to learn all that she can, then applying new insights to her work. Many of our patients- Leppy the leopard gecko being one notable example- have benefitted greatly from Sarah’s love of learning.
What stands out most about Sarah is her fervent commitment to animal welfare. As a proud vegan, Sarah is as considerate of what’s best for animals when she sits down to dinner as when she’s working in the clinic. She believes all animals deserve compassion, regardless of species. We think her unrelenting courage to speak up for the voiceless among us is incredibly admirable.
The addition of Sarah to our group has been an absolute win-win. She’s been afforded the opportunity to be mentored by peers invested in her growth and rooting for her success. At the same time, we’ve all gained so much from the unique and fresh perspective Sarah has brought to our hospital.
We sort of didn’t know how much we needed Sarah until she arrived. Now we can hardly imagine how we’d ever get by without her!
BRITTANY SEMENIUK, RVT
Brittany Semeniuk has been a veterinary technologist and dyed-in-the-wool animal advocate for more than a decade. Throughout her impressive career she’s worked with pets, farm animals, exotic species, and wildlife. There are, in fact, very few creatures that Brittany hasn’t cuddled, or wrangled, at some point in her life.
Brittany’s work has taken her all over the world, from spaying street dogs in the barrios of Mexico, to rehabbing moon bears in the Vietnamese countryside; from remote communities in Canada’s north, to the dense rainforests of rural Madagascar. Wherever she’s been, Brittany has worked tirelessly to make a difference for both animals and people alike.
Brittany is a well-regarded speaker, having presented nationally for Humane Canada, Animal Justice, and other organizations. She’s been a guest on numerous podcasts and has written on animal welfare for various publications. Brittany was one of the founders of Winnipeg VegFest, an annual festival celebrating animal protection, healthy living, and environmental stewardship.
In addition to her work at GPAH, Brittany singlehandedly runs the Advocacy department of the Winnipeg Humane Society. If you’ve been pleased with the WHS’s work fighting against horse export, indiscriminate animal trapping, inhumane farming practices, and a myriad of other important issues, you have Brittany to thank.
We’d be remiss to not mention Brittany’s talent with exotic animals. No one is more adept at collecting blood from a tortoise, restraining a cockatoo, or catheterizing a ferret- sometimes all in the same day. Britty’s got them mad skills, and we are very grateful for it!
Brittany’s been with us from the beginning and we are so thankful for all she’s done to help our hospital flourish.
HALEY BANCESCU, RVT
Haley Bancescu is the newest addition to the Grant Park Animal Hospital team, but it’s already hard to imagine how we ever managed without her. She’s basically the Liberty to our Paw Patrol.
Her talent with exotic patients is beyond exemplary. When an out-of-sorts hedgehog arrives for a checkup, Haley has usually come up with the top three differentials and their corresponding treatment plans before the vet has even gotten the patient uncurled.
It is no exaggeration to describe Haley as a walking encyclopedia. Her giant brain holds an endless database of essential facts, like the concentration of our sublingual buprenorphine, or which flavour of Baytril rabbits prefer, or the resting heart rate of a capybara. You like useful veterinary information? Haley’s brain sucks it up and stores it like a ShamWow rag.
Haley is a tremendous problem solver and has contributed many great ideas that have helped streamline things around the clinic. She has a remarkable ability to keep up with a hectic pace, never missing a beat, helping us all to stay on track. She’s usually five steps ahead, remains calm through the chaos, and never shies away from a challenge. What more could we ask for in a vet tech?
Haley has an impressive work ethic and truly goes above and beyond for her patients. Her quiet demeanor belies a zesty, wise-cracking personality that quickly becomes apparent once you get to know her.
We are all so happy that Haley has chosen to grace us with her presence. She makes Grant Park Animal Hospital better in countless ways and we hope she never, ever leaves us!
SHANNON DYCK, RVT
Shannon Dyck is our locum tech. That means, when things get crazy around here and we need to call in reinforcements, we turn to Shannon.
That’s ‘cause Shannon is the most solid and unflappable tech we know. She shows up for her shift and basically says, “Whaddaya need?” She is totally reliable at all that she does. On our busiest days, Shannon is the glue that holds everything together.
Shannon’s sense of humour is legendary. She deadpans her way through the day with scalpel-sharp wit that is delightfully discomfiting. You never know what Shannon might say. Even her texts defy convention- they usually start with “Hey Loser,” and end with a request that she not be fired.
But we’d never fire Shannon.
(I mean, probably not)
Shannon is a skilled tattoo artist- half of our staff have been inked by their talented coworker. She is well-known for her serif-fonted ID tattoos that have graced the ears of thousands of Manitoba’s pets. It’s not uncommon to flip over a patient’s ear and excitedly proclaim, “Hey, Shannon did this one!”
Oh, and would you believe that in her spare time over the past year she’s been vaccinating hundreds of people to limit the spread of COVID 19?
The most admirable thing about Shannon is her commitment to pets and people in underserved areas. When not working for us, Shannon travels with the Winnipeg Humane Society to host vet clinics in First Nation communities. She believes that we all deserve access to veterinary care, no matter who we are or where we’re from.
Somehow Shannon strikes a balance between seeming cool, calm and collected, while always showing compassion towards patients and clients. If you ask her fellow GPAH techs about her, they’ll all say the same thing: “We LOVE Shannon.”
Frankly, they speak for all of us.