Meet Our Staff
Dr. Bob Brewster, DVM. Dr. Brewster considers himself a Georgia native despite the fact that he was born in New York City (which technically makes him the only Yankee in his family). Before moving to Athens, he earned an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. After volunteering at local veterinary clinics and riding around with a horse veterinarian, Dr. Brewster attended the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine and finished his DVM in 1988. Subsequently, he spent three years working as a veterinarian in Asheville, North Carolina. He and his wife then made the decision to move back to Athens. He worked at the Dekalb/Gwinnett Emergency Hospital for a year, then opened Barber Creek Veterinary Hospital in 1992. In 1997, Dr. Brewster purchased Gaines School Animal Hospital. He has practiced at both hospitals for ten years. He, his wife, and children have a llama, two goats and two boxers.
Dr. Sarah Grace Hajjar, DVM. Dr. Sarah Grace Hajjar joined Barber Creek Veterinary Hospital in September, 2008. Dr. Hajjar earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Mississippi, then moved to Atlanta where she worked as a veterinary assistant while taking classes at Georgia State University in preparation for veterinary school at the University of Georgia. While in veterinary school at UGA, she was president for two years of the Canine Club and also cofounder of the Shelter Medicine club which raises awareness and provides information for veterinary students about shelter medicine. She has been fostering for Athens Canine Rescue since 2004, and was also foster coordinator from 2005 to 2007. Dr. Hajjar is married and has a daughter named Lily. Her pet family includes two shih-tzus (Ana and Jasper), a Yorkie named Simon, and two cats (Amos and Bella).
Charmaine, Receptionist. Charmaine joined Barber Creek in October of 2006. She works fulltime, is friendly, talkative, and enjoys meeting new people. She always goes the extra mile to make all of Barber Creek's clients and their pets feel welcome. She is the proud owner of one dog, Daphne, a Terrier/Corgie mix in addition to two cats names Scratchy and Sharkbait.
Kaila, Receptionist.Kaila started working at both Barber Creek Veterinary Hospital and Gaines School Animal Hospital in August 2009 after earning a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Georgia. She previously worked for three years at the UGA Dairy Farm working with cows and also at the UGA Snyder Barn which specializes in horse reproduction. In the future, Kaila would like to be a large animal veterinarian. She has two cats named Miley and Kia plus a black lab named Javabean.
Marybeth, Veterinary Assistant.Mary Beth just recently started working at Barber Creek Veterinary Hospital but has been a veterinary technician at Gaines School Animal Hospital since 2004. She continues to work at both practices. She is currently a student at Athens Area Technical Institute studying early childhood education with the plan to eventually transfer to the University of Georgia. Her goal is to teach Kindergarten. Marybeth first starting working with animals as a kennel assistant at the age of sixteen. She has two dogs, Sugar, a mix, and Roxie, a Pekinese mix. She also has a cat named Tang.
Joe, Veterinary Technician.Joe has worked at Barber Creek since March of 2008. He also works at Gaines School Animal Hospital. Joe has two cats, a long hair named Luna, and a short hair named Embyr. Joe is a Registered Veterinary Technician, earned from the Gwinnett Technical College program. His internship involved working at Emory University at the Yerkes facility. His plans include a pre-med program at the University of Georgia, then eventually medical school.
Holly, Receptionist and Veterinary Assistant.Holly previously worked at Gaines School Animal Hospital from 2003-2007 returning to work at both Gaines School and Barber Creek Veterinary Hospital in August of 2009. Holly has a doberman named Laila and two cats named Stripes and Satime. Holly is a musician and singer, and her stage name is Holly Belle. Her long range plans include applying to nursing school.
Haley, Veterinary Assistant.Haley is currently a student at Kennesaw State University majoring in biology with a minor in criminal justice. Haley would like to eventually work as a veterinary forensic pathologist.
Polly, Veterinary Assistant.Polly started working at both Barber Creek Veterinary Hospital and Gaines School Animal Hospital in Summer 2009 when she also graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Biological Sciences. While Polly technically has no pets of her own, she does raise puppies for the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind (GDF). Polly's job in this endeavor is to foster a puppy for approximately one year including obedience training and socialization in order to get them used to being out in public. Her current puppy is a golden retriever named Budd; Polly's first dog, O'Brien, went on to advanced training at the GDF campus in New York. Polly hopes to attend veterinary school in the future.
Margaret, Veterinary Assistant. Margaret started working at both Barber Creek Veterinary Hospital and Gaines School Animal Hospital in December 2009. She is working on a B.S.A. in Animal Health (pre-vet program). Margaret has nine pets including three dogs: Molly, Leigh, and Sadie, who are all mixed breeds -- two are rescues; five cats: three black and white tuxedos (they're always formal) named Dizzy, Bentley, and Baxter plus two tabbies named Montana and Stewart; and a white chinchilla named Chile.
Pennie, Professional Groomer. Pennie is a certified groomer and has groomed animals for over 20 years. She not only grooms dogs but also cats. She has eight bulldogs including Lex, pictured here, and a cocker spaniel named Lacie.