Meet Our Team

Dr. Klapheke is the owner and veterinarian at Parker’s Paws Animal Hospital. She practices small animal medicine and surgery. She named the clinic after her 18-year-old German Shepherd dog mix that she lost many years ago. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with an animal sciences degree and obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Auburn University. She showed Tennessee Walking and Quarter Horses for over 20 years. She enjoys hiking around Percy Warner parks in her spare time. She currently has three rescue dogs named Annie, Heidi, and Rayna, and three rescue cats named Garlic, Onion and Earl. Dr. Klapheke believes in practicing excellent, personal, up-to-date veterinary medicine in the spirit of the human-animal bond.

Dr. Manuel is originally from south central Louisiana. She received both her Bachelor of Animal Science and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers). Her professional interests are ultrasound, dermatology and preventative care. Dr. Manuel lives in Nashville with her husband and baby girl, Margot, with three rescue cats- Bella, Winston, and Clementine.

Dr. Hooper is originally from Northwest Alabama, but has called Nashville home since 2001. After working in health administration for 10 years, Dr. Hooper decided to follow her heart and pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine. She received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tennessee in 2015. Following graduation, she practiced in the Mt. Juliet area for 5 years before joining the team at Parker's Paws. Her professional interests include surgery, wound care, and preventative medicine.

Dr. Hooper lives in Old Hickory with her partner, Jade. They have a rescue dog (Booker) and two rescue cats (Moe and Jasper) who provide them with endless joy and entertainment.

Dr. Fountain is originally from Atlanta, GA. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA (WhoDat!) and veterinary degree for Oklahoma State University. Dr. Fountain then completed an internship at California Veterinary Specialists. After living in southern California for about 6 years, she knew it was time to be closer to home and moved to Nashville. Her professional interests are surgery, preventative medicine, and radiology. Dr. Fountain lives with her husband, who is a firefighter in Franklin, along with their two adorable kittens, Panthro and Mary Jane.

Dr. Sarah Spence is originally from Gallatin, TN. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Belmont University and then attended Oklahoma State University for veterinary school. Her professional interests include feline medicine, dentistry and soft tissue surgery. Dr. Spence lives in Nashville with her Siamese cat named Meeko. 

Staci was born and raised in Nashville, TN and went to college at MTSU. She joined our team in February 2020 after being in the human Dermatology field for 18 years. She has always had a passion for animals and we are fortunate to add her to our family here at Parker’s Paws.

Away from the clinic, she loves the beach and enjoys spending time with friends and family. She has 3 crazy Boxers and 3 barn cats who like catching mice and critters.

Jayme G has been working in the veterinary field for 20 years now. She moved to Nashville about eight years ago with her little dog and two cats and she really loves this town. Besides an infatuation with ALL felines (she has SIX now), she also enjoys camping, kayaking, geocaching, “haunting” at a local haunted attraction and Ghostbusting with her husband, Philip. She is very grateful to be a part of the Parker’s Paws Team!

Hailing from the mysterious, far away land known as "Upstate New York", Amber has been part of the Parker's Paws team since 2021. She is one of our CSR's (Customer Service Respresentative) who works remotely from home, now in Oklahoma! Her compassion for people and love of animals has kept her working in the verterinary care field since about 2016.

She has three cats (Assassian, Fuji and Godzilla) and, in her spare time, enjoys spending time with her partner, Abby, long drives in the country and fishing. 

Kelsey is one of our remote CSR's out of Mobile, AL where she was born and raised. She joined Parker's Paws in August of 2022 and has been in the veterinary care field since 2019. 

Kelsey has three dogs (Toby, Roux and Bestie) and two cats (Blanche and Betty). 

In her free time, Kelsey enjoys reading, traveling and long distance running. 

While Jamie has always loved animals, she officially began her veterinary career in 2002 at a mixed animal practice in Northeast Texas. Jamie moved to Nashville in October 2012, where she began working with Dr. Klapheke at another veterinary practice. And while she loves Nashville, Texas will always be her home.

Jamie lives in the Percy Priest Lake area with her husband and 2 daughters. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors and participating in CrossFit.

Jamie has 1 dog named Lulu Chicken Nugget! She also has a horse and several head of cattle at her parent’s ranch in Texas.

Alexis has been in the middle Tennessee area for over 25 years. She has an Animal Science background and has been working as a veterinary nurse for 9 years with extensive experience in emergency medicine. She has a specific interest in canine rehabilitation and critical care.

Her hobbies include spending time outdoors practicing archery, fishing and running around with her 3 dogs Bella the pittie, Joy the hound and Lucy the mastiff.

Adriann joined the Parker’s Paws team in May of 2020 after working nearly 15 years in the service industry. She graduated from Marquette University with degrees in Social Welfare & Justice and Criminology. She moved to Nashville in November of 2017 and has enjoyed living it up with her sassy boxer-mix Fern. Her eclectic background and eagerness to learn has made her a wonderful addition to our team.

Danica is originally from Atlanta and has been working in the veterinary field since 2015. She joined Parker’s Paws in January 2019. She has three kitties of her own at home. Danica has a degree in Art History, and in her spare time enjoys both making art and visiting museums.

Chris attended Tennessee Tech University and holds a BS in Conservation Biology. He enjoys sharing his passion for all things related to animals and science with his young son, Glen. Chris also has a special interest in reptiles, amphibians, and fish. He has two dogs- a chihuahua named Johnny, a lab mix named Layla, and two cats- Harry and Richie.

Michelle has been with us since August 2017 and she is a graduate of the Vet Tech Institute at Hickey College in St Louis, MO. She has three cats: Bill Purray, Evie Holyfield and Legolas, the three legged cat! We are so fortunate to have her on the Parker’s Paws team!

Arianna moved to Tennessee in 2020 and joined our team. She grew up fostering all types animals and she is currently the mother of a Border Collie named Yuna! On her free time she likes to visit the zoo and explore local breweries.

Liz joined our team in the fall of 2019. As a Nashville native, her and her furry friend, Moose, enjoy being outdoors, hiking, and exploring the hills of Tennessee. Along with her overwhelming passion for animals, she loves to paint and be a craftsman in her spare time.

We are so happy to have Liz as a part of our team!

Stahr is originally from Arkansas. She grew up around horses, went to Arkansas State University and also worked at the Oaklawn Race Track for a couple of seasons. She moved to Tennessee in 2017. She loves camping and kayaking or anything outdoors and loves hanging with her two cats. 

Riley is a Nashville native and received her Bachelors of Science in Biology from Guilford College in 2011. Since then she has worked in wildlife rehabilitation, small animal medicine, as well as human laparoscopic surgery. She was excited to join the Parker's Paws team in 2021, while completing her Associates in Veterinary Technology and becoming a Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering with wildlife, playing music, and creating art. She has a dog, Frankie, and two cats, Isaac and Fred.

Zach moved to Nashville 8 years ago to pursue his music career. Along with pursuing his music career he has been working in the vet field for the past 7 years as a veterinary assistant after realizing his love for animals.

Zach is in a country duo called Tupelo Honey. You may see them playing around Nashville!

Hannah was born and raised in Nashville! She has always had a love for all animals and decided to go into veterinary medicine in 2009. She completed her LVMT degree in 2013 and has continued her education in many different areas of veterinary medicine. Her goal as a veterinary nurse is for every patient to have a positive experience in the vet office. Away from the clinic, Hannah enjoys traveling, kayaking, concerts, and spending time with family and her Shih Tzu, Hampton.

Jayme Z. grew up in Franklin, TN and from an early age always loved taking care of animals. From baby birds to bunnies, no injured or orphaned animal went unnoticed in her cul-de-sac. While studying biology at MTSU, she spent one summer interning at Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and another summer at the Chattanooga Zoo in the Wildlife Rehab section. She graduated from MTSU with her Bachelors in Biology in the summer of 2021 and joined the Parker’s Paws team shortly thereafter. She now lives in Ashland City with her wife, three dogs, two cats, and hopefully some chickens in the near future!--