After graduating from Salem Community High School, Dena received 2 Bachelor's degrees and her Veterinary Medicine Degree from the University of Illinois.
Years later, Dena and her husband Clark moved back to the area and built Paws Here Veterinary Services in 2007. Paws Here Veterinary Services was one of the first veterinary facilities in southern Illinois to offer individually themed “luxury” suites for “babysitting” pampered pets. Boarding became very popular, but soon Paws Here was also known for its outstanding medical care and treatment of sick pets. With the addition of more veterinarians, a practice manager, and an entire staff of veterinary assistants Paws Here Veterinary Services is now one of the most recognized veterinary hospitals in rural Marion County.

Dr. Lacey Summerville was born and raised in Clay County, Illinois. She graduated from North Clay High School in 1996 and then went on to Lake Land Community College for a pre-veterinary degree. In 2003, she graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine with her DVM degree. She spent the first 14 years of her career working in mixed animal practices in both northern and southern Illinois. Since 2017, she has worked as a small animal practitioner at Paws Here Veterinary Services. Her main area of interest is small animal internal medicine.

Dr. Lacey enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, gardening, and cooking in her spare time. Her family loves to spend time in the mountains and at the National Parks any chance they get. Dr. Lacey and her husband Greg live in rural Clay County with their two sons, a dog, a cat, and a couple of pet goats.

Dr. Alison Harvey grew up in southern Illinois. She grew up with horses, dogs, and cats. Dr. Harvey has always had an affection for animals. She graduated from the University of Illinois Veterinary College of Medicine in 2010.
She joined the Paws Here Veterinary Services team as an associate veterinarian in 2019. Dr. Harvey has special interests in internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and heartworm education. She enjoys interacting with pet owners and appreciates the small town atmosphere.
Dr. Alison Harvey has been married to her husband, Jesse, for 12 years and they are blessed with three children. She enjoys spending time with family, hiking, camping, and antiquing. She is pictured with her Miniature Australian Shepherd, Katie.

Lisa was born and raised in Salem, Illinois. She has worked in the veterinary field for over 13 years. In addition to working at Paws Here Veterinary Services she and her family own and operate Apple Ridge Cattle, which was started by her father in 1947, and has been a huge part of her life.
Lisa graduated from Rend Lake Community College with an Associates in Applied Science Degree in Agriculture Business and went on to further her education at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Education. She taught high school agriculture for a few years, but her love for animals brought her to our veterinary clinic in 2009. Lisa started in the clinic as a receptionist and veterinary assistant and is now the practice manager.
Lisa has one dog, Penny, an Australian Cattle Dog and several cats (too many to name) on the farm.
Her free time is spent with her husband, Kevin, on the farm and attending cattle shows and sales.

Sandi is from Indiana. She graduated with a commercial arts degree and worked in the printing field for 15 years.
Sandi has lived in Illinois for 17 years and has been at Paws Here since September 2019. She has great compassion for animals, surprisingly since she was not raised with any. All the animals Sandi has have found her. She now has 9 cats and 1 dog. Sandi loves working with animals every day. Sandi is pictured with Gracie, a rescue she recently acquired. In her free time, Sandi enjoys crafts and painting. She has even taken paint lessons from Bob Ross’s son.

Taylor was born in Clayton, Missouri, but was raised right here in Iuka for the majority of her life. She graduated from Salem Community High School in December of 2020. Her journey at Paws Here Veterinary Services started in January 2022. Helping animals has always been her passion. She was raised around horses her whole life and even owned two of her own before she could even drive. Taylor is now a proud owner of three dogs and five cats, some of which were strays, but she couldn’t help but give them a home. She is kind-hearted and compassionate. Taylor is a great asset to our team here at Paws Here.

Ryley is the 22year old daughter of Mike Hammond and Pamela Hammond. She went to Kaskaskia Community College where she received her associates degree. Ryley has lived in the Iuka and Salem districts all her life. She has two older sisters and two cats she previously adopted through Paws Here Veterinary Services. Ryley enjoys hiking, painting, resale shopping and helping others feel better.

Wendi has been with Paws Here since March 2022. She was born in Centralia, Illinois, but raised in Iuka and has been here all of her life. Since a very early age, Wendi has found and raised many small animals, from kittens to squirrels and raccoons. She currently has 3 rescue dogs and 6 cats. Wendi is our boarding associate but is also learning the role of veterinary assistant. Wendi enjoys the arts and music and in her free time, she likes to paint. Her goal in being a part of the Paws Here the team is to make the experience of your pet a happy one. Wendi makes sure your pet is happy, healthy, and gets plenty of love!

Jada was raised in a small town. She recently moved to the area and joined our team. One of her favorite parts of her job is working closely with clients and the bond that she creates with them and their pets. She currently has one dog, a Rottweiler pup named MJ. MJ enjoys being spoiled, and cuddled and loves lots of treats. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and being outdoors.