I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and obtained my bachelors in biology at the University of Alaska. I then moved to the Twin Cities and went to the U of M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where I earned my DVM degree in 1992. I met my husband in 1995, and we welcomed our son in 2002. We have one dog, a Husky named Willow, and an orange tabby cat that came to us at age 6 with the name Buster.

I joined the wonderful team at Countryside at the end of 2018. The most enjoyable parts of veterinary medicine for me are working with our team to educate people about how best to care for their pets’ health needs, doing surgery, and seeing happy pets, especially when I know we’ve done our part to keep or make them happy and healthy.

My favorite free time activities over the years have been acting, stand-up comedy, singing, and improv. I also enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and container gardening.

Samantha Jacobsen is a 2018 graduate from the University of Minnesota who studied both small and large animals. For the past two years, she has become more interested in small animal dentistry and preventative medicine. She has a soft spot for small ruminants and camelids. She enjoys spending time with her family playing board games and hiking with her border collie.

I have been with Countryside for nearly two years as the Lead Customer Service Representative. In my life before joining Countryside, I was a Store Manager for 12 years at several large pet supply companies. I have been in the animal business for 17 years because of my love for pets of all kinds.

My life at home is busy with four daughters, Isabelle, Amelia, Ellie, and Penelope, and my 3 year old Boxer mix, Willow, whom I adopted from Countryside in early 2019. Willow blended in with my daughters seamlessly, and is now like my fifth child. We spend our time outside, enjoying the weather while we can.

My goal as the Lead Customer Service Representative is to make you and your pets time here at Countryside as smooth and pleasant as possible, from greeting you when checking in, to taking care of your needs at check out. I am always here to answer any questions you may have! I’ve loved getting to know all of our clients and their pets.

In my spare time in enjoy scuba diving, paddle boarding, and watching movies with my son Nathan.