Our Vets

Dr. Lee Pearson

Dr. Pearson was born and raised in Prairie Village, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982 with a B. S. in Animal Science and a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. His love of all animals led him to practice both large and small animal medicine in Stowe, Vermont and Walpole, NH before coming to Cheshire Animal Hospital in 1986. At Cheshire Animal Hospital he made the decision to focus 100% on small animal medicine, and surgery. He has 3 sons, 2 dogs, 1 cat and enjoys cycling, running, skiing, hiking and almost any other outdoor activity.

Francois Gauthier, DVM

Dr. Francois Gauthier has been serving veterinary medicine for the past 15 years as a small animal practitioner. He earned his D.V.M. degree from the University of Montreal, Canada. Dr. Gauthier truly believes in delivering the best possible care for his clients and their pets. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association ( AVMA) and the New Hampshire Veterinary Medical Association ( NHVMA). Dr. Gauthier shares his life with his wife Leigh, two cats, and their dog in Francestown.

Our Staff

Amanda Burdick

Office Manager

Before joining the Cheshire Animal Hospital in 2012, Amanda worked at the Monadnock Humane Society for a total of eight years. She was a dog trainer and shelter technician and progressed to canine behavior manager. Most recently she served as the Boarding and Daycare Manager. She lives in Troy, NH and enjoys spending time with her pets, family, hiking and painting.

Barb Mosher

Office Manager

Barb first worked for a veterinarian 39 years ago! She has a B.S. in Zoology, with a minor in Chemistry, from the University of Florida. In her lifetime she has raised everything from parakeets, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, boxers, and horses. In her previous life she was a high school science teacher & homeschooling mom. She has worked at Cheshire Animal Hospital since 2002 and has been a receptionist, technician and manager. During her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, pets, and bird watching as well as nature hikes and gardening.

Devon Sweeney

Bookkeeper

Devon has worked at Cheshire Animal for more than 15 years, and has held every position except Veterinarian! She has a degree in Psychology and Chemical Dependency from Keene State College. Devon and her husband own a construction company in Greenfield, N.H. When she is not at the clinic she enjoys spending time with her husband, son and daughter, and three cats.

Becky Huntley

Technician

Becky graduated from Springfield College with a B.S. in Biology. She began working as a veterinary technician in northern N.H. In 1987 she moved to Keene and began working for Cheshire Animal Hospital. After a year on the job she announced, “I’m a lifer!” and it was true. She is approaching her 30th year as a member of our team! When not at work Becky enjoys spending time at home with her two boys and an assortment of animals.

Laurel Benoit

Technician

Laurel graduated from Delhi State University in 2001 with a degree in Veterinary Technology. After internships at two veterinary clinics she began working at Cheshire Animal Hospital in 2002. Laurel and her husband have two beautiful children, one dog, and two cats.

Jordan Brynsaas

Technician

Jordan started at CAH in August of 2005 as kennel help, working her way to receptionist and eventually a technician assistant. In 2011, Jordan moved to Colorado to attend Bel-Rea Institute for Veterinary Technology. She graduated with an Associate’s degree in Animal Science in 2013. Jordan moved back to NH and rejoined our staff as a technician. In 2015 she sat for the national veterinary technician exam, passing to become a Certified Veterinary Technician! In Jordan’s spare time she loves to read, bake, do crafts and hike (although she doesn’t hike as much as she would like). Jordan has adopted two cats Charlie (from Colorado) and Lucky (who used to be the clinic cat at Cheshire).

Courtney Sontag

Receptionist

Courtney joined our team in August of 2015. She attended Becker College in Worcester, MA where she received a Bachelor of Science, majoring in management with a concentration in marketing. She also joins us with an extensive background in the hospitality and event planning fields. When Courtney is not at work you may find her at the barn riding horses or hiking with her 3 dogs and husband Dave.

Elaine Aukstikalnis

Receptionist

Elaine has been a receptionist at CAH since 2005. A native of Massachusetts, she worked as a paralegal for 15 years before moving to New Hampshire. A few years ago she and her husband began raising backyard chickens, and Top of the Hill Hens was born. In addition to the 60+ hens, her dogs Molly, Rufus and Cookie round out their family. In her spare time, Elaine enjoys reading, crafting and cooking.

Jenny Robinson

Receptionist

Jenny joined the team at Cheshire Animal Hospital in 2012. After graduating from Umass Amherst with a degree in Landscape Architecture she ran a garden center in Maine for 10 years. She moved on to work as a receptionist at a large AAHA hospital for two years in Connecticut. In the summer she runs her farm and garden center, Ridge View Farm. She also raises pigs.