Dr. Jennifer Coates spent her early years in the Washington D.C. area before attending McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for her undergraduate training in biology. After graduation, she worked for several years in the fields of conservation and animal welfare before returning to her first love, veterinary medicine. She graduated with honors from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and has worked as an Associate Veterinarian and Chief of Staff in Virginia, Wyoming, and Colorado. Jennifer is also a prolific writer about all things pet-related and the published author of several short stories and books, including the Dictionary of Veterinary Terms, Vet-Speak Deciphered for the Non-Veterinarian. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband, kids, and pets (not necessarily in that order). If she’s not working, she may have escaped into the great outdoors to hike, camp, ski, or engage in some restorative forest bathing. And while Colorado is her forever-home, she still loves to travel and explore all the other fascinating places and cultures that our pale blue dot has to offer.