Dr. Brooke Mitchell was born in Starkville, Mississippi, and moved to Byram, Mississippi, in middle school where she finished high school in 1996. She then attended Hinds Community College and finished her undergraduate at Mississippi State University. She attended veterinary school at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine class of 2003.

Dr. Brooke (as she is known) met Dr. Jonathan Mitchell in high school and they were married in 2001. After graduating veterinary school they began working together at Forest Hill Animal Hospital and purchased the hospital in 2004. Dr. Brooke takes a special interest in small-animal internal medicine, ultrasound, soft tissue surgery and preventative medicine.

In her spare time, Dr. Brooke enjoys spending time with her family. She has two children, Avery and Cole, which keep her on her toes. She also has 3 dogs and a cat: English Setter Luke, Labrador Retriever Lacey, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Tucker, and Longhaired Calico Scarlett. She is a member at Wynndale Baptist Church. She is also active in the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Bailey grew up in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and earned her undergraduate and veterinary degrees from Mississippi State University. Since 2010, she has practiced small animal medicine in Alabama and Mississippi. She and husband, Simon Bailey, have one son, Turner. They also have 2 dogs (Mercy and Sunshine) and 2 cats (Dixon and Halle), all of whom are rescues (3 of them while in vet school!). She enjoys painting, reading, and going for walks in our neighborhood. She is a member of the AVMA, and MVMA. She loves getting to know her clients and their pets and being “the other family doctor.”

Dr. Charity Calloway-Berry is an Associate DVM and has been with Forest Hill and Byram Animal Hospital(s) since 2013. She is a native of Crystal Springs, Mississippi. She attended Rebul Academy and Hinds Community College before going to Mississippi State University to receive a Bachelor Degree in Animal Dairy Science in 1998 and then her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree in 2003.

She is married with 2 children, 3-year-old son. Crosby. and 2-year-old daughter. Emily Grace. She has 4 cats as well as a farm with cows, chickens, and horses. She is interested in endoscopy, feline medicine, and Companion Animal Laser Therapy.

April Owens is a CVT from Clinton, Mississippi. She received her Veterinary Technician Certification from Hinds Community College. She is the Kennel Manager at Forest Hill Animal Hospital. She has worked at Forest Hill Animal Hospital since September 2010.

Her hobby is horseback riding and she participates in many rodeo events. Her pets include Hank, a Teddy Roosevelt terrier, Dixie, an Australian shepherd, and quarter horse, Cowboy. Her veterinary interests include large animals, radiology, and dentistry.

Carla Garth has been with Forest Hill Animal Hospital since August 1997. She has recently accepted the title of Head Veterinary Technician. She floats between Forest Hill and Byram Animal Hospital(s).

Carla is from Terry, Mississippi. She graduated from USM with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Arts and a minor in Anthropology. She had various careers before settling down, she was an Assistant Field Archeologist, Assistant Manager at the Nature Company, worked as a Book and Media clerk at Eudora Welty Library. She was originally hired as a receptionist but found the nursing aspect of the job more her speed, so when the chance came to train as a technician, she took it and hasn’t looked back. She is very interested in canine and feline behavior as well as anesthesia and care for critical patients. She is in charge of clinic inventory as well as the Facebook and Twitter pages for both clinic and she also designs the monthly Byram Banner ads.

Carla spends her free time doing various hobbies: photography, creative writing, freelance editing, cooking, Geocaching, Ghosthunting, and reading. She loves being creative and is currently interested in crafting homemade soaps, lotions and household items as well as working with essential oils, spices, and herbs. She has 2 dogs, Bailey a ½ pug ½ Pekingese who she’s helped hand raise since he was 1 day old, Sundance a Belgian Sheepdog, and 2 cats, Clarisse , the grand old dame of the house, a 15-year-old domestic longhair, and Sean Conner, the latest member of her cast of characters. Carla likes to joke that she’s a “Jack of all Trades, but Master of None.”

Jessica is a graduate of Terry High School. She has an Associate of Arts Degree from Hinds Commmunity College. She has been a member of the Forest Hill staff since 1999. Her responsibilities are maintaining patient files and updating electronic medical history. She is interested in pet behavior and nutrition as well as genetic health issues.

Jessica lives in Raymond, Mississippi, with her husband, Billy, and daughters, Lorien and Allison. Her adopted four-legged children include Sirius Lee, an American Staffordshire Terrier, Sadie, a Terrier mix, and Tink , a Domestic Tabby Cat. She enjoys cooking, reading, music, art and spending time with her family. She also makes custom decorated cakes for birthdays and weddings in her spare time.

Kellie Owen is a CVT from Florence, Mississippi, where she graduated high school with honors. She received her Veterinary Technician Degree from Hinds Community College. She has been working at Forest Hill And Byram Animal Hospital since August 2013. She is in charge of Radiology and the Controlled substances logs.

Kellie has 2 cats and one dog. When she was 5-years-old, Kellie helped her mother hand raise a 3 day old longhair tortoise shell kitten they named Sabrina. That experience has been her drive and inspiration and paved the way for her career choice. She also has Bella Lou, a black cat with a calico belly. She also has Sadie May a spoiled rotten Shetland sheepdog lab mix that she rescued from a dumpster when she was 3-months-old.

Kellie is interested in anesthesia and pathology. Her hobbies include playing with and training Sadie May, sewing, and hunting.

Renee is originally from Brandon, Mississippi, but now calls Florence home. She graduated from McLaurin High School in 1997. She went on to the University of Southern Mississippi where She graduated with a bachelor’s in Social and Rehabilitation Services . Her hobbies include reading, shopping, and walking. She has 4 pets that she calls her kids, 3 cats and 1 dog. Hazel is her oldest pet at 14 years and is a complete momma’s girl. Maddie is the middle child is a loner, she does her own thing but will join the family when she wants attention. Ed is the youngest and is a complete attention hog. When he wants everyone to pay attention to him, he will go to the middle of the room and lay on his back and present his belly to be rubbed. Last but not least is Elvis. His name says it all; Elvis is a 5-year-old boxer that is a non-stop ball of energy.

Renee chose the veterinary field because she loves animals because they love unconditionally. All they want is someone to love them back. She loves all aspects of the veterinary world, but is most interested in veterinary forensics. Similar to human forensics, but they examine the animal to determine manner of death and if neglect or abuse was a factor. She has been working at Byram and Forest Hill Animal Hospital for 4 years this June but has been in the veterinary field for over 13 years. She absolutely adores her job. Every day is something different and fun!

Kimberly Burns started as Receptionist at Forest Hill Animal Hospital in April of 2014.  She has one dog, Marley, and four cats, Olive, Ali, Tiger and Max. She and her husband live in Byram and have 3 daughters. In her time off, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and going to the movies.

Christian Thames works at both forest hill and Byram animal hospital as kennel help. He is from Byram and attends Jackson Christian academy. He has 2 German Shepherd mixes and a Shih Tzu. And he’s favorite part of the job is playing with the animals.​