Veterinarians

One of the most memorable events in Dr. Harris's career was when he treated a greyhound with a radius/ulna fracture. After receiving proper treatment, the greyhound returned to Grade A racing and beat his field of competitors by a length. "I love that I am able to care for animals and improve their quality of life," said Dr. Harris. "Never in 47 years has there been any day that was the same as the previous day." This unique aspect of veterinary medicine motivates Dr. Harris to provide the best care for all our clients' pets. Dr. Harris grew up in the Chicago/Naperville area of Illinois. "I grew up in an urban environment. Before we had a dog of our own, I used to visit the neighbors and ask if their dog could come out and play with me," he said. Eventually, Dr. Harris pursued his passion for animals through his studies. He earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1976 and later earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois in 1980. His areas of professional interest include bulldog medicine, greyhound sports medicine, reproductive medicine, and surgery. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association. Being involved with his community in both a participatory and an advisory capacity is important to Dr. Harris. He is a member of the Abbott Laboratory Veterinary Advisory Board, the Kenosha Visiting Nurses Board of Directors, the Science Advisory Board for Carthage College, and many others. He loves all kinds of dog and cat breeds and has owned numerous dogs including Labrador retrievers, chihuahuas, greyhounds, cockapoos, and poodles. Giving back to the community has been an important part of Dr. Harris's personal and professional outlook. Over the past 45 years, he has worked with many rescue organizations to help place stray animals in good homes, participated in school shadow programs, and hosted community days for local schools. He has also sponsored 4H projects, athletic league teams, and numerous community programs and benefits. Dr. Harris lives with his wife, Sarah, his son, and two stepsons. They have four pets: a chihuahua, a cockapoo, a Labrador retriever, and a cat.

Growing up in Wilmot, Wisconsin, Dr. Hatcher remembers wanting to be a veterinarian since she was six years old. “I grew up with pets and have always known that taking care of animals is what I wanted to do with my life”, she said. She began fulfilling this dream when she participated in 4-H projects in high school and then later earning her bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her years as an undergraduate and part of vet school, Dr. Hatcher worked as a veterinary assistant at Harris Pet Hospital. Shortly after earning her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002, Dr. Hatcher joined the staff full-time as a veterinarian. In addition to taking care of pets, Dr. Hatcher particularly enjoys spending time educating pet owners about proper preventative pet care and health maintenance. Her professional interests include feline medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, dentistry, and physical rehabilitation. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, Wisconsin Veterinary Medicine Association, American Association of Feline Practitioners, and the Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Hatcher is a long-time Kenosha County resident, currently living in Salem with her wife, Anne, and their clowder of cats and 4 dogs. Outside of work, Dr. Hatcher keeps busy with church, serving on the council for Spirit Alive! Church in Kenosha, and with dog sports of all sorts. She is a member of the Wisconsin-Illinois Agility Group (WAG), a local club that offers classes of all levels of agility and sponsors trials in multiple agility venues, as well as classes in several non-agility sports. Additionally, Dr. Hatcher teaches several rally obedience classes at WAG. Dr. Hatcher and her wife also actively train and compete with their 4 Belgian Tervuren in obedience, rally obedience, herding, agility, lure coursing, conformation, and tracking. She earned her first Champion Tracker title in 2016 with her Tervuren Montee Ball, and has competed in the AKC Rally National Championships since their inception. Aside from dog sports, Dr. Hatcher also enjoys camping, hiking, travel, and cooking.

It wasn't until Dr. Hawkinson observed her first surgery that she realized veterinary medicine was her calling. "I was bored silly at a desk job and took the day off to watch my kitten get spayed. Just minutes into the procedure, I knew it was the place for me." Dr. Hawkinson earned a bachelor's of science, majoring in communications, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001. She completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Wisconsin in 2007. Dr. Hawkinson has a professional interest in surgery and dentistry. "So much of our pet's health resides inside their mouth. Keeping the teeth and gums healthy is an important component for a long healthy life. But most of all," Dr. Hawkinson adds, "I thrive on the relationships I build with clients. I see pets as an extension of family and I strive to treat everyone's family as I would my own." Her most memorable surgery of the past year was a Cesarean Section to deliver 16 puppies. Dr. Hawkinson enjoys outdoor summer and winter sports and stays busy with her husband, two children, two dogs and four cats. Dr. Hawkinson is loved by the animals, clients and co-workers. Her sense of humor, curiosity and bedside manner make her an exceptional veterinarian. She inspires those around her to reach toward their goals and has a natural tendency to see the best in her environment. What she brings to the practice is professionalism, knowledge and the ability to relate to the pets and people alike.

Dr. Justin is a graduate of UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Justin was raised on a small family farm in the greater Appleton, WI area where they raised cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens; and of course, he had many cats and dogs. It was there that he developed a love for animals and a sincere respect for the human-animal bond. Before attending veterinary school, Dr. Justin attended UW-Stevens Point where he studied biochemistry and led group tutorial sessions in the subjects of organic chemistry, biophysical chemistry, genetics, and human physiology. In Justin’s spare time, he enjoys renovating his house, cooking, and traveling. Justin has visited nearly every country in Central America and in the future hopes to start exploring South America. At home Justin and his wife Molly have two dogs (an Akita mix and a Shih tzu mix) and a cat named Milo.

Dr. Steve Graham is the newest doctor to join our Harris Pet Hospital team. He is a graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and completed his clinical year of veterinary school at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Graham is from the Chicago suburbs and lived with a house full of dogs from the day he came home from the hospital as a newborn. Dr Graham has been practicing veterinary medicine since 2006. He started his career treating horses but has shifted his focus to dogs and cats over the last several years. In Steve’s spare time, he enjoys all types of cycling (mountain, road, fat tire, etc), fishing, and spending time with his wife and two daughters. Dr. Graham has two dogs: Clover, an Irish Wolfhound, and LeRoi (pronounced Leroy), a French bulldog. He also has one cat named October.