Dr. Deirdre Brandes received her Bachelor of Arts and Science in Chemistry and Nutrition at University of California at Davis in 1994 and went on to earn her degree in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University Veterinary School.

She is a life-long resident of San Diego and an alumni of Torrey Pines High School. After receiving her veterinary degree, Dr. Brandes returned to San Diego and worked as a veterinarian in various practices before founding Rancho Santa Fe Veterinary Hospital in 2005.

Dr. Brandes has remained active in her community throughout her life by volunteering her services for numerous causes, such as the Feral Cat Coalition, Project Wildlife, and Helen Woodward Animal Center.

In 2005, she opened Rancho Santa Fe Veterinary Hospital, located in San Diego within the Helen Woodward Animal Center, with the focus on providing compassionate, high quality veterinary care for all pets at a great value.

Dr. Anaika Dayton obtained her veterinary degree from University of California at Davis in 2001 after completing her Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Biology at University of California at Berkeley. Fluent in Spanish, she has traveled worldwide working with wildlife and domesticated animals.

She returned from a trip to Indonesia in 2006 working with Sumatran Rhinoceros. Having grown up in Solana Beach, Dr. Dayton has worked in veterinary clinics in Oceanside and Orange County before returning to her hometown and becoming a member of the team at Rancho Santa Fe Veterinary Hospital. And for a piece of trivia: Dr. Dayton and Dr. Brandes played on the same varsity soccer team during high school!

Dr. Dayton has been with our practice since 2005. She’s pictured left, with Hobart.

Born in Argentina, Dr. Sophie Steele was raised in France, Hong Kong and Brazil. In high school, her parents relocated to the San Francisco area where they settled permanently and became US citizens. Dr. Steele attended the University of California at Davis where she earned a degree in Animal Sciences in 1995, then completed her veterinary degree (DVM) at U.C. Davis in 1999.

While at U.C. Davis, Dr Sophie met her husband Brad, a southern California native who is also a veterinary doctor. They have two boys, Colin who is five, and Samuel, who just turned one.

Shortly after graduation, the Steeles were married and spent the year traveling and participating in veterinary research projects in southern Africa. After returning, they moved to the San Diego area and Dr. Steele worked as an associate doctor both in San Diego and Orange County. In 2003, the Steeles took on the construction of a state-of-the-art animal hospital and pet hotel in North County, but sold their practice to allow more time for family and travel.

Dr. Steele has a special interest in soft tissue surgery, dentistry and ophthalmology. She is fluent in French, English, Portuguese and Spanish. When not working as a veterinarian, Dr. Steele spends her time in her garden or with her family, pursuing her true passion for travel and adventure.

Dave has taken the long road to working at a veterinary hospital. Originally a graduate from UC Davis with degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology, he’s worked after college as a network administrator, computer programmer, software configuration manager, and marketing product manager. Several of the companies he’s worked for include Websense, Inc. and EMC.

Along the way he became an inventor, and completed an MBA at San Diego State University with a thesis in the subject of International Accounting.

Currently, he oversees marketing, finance, information technology, and human resources for the hospital.

In addition, Dave is the Chief Financial Officer of an oil exploration company and the Internet / SEO manager of a law firm in San Diego.

Also, he found himself fortuitously married to one of the above veterinarians. When he’s not working, Dave can often be seen chasing after his two sons and putting the finishing touches on a book based on stories he once told them. His random musings can be found on Twitter: @daveoei and on the science blog, tinysci.com.

Cheyenne was born and raised in Sonoma County but most recently comes to us from Arizona, where she worked for the last few years as a Veterinary Technician. She’s been interested in veterinary medicine since the early age of 13, has worked in the field since 16, and studied biology and animal science in college. Her current primary interests are in dentistry and radiology, including ultrasound, but she enjoys all aspects of the field. Cheyenne is also the proud owner of two 5-year old Scottish Terriers and one, older, gentlemanly cat, known as Master Gus.

When not at work, Cheyenne enjoys the great outdoors, art, theater, movies, dance, concerts, and hanging out with her pets.

Ever since an early age, Jennifer had a strong affinity with animals and knew her calling was to be their advocate. She grew up in Upstate NY where her family encouraged her devotion to animals. After obtaining a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology, Jennifer moved to Massachusetts to conduct whale research in the North Atlantic, in the hopes of helping to preserve the endangered species. She recently relocated to California after having worked in the veterinary field for 10 years, and as a Veterinary Technician since 2000.

Jennifer enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine, with particular interests in emergency and intensive care, and ultrasound/radiology diagnostics. On her spare time, she can be spotted with her two rescue kitties Roo and Sargie, husband, and often on a kayak exploring new places, or reading.

Hannah is from Cape Cod, MA and has resided in San Diego since 2006. She is working on her BA for Human Services at the University of Phoenix. She has worked in two other veterinary hospitals and also worked as a dog trainer for a few years.

Hannah has been our hospital’s Office Lead since 2010.  She enjoys spending time camping and hiking with her two dogs. She also has 1 bunny, 4 rats, and a husband!

Erin has had a life-long love of animals with a strong affinity for rodents. Her first true love was a rat named Chrysanthemum. For the past few years Erin has volunteered at Wee Companions as a sanctuary home for special needs rats and mice.

Aside from assisting our clients with nearly whatever they require, since 2009 Erin has taken on the role of our Marketing and Communications coordinator. That includes working on our website, press releases, twitter feed, and more!

Currently, Erin shares her home with Ruth and Meg (her amazing cats), many, many rats and mice, and a very understanding husband. Erin recently graduated from SDSU with her bachelor’s degree in public relations.

Sonia is a Southern California native, originally from Los Angeles and will soon complete her tenure as a Biochemistry major at UCSD. Despite loving the field of biochemistry, she cannot wait to jump into the field of veterinary medicine. Which explains how Sonia got her start at our hospital – as the first and only intern we have ever taken in. After just a few short months of working here, she displayed extreme aptitude, so much so that we could not, in good conscience allow her to continue to “work” for free. So, we hired her!

Sonia hopes that her experience at RSFVets will help her one day reach the goal of becoming a veterinarian. In her spare time she loves to sleep, read, watch TV and play ball with her miniature poodle Alfie.

Sarah has recently graduated from Mesa College having received her degree as a veterinary technician. After taking the boards in August 2007, she became California board-certified.

Sarah is also the proud owner of a bird and a leopard gecko. And now a puppy dog! If you’re lucky, you might catch her sunning on the beach, listening to music, and watching movies.

Lauren grew up in a small town in the mountains near Yosemite National Park. After graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine, she decided to live and enjoy life nearby the beaches in North County San Diego and is very excited to join the Rancho Santa Fe Veterinary Hospital team.

While growing up on the family “farm,” she has been lucky enough to raise a large family of dogs, cats, rabbits, goats, chickens, and horses. Currently, besides spending time with her cats, Bliss & Kai, Lauren loves to swim in the ocean, play guitar and write songs, and take her camera with her wherever she goes. In the future, she plans to attain her doctorate in counseling psychology.

Marlie was born and raised in Oregon but has lived in the Carlsbad area for the past 6 years now. She has recently completed the RVT course for Alllied Staff of Education and is now eligible to take the boards, which is scheduled for the near future. She recently relocated to Cardiff with her best buddy “Dude” – 11yr Golden Retriever, and little trouble maker “Rajah” 1yr Orange Tabby.

Marlie has also taken on the role of managing our hospital’s extensive pharmacy.  This is no small feat considering the hundreds of products we carry, but that’s why we have someone who is very organized taking care of the department!

Marlie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and taking her furry friends to play in the near by parks.

Malia grew up in the small town of Half Moon Bay, CA, where she was surrounded by animals of all shapes and sizes. After numerous begging attempts, her parents finally allowed a 7-year-old Malia to buy two chicks and a rabbit from the local feed store, and raise them in the empty lot next to the house. Two chicks became 8, and one rabbit….well, you know how the story goes. Eventually Malia became the proud caretaker of a “mini farm” – housing chickens, rabbits, a duck who thought he was a chicken, a sun conure, geckos, fish, and a cockatiel. She hand-raised all the animals she could, and bottle fed ones that were injured or abandoned. Here, her love of animals became a daily reality.

Malia graduated from UCSD with a major in Communications, and currently also works as a dog walker. She hopes to either become a veterinarian, or pursue her other passion, international aid and women’s education in developing countries. In her spare time, Malia loves hiking, ocean kayaking, surfing, yoga, reading, and almost anything that allows her to be outside!

Justine, a native San Diegan, graduated in 2008 from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Psychology. Her love of animals started at a very young age growing up on a ranch. Most recently, she spent a month in South Africa volunteering with a wildlife veterinarian.

Justine has six years experience as a veterinary technician in Santa Barbara and at 24 hour facilities in San Diego. Her hopes are to soon fullfil her dream of becoming a verterinarian.

In her free time, she loves to dance and is currently a member of a competitive Polynesian dance group. She is also the proud owner of two cats, Ripley and Penny, and a dog named Cali.

Kristen was born and raised in Petaluma, CA and moved to San Diego in 2006 to attend the University of California, where she graduated in 2008 with a degree in Sociology.

Her love for animals brought her to a receptionist job at Petaluma Veterinary Hospital in the Bay Area, and she was thrilled to find similar work when she moved down to San Diego. In her spare time, Kristen enjoys surfing, reading, and gymnastics, and spending time with her two kitties, Cooper & Forrest. You’ll probably see her bunny, Bean, hopping around the front counter!

While Kristen isn’t with us full time any longer, you may, if you’re very fortunate, spot her here on a day where she’s still helping around!

Anna is great!

But wait, there’s more! Anna also plays lacrosse and is an avid runner. She enjoys performing dentistry, having received extensive and specialized training from our doctors and through continuing education classes.

For now, that just about sums it up.

Dawn is a San Diego local living here with husband and children. Dawn has 4 dogs and a cat. She has a special interest in surgery and dentistry and has been in the veterinary field for 10 years. You can find Dawn on her days off at the beach with her family and dogs.

Ashley is originally from Northern California, but settled relatively recently in San Diego after attending UCSD. She graduated with a degree in Psychology, and received her EMT certification. Additionally, at UCSD she joined the springboard diving team and made the national team. Long ago she had competed competitively in gymnastics for 9 years, but now teaches children and adults on the finer points of the round-off-back-handspring.

Ashley hopes to eventually go into nursing and is actively pursuing that route. We hope she doesn’t leave us too soon!

After joining us in 2005 as a receptionist, she became a veterinary assistant in 2006, then was promoted as veterinary technician in 2007.