CALM ANIMAL CARE STAFF
Calm Animal Care staff are compassionate, dedicated, and gentle professionals who care about your pet.
Karen Hartle, DVM
Dr. Hartle grew up in Great Falls, Montana, and received her DVM degree at Washington State University in 1997. Following graduation she practiced in Great Falls and then in Columbia Falls, finally joining Calm Animal Care as an associate in 2004 and becoming a practice owner in partnership with Dr Meg in June 2025. Her primary veterinary interests are surgery, behavioral medicine, birds, and exotic species. She completed an animal physical therapy course as well as acupuncture training with the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. Karen puts so much heart into the care that she provides her patients. She is also a devoted mom, actively launching her four growing children and caring for all of the family pets including some very interesting cats, a wooly malamute, a bouncy papillon, a mini Aussie, tropical fish, rabbits and a bossy little chiweenie dog.
Meg Gordon, DVM
Dr. Meg grew up in Indiana, and launched into a career as a geochemist studying climate change. Her field work was done in Antarctica, where she met her husband and decided she’d like a lifestyle that was a bit more stable. Veterinary medicine was a good fit, and she graduated from Michigan State University in 2009. After practicing in Washington State for four years, she made her home in the Flathead Valley. Dr Meg joined our practice as an associate in 2015, and became a practice owner in partnership with Dr Karen in June 2025. She loves the outdoors, sailing, tinkering in flower gardens, and learning about the world at large. With a special interest in shelter animal medicine, Meg was the Flathead County Animal Shelter veterinarian for 16 years, bringing the clinic there to its current state of excellence. She has moved on from the shelter to focus on Calm Animal Care, happy to see pets with their people, and continue expanding her diagnostic and therapeutic skills.
Barbara Calm, DVM, with Takoda
Dr. Calm established Calm Animal Care in 1984, settling in Montana upon graduating from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She started by opening a tiny clinic in the woods up Truman Creek and moving to downtown Kila 6 months later. In the early 2000’s, acupuncture and chiropractic for animals became her specialty, to complement the medical and surgical side of the practice. Both of her children spent much of their childhood in the clinic, and now that they have kids of their own, family has again become a major focus for Dr Calm, taking her to Washington and Oregon on a regular basis. Barbara’s next greatest joy is playing music, playing in the Kalispell Irish Session, Second Wind, and Tra le Gael – and most recently playing trombone with a honk band in Olympia. She is very happy to be passing the legacy of Calm Animal Care to Drs Hartle and Gordon as of June 2025, but still may be found helping out on occasion.
Kari Gabriel (with Hana)
Practice Manager
Kari Gabriel joined the Calm Animal Care team in March 2019, after a long career working in public relations, marketing and in higher education. Her love of working with animals began as a little girl who brought home all manner of birds, reptiles and rodents. She began her work as a raptor rehabilitator at the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center in 1991. In 2015, with her own federal permits to do raptor education programming, she founded “Montana Bird Lady,” a raptor education and conservation organization using live raptors to provide education to schools and the public. She lives in Kalispell with her husband, Grif, their (not so “mini”) Aussie, Stout; the lovely Whoodle (Wheaten / poodle mix) Whitley and puppy Georgie, and her raptor teaching team. She is also the lucky servant of “Queen Eileen,” a severely injured kitty who found her way into all of our hearts during her recovery, and Sir Ivan, a Maine Coon that rules the roost. Kari is an essential part of the Calm Animal Care team, here to keep us organized and solve any problems that arise!
Wendy H (with Madi)
Veterinary Team Leader
Wendy came to work at Calm Animal Care in 2004, with a keen interest in the details of every aspect of the care that patients receive here, from routine examination visits to complicated surgeries, recovery and followup. She is thorough and skilled and holds herself and everyone she works with to a high standard of care, and along with Dr Hartle is working toward certification in Canine Rehabilitation Therapy. Wendy leads our team of veterinary assistants, organizing training and protocols, and melding new ideas with the clinic’s culture and standards. Her family includes two sons who have grown up helping at the clinic, a husband who kindly pitches in with mechanical expertise, and a menagerie of dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens and horses, and one gorgeous grandchild. When not at work, Wendy’s forward view is often framed by the ears of a horse.
Heather D
Certified Veterinary Technician
Heather joined Calm Animal Care in March 2026. She has completed her degree in Veterinary Technology at PMI, and upon passing her Montana boards will be a fully licensed Veterinary Technician. She came to us from South Dakota, moving to the Flathead accompanied by her family. She loves helping in surgery and is especially skilled in dental work for pets. She’s a smart cookie and we love her!
Stephanie W. (with Timber and his twin, Charlie)
Veterinary Assistant
Steph is a Flathead Valley native who joined us in March, 2021 to do everything from handling animals to keeping the firebox filled. She is such a hard worker, and an insatiable learner, that she quickly became skilled at much more than she bargained for – she is an amazing veterinary assistant and we rely on her more every day!
Andrea W.
Veterinary Assistant
Andrea joined us in the midst of the pandemic, in summer 2020, when everyone realized just how important animals were in their lives and we all became much busier taking care of them. Her family have been long time friends and clients, and it’s hard to imagine anyone more reliable. Andrea has blossomed into becoming a talented veterinary assistant, part of the backbone of Calm Animal Care.
Amanda J – Reception, Veterinary Assistant
Amanda hails from Sitka, Alaska, and joined our team in Fall 2024, full of curiosity and brimming with enthusiasm! She will greet you and your pet, and she is a wonderful assistant in the exam rooms.
Colleen J at Hogwarts Station – Cleaning
Colleen keeps everything as spotless as a veterinary clinic can be, all day long!
Ivan Dionysus
Office Assistant
Ivan joined us in July, 2024. He is very serious about keeping order in the office.
Allison P.
Receptionist
Allison joined us in Fall of 2014, taking on the front desk and all that entails. Her calm voice is often the first one you’ll hear when contacting or visiting the clinic. She was born and raised in the Flathead Valley, and her grandparents were homesteaders in Glacier National Park. Kids and pets share her home, which she describes as a “house of fur.” Allison’s creative spark is fueled by making art out of anything from food to yarn to glass. Her nurturing spirit is evidenced by the care that she takes of our staff and clients. She loves working with the Calm Animal Care team and looks forward to coming to work each day!
