Veterinarian and Owner
Dr. Alpert grew up on a farm in Eastern Kansas, and then went to high school in Vancouver, Washington. She moved to Salt Lake City to attend the prestigious Ballet Department at the University of Utah before changing her major and going to vet school at Oregon and Washington State. After graduating from vet school, she moved to Camp Verde, Arizona where she was a mixed animal practitioner for 3 years before accepting a small animal position in nearby Cottonwood, Arizona. In 2007 she purchased Community Animal Hospital and has lived in Pocatello full time since 2009.
She obtained her Bachelors of Science in Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Alpert received her DVM from Oregon State University in 2002. She feels very proud to be an Oregon graduate because it is the smallest vet school in the country, so there is more hands on experience, and at the time she attended a portion of the program was done at Washington State University thus giving her perspectives from two schools.
Favorite Part of my Job
Her favorite things to do as a veterinarian are soft tissue surgery and dentistry. She also has a strong interest in reproductive medicine. What gives her the most pleasure as a veterinarian is working with people to develop customized pain management solutions for their arthritic pets. She is PennHIP certified and a member of the American Veterinarian Medical Association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners.
Why I chose this profession
People have such a pure relationship with their pets; they give us such unconditional love and are always there for us in our time of need. Why Dr. Alpert is a veterinarian is so that she can work with people to strengthen and maintain that relationship, from when they are puppies and kittens, to giving them greater quality of life as they age, through to the end by helping them ease their passing. People connect with each other through their animals, and being a veterinarian allows her to help people by helping them with their pets.
Personal Hobbies & Interests
Currently she shares her home with 3 dogs, 2 cats, some chickens and a salt water aquarium. GCh Ch Tis’A Signet Kiss Me Once, JC, BA, BCAT or “Hattie” is her matriarch basenji. She is Dr. Alpert’s first conformation champion and she also participates in lure coursing and barn hunt events with her. Ch Litespeed’s Starbuck’s Destiny, or “Kara”, is Hattie’s oldest daughter and Dr. Alpert’s first homebred champion. Her half sister, “Quill”, Litespeed’s Guardians of the Galaxy, is not far behind in the show ring. “Ahsoka” a tuxedo kitty and “Cherry” a calico kitty round out the feline members of the household and have an uneasy truce with each other and the basenjis. They are also examples of letting your children name your pets. She has cream legbar chickens which lay blue eggs and are part of what she likes to call her “urban agriculture project”. She has had a salt water aquarium since 2003, it is a FOWLR tank (or fish only with live rock).
Dr. Alpert has a lot of interests outside of work that keep her pretty busy. She is the secretary for the Pocatello Kennel Club, and is the Show Chairperson for the Blackfoot Dog Show, which is one of the largest dog shows in the Intermountain West and usually has entries of 1200+ dogs. She also co-ordinates the lure coursing events for the PKC. Additionally she serves on the board of the PTC at Holy Spirit Catholic School. Her hobbies include gardening—both vegetable and flowers, she has a self-admitted addiction to bulbs—cooking, Pilates, puzzles, stand-up paddle boarding and coloring while streaming science fiction shows.
