Dr. Aaron and Dr. Mary Beth were married in 2003, and moved to California shortly afterwards. They first landed in Calistoga and Aaron worked at a mixed animal practice over Mount St. Helena in Middletown, while Mary Beth made the drive through the Alexander Valley to her job at a small animal practice in Cloverdale. Aaron enjoyed his work with both large and small animals, but he decided to focus on small animal medicine and transferred jobs to a practice in Mill Valley. The couple moved to Marin County in the spring of 2005 and had their first child, Jonathan, in early 2006.
While Dr. Mary Beth and Dr. Aaron really enjoyed their experiences at the various practices where they have worked, they always had the goal of owning their own veterinary clinic. After investigating several different hospitals for sale, some on the East Coast, they set their sights on Fairfax Veterinary Clinic, where Mary Beth had done some relief work before she had Jonathan. After many months of planning, the couple took over as the new owners and veterinarians at the Fairfax Veterinary Clinic in February 2007.
As the practice has grown, so has their household. In October 2008, the Wentzells welcomed their daughter Kathryn (“Kate”) to their family and in April 2011 they had another boy, Benjamin. In addition to their three kids, they have one McNab mix ,"Badger", and one cat, "Bean".
Dr. Aaron and Dr. Mary Beth are truly enjoying their place in the community of Fairfax. It is rare that a family can live, work, play, and raise a family in the same town, and they feel as if this is a dream come true for them. It is not unusual to come in and find the kids playing in the office and waiting room-it is definitely a “family practice”.
Owning (and renovating) a business and being veterinarians takes up a lot of time, but The Wentzell Family manages to have a lot of fun in their free time. As a family, they enjoy camping, hiking, sailing, running, music, cooking (and eating!) and reading. Aaron and Mary Beth are also board members of Lily’s Legacy, a sanctuary for senior large breed dogs, and active members of the AVMA, CVMA and MCVMA.
Dr. Aaron and Dr. Mary Beth were married in 2003, and moved to California shortly afterwards. They first landed in Calistoga and Aaron worked at a mixed animal practice over Mount St. Helena in Middletown, while Mary Beth made the drive through the Alexander Valley to her job at a small animal practice in Cloverdale. Aaron enjoyed his work with both large and small animals, but he decided to focus on small animal medicine and transferred jobs to a practice in Mill Valley. The couple moved to Marin County in the spring of 2005 and had their first child, Jonathan, in early 2006.
While Dr. Mary Beth and Dr. Aaron really enjoyed their experiences at the various practices where they have worked, they always had the goal of owning their own veterinary clinic. After investigating several different hospitals for sale, some on the East Coast, they set their sights on Fairfax Veterinary Clinic, where Mary Beth had done some relief work before she had Jonathan. After many months of planning, the couple took over as the new owners and veterinarians at the Fairfax Veterinary Clinic in February 2007.
As the practice has grown, so has their household. In October 2008, the Wentzells welcomed their daughter Kathryn (“Kate”) to their family and in April 2011 they had another boy, Benjamin. In addition to their three kids, they have one McNab mix ,"Badger", and one cat, "Bean".
Dr. Aaron and Dr. Mary Beth are truly enjoying their place in the community of Fairfax. It is rare that a family can live, work, play, and raise a family in the same town, and they feel as if this is a dream come true for them. It is not unusual to come in and find the kids playing in the office and waiting room-it is definitely a “family practice”.
Owning (and renovating) a business and being veterinarians takes up a lot of time, but The Wentzell Family manages to have a lot of fun in their free time. As a family, they enjoy camping, hiking, sailing, running, music, cooking (and eating!) and reading. Aaron and Mary Beth are also board members of Lily’s Legacy, a sanctuary for senior large breed dogs, and active members of the AVMA, CVMA and MCVMA.
After graduating, Dr. Katie began working as a veterinarian at the San Mateo SPCA. Working at the shelter was a wonderful experience for her because she was able to see hundreds of animals with various ailments and truly hone her medical and surgical skills. Despite all of the very rewarding experiences shelter medicine had to offer, it had its frustrations as well. It was particularly difficult to not be able to help animals with more involved medical or surgical needs because they were not deemed “adoptable” or because of lack of funding. She really missed working with people and their pets in the setting of a family veterinary hospital. As luck would have it, an opening at the Fairfax Veterinary Clinic revealed itself to her, and in April, 2011, Katie moved back home to Marin. She is enjoying being close to her family and childhood friends again.
Dr. Katie now resides in Novato with her husband Justin and their two children, Emily and Joseph. They also have two cats named Mikey and Eddie who have lots of personality and are a constant source of entertainment. When Katie is not working she enjoys her other job of being a mom and when she occasionally gets some down time she loves reading and connecting with friends. Katie also enjoys taking long weekend trips up to Lake Tahoe with her family.
Since starting on his path to veterinary medicine, Ryen has always wanted to end up at a family-focused practice like Fairfax. He enjoys meeting new people, and caring for our community's families by caring for their pets. Prior to veterinary school, Ryen worked at a cat only clinic, and feels that he has a special understanding of our sometimes-complicated kitty friends. His professional interests include dentistry, preventative care, and end-of-life care.
Dr. Ryen lives in Marin with his wife Erin (also a veterinarian), their two young sons (Jackson & Parker), and four cats! When not at work, Ryen enjoys exploring Marin, playing tennis, and spending time with his boys. He also loves to travel, and through volunteer work, academic research and leisure, has had the opportunity to visit Japan, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Bermuda, Nicaragua, Thailand, England, Scotland, Wales, and Tahiti.
In her personal life, Kelly is happily married and living in Novato with her husband and two young children. She and her husband, Brandon, met at Cal Poly in 2011 and were married shortly after she graduated from vet school. They welcomed their daughter, Adeline, in November 2020 and their son, Colin, in March 2023. Life with two little ones is always busy and full of laughter and new adventures. Together the family of four enjoy exploring wine country, taking scenic drives around the county, growing a vegetable garden, and experiencing all the small-town social events.
Brandon and Kelly adopted their pup, Penny, in 2016 from Family Dog Rescue in San Francisco. Penny loves to travel with the family and experience adventures camping, kayaking, and hiking.
Outside of work, Kelly likes hiking, wine tasting, experimenting with new recipes, and spending as much time outside as possible. In the clinic, Kelly enjoys working with a variety of animals ranging from dogs and cats to rabbits and chickens. The diversity of patients at Fairfax vet clinic keeps things interesting and each day treating animals is fulfilling.
Dr. Captanian lives with her dog, Chase, her red-footed tortoise, Bob, her corn snake, Neo, and her husband, Wes, and her son, Wyatt. Outside of work she enjoys rock climbing, yoga, hiking, traveling, and running.
While they only discovered the veterinary profession as a career option during undergrad, Patty quickly fell in love with the profession and continued to work towards their career goals. Dr. Patty Kalinichenko is ecstatic to care for the small animals and exotic companion animals of Fairfax (no matter the size!) and to work with the amazing staff at Fairfax Veterinary Clinic.
Dr. Patty lives in San Rafael with their partner Aaron. Together they have their dog, Ms. Maple Pancakes, their cat, Finn, and their Dutch rabbit, Contessa Clementina von la Fru Fru. Patty enjoys spending time hiking, baking, crafting, gardening and playing video games.
During her education, Dr. Fates grew her love for general practice through student-run outreach clinics where she formed lasting bonds with her returning clients and patients. Dr. Fates believes the patient experience at the veterinary hospital should be comfortable and rewarding, and she is excited to offer her skills as a Fear Free Certified Professional.
After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Fates moved with her partner, Graham, to his hometown of San Anselmo. Together they have a goofy shepherd mix, Oscar, and a very talkative kitty, Gimli, who they rescued after he was found with a broken arm. In their free time, Dr. Fates and her partner can be found mountain biking on the local trails or climbing out on the coastal cliffs!
Following these educational opportunities, Dr. Marissa’s passion for environmental and animal conservation led her to participate in a variety of volunteer positions, such as manatee research with Fish and Wildlife in Florida, and native plant preservation with The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii.
While Dr. Marissa had always been known by close friends and family to want to work as a veterinarian, her education, volunteer experiences, and exposure to veterinary work as a technician solidified this passion. She went back to UC Davis to pursue her veterinary degree in 2020 where she enjoyed working with canine and feline patients, and the community in a general practice setting.
Dr. Marissa lives with her partner and their two beautiful and energetic dogs Zinnia and Theo. They also have an aquarium with aquatic shrimp, snails, fish, and plants. When not at work, Dr. Marissa loves to explore tide pools, go hiking, road biking, attend concerts, and attempt to solve crossword puzzles.