Dr. John Swingle , DVM
Dr. John Swingle joined Countryside Veterinary Clinic in 1985. He grew up on a dairy, beef, and fruit farm in southeastern Ohio and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Swingle cares for both large and small animals and has a special interest in ear and skin problems in dogs.
Dr. Swingle and his wife, Teri, live on a small hobby farm with all of their critters. Their 3 children - Scott, Todd and Liz - have all grown up and moved away but visit regularly.
Their pets include: Buddy - an English Springer Spaniel who is Dr. Swingle's constant companion. He spends the day at work in Dr. Swingle's office or goes with him on large animal calls. Buddy also loves to go hiking and camping with Dr. Swingle and one of his favorite pasttimes is to chase the neighbor's cats. He never catches them. Cowboy, Gunner and Jeb (Dr. Swingle's horses) enjoy eating and occasional riding trips. Cali (their calico cat) enjoys harassing Buddy, sleeping in the sun and cuddling with Teri.
Dr. Swingle's hobbies include working on his hobby farm, riding his horses, camping and traveling. He is a fan of the Ohio State University football and basketball teams along with the Green Bay Packers.
Dr. Brian J Keller , DVM
Dr. Brian Keller was born and raised in Medford, Minnesota. He attended pre-veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. While there he was involved in various clubs as well as varsity wrestling. He entered Veterinary School at the University of Minnesota graduating in 1990. He has been a member of the Countryside Veterinary Clinic team ever since and is a partner with Dr. Swingle. His veterinary interests include orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, dermatology, and ophthalmology. While Dr. Keller spends most of his time in the clinic working with small animal clients, he also enjoys working with our farming community.
Dr. Keller and his wife, Debbie, have 2 children, Jon and Kathryn. Debbie is an 8th grade Language teacher in River Falls, Jon attends the University of Minnesota, and Kathryn goes to New Richmond High School.
Dr. Keller and Debbie have a full house of pets:
- Razz - a 13 year old yellow Labrador Retriever who loves to fetch the dummy.
- Zeus - an 9 year old Springer Spaniel that loves to spin circles.
- Hope - a 3 year old Yorkshire Terrier that loves to come to work with Dr. Keller. She sits patiently in her little bed waiting for him to scoop her up and take her with him wherever he goes. Hope also treed a bear once and loves to tell on the cats at home.
- Mikey, Tiger & Pebbles - cat that are all littermates. Tiger loves a lap to sit on.
Dr. Keller enjoys most outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, gardening, and water skiing. He also helps out with the youth wrestling programs in New Richmond. Dr. Keller can often be found spending time with his family and going to various sporting events and activities that his children participate in.
Dr. Meredith Smith , DVM
Dr. Meredith Smith grew up in Roseville, MN. She attended the University of Wisconsin, River Falls where she studied Animal Science and Biology. She then attended veterinary school at the University of Minnesota graduating in 2000. She joined the Countryside Veterinary Clinic staff as an associate veterinarian in June of 2000. Her medical interests include ultrasound, radiology, medical cases and nutrition, and llama and alpaca medicine.
Dr. Smith and her husband Mark, have three school age children - Lauren (11), Carson (9) and Erika (6).
They share their home with 5 pets. Rio is a very energetic English Setter who constantly talks and howls. She slams herself against the door to get inside if it is less than 20* outside. Dr. Smith thinks she might not be "right" in the head. Gypsy is a Boxer/Coonhound mix who is not very bright (?) but they love her anyway! She seems to be on the lazy side, too. And Lilly is a young English Setter who has livened up the household. Misty and WIndy - very fat guinea pigs - who squeal at any sign of food.
In her spare time, Dr. Smith enjoys swimming, scuba diving, photography, spending time with family, camping, hiking, or any other outdoor activity. Her favorite sports teams are the MInnesota Twins, and Gopher Basketball.
Dr. Heather Johnson, DVM
Dr. Heather Johnson was raised in St. Charles, Missouri and received an undergraduate degree in Animal Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Throughout her childhood and into college, she spent a great deal of time working in the animal shelter environment. She attended veterinary school at the University of Minnesota, and her intererests include shelter medicine and soft tissue surgery.
Dr. Johnson's husband Jake is also a veterinarian. They have 2 little girls, Gracie Emily and Isabella. They share their home with:
- Annie - a rescue St. Bernard who Dr. Johnson is working with towards her therapy dog title at the Animal Inn Training Center.
- Maci - a Jack Russel Terrier
- Norman - a 2 year old cat that is very loyal to their daughter, Gracie, and is always at her side.
- Red - an American Saddlebred horse
In her spare time, Dr. Johnson enjoys horseback riding and dog training.
