Meet Our Doctors
Dr Jenny Taylor (she/her)
Veterinarian & Founder
Dr. Jenny Taylor has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area her entire life. She graduated from California State University at Hayward in 1989 with a Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology, and then UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. She worked as an ER and housecall veterinarian for 5 years while she continued her training in complementary modalities including acupuncture, homeopathy, and herbal therapies.
She is certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society and has completed Doctor Richard Pitcairn’s Professional Course in Veterinary Homeopathy. Dr. Taylor founded Creature Comfort Holistic Veterinary Center in Oakland, California - one of the first complementary veterinary clinics in the Bay Area offering a variety of holistic modalities such as acupuncture, homeopathy, Chinese and Western herbal therapies, and chiropractic care - in addition to traditional Western veterinary medicine.
She has lectured at local animal shelters and kennel clubs and has presented seminars to students in Veterinary Acupuncture and Homeopathy at UC-Davis and other institutions. She is featured on the "Dogs for Dummies" DVD, hosting a series on basic canine care and information. She lives in Oakland, California with her beloved dog Luna (aka "Lunatic).
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Although Dr. Jenny Taylor Is no longer seeing patients at CC, she continues to train and mentor the growing number of veterinarians interested in training in integrative care and currently working at Creature comfort.
Dr Kirsten Williams (she/her)
Veterinarian
Dr. Kirsten Williams was born in Oakland and grew up in the Bay Area. She graduated from UC-Davis with a B.S. in Zoology in 1988 and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Veterinary School at UC-Davis in 1992. Dr.Williams works at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon 1 day a week and at Creature Comfort 3 days a week.
After 5 years in private practice, Dr. Williams sought training in alternative therapy to augment her traditional veterinary skills. She became certified in veterinary acupuncture with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 1998; she took the Chinese herbal course 5 years later. Dr. Williams has also had additional training in prolotherapy for pets.
She lives in Oakland with her husband, two children, a dog and a snake. She also practices Aikido (a Japanese martial art) several times a week.
Dr Christie Johnson (she/her)
Veterinarian
Dr. Christie Johnson was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Southern California. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a Bachelor’s in Physics in 1992. After spending a year working at the Humane Society of Utah, she entered UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from UC-Davis in 1997. Since then, she has worked as a veterinarian in the SF Bay Area.
She is certified in Veterinary Acupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society and is a certified Veterinary Herbalist through the Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine and the China National Society of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Johnson loved joining Creature Comfort Holistic Veterinary Center in April of 2007. She lives in Oakland with her shelter poodle, Zelda, and they both enjoy walks at Lake Merritt.
Dr Tina Herter (she/her)
Veterinarian
Born and raised in Germany, Dr. Bettina "Tina" Herter studied and received her veterinary medicine degree in Berlin. Dr. Herter has worked in small and large animal practices and a small animal emergency hospital in Germany and England prior to obtaining her U.S. veterinary license in 2007. She also gained experience in India at a charity dedicated to improving the lives of injured stray animals and to rehabilitating wildlife.It was natural to gravitate toward working in a holistic practice, and learning about various holistic healing modalities has become her passion.
She has studied homeopathic medicine, is trained in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine at the Chi Institute and the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapy. Nutrition is also a big interest of hers, which she continues to study at Standard Process.
She and her husband and their young daughter live with their two dogs, two one-eyed cats, and ten chickens.
Dr Sharon Liu (she/her)
Veterinarian
Sharon was made in Taiwan and grown in California. She misses the novelty of four seasons and milking cows through school, but is happiest in avocado country with family. She has worked with goats in Ghana, jaguars in Belize, dolphins in Mexico, rhinos in Indonesia, and plenty of starry-eyed students as an instructor for the university conservation medicine program. After her rotating internship, she worked as relief up and down the Cali coast before becoming a full-time emergency, then exotics… and now your integrative veterinarian. When not acquainting nontraditional creatures and traditional Chinese medicine with each other, she delights in creating enrichment devices for her tiny human in their tiny kitchen.
Dr Melissa Rothstein (they/them)
Veterinarian
Dr. Rothstein grew up on the East Coast and studied art and environmental sciences at the University of Maryland. After a mix of careers in art and animal welfare, they moved to California in 2014 for vet school at UC Davis. They have since worked in the East Bay in general practice for the past five years. In addition, they work with low cost community clinics and wildlife rescue in their spare time.
Dr. Rothstein has always been drawn to integrative medicine. They studied acupuncture and food therapy at Chi University and are excited to continue learning and growing this part of their practice. They also have a special interest in behavior.
In their spare time, Mo enjoys hiking, swimming, climbing, kayaking, and making art. They live in Oakland with their two cats, Herbert and Hazel, and their dog Kodi.
Meet Our Chiropractor
Jessica Paige, DC
Chiropractor
A top high school and college athlete, Dr. Paige was a regular chiropractic patient before deciding on this career path. Following receipt of her BS with Honors from Union College in New York State, Dr. Paige was urged by her own chiropractor to consider chiropractic training. Having benefited many times from the treatment, she enrolled at Palmer College of Chiropractic West – long considered one of the most widely respected and best training facilities in the country. She graduated with her Doctorate in Chiropractic in 2003. Shortly after receiving her credentials, she opened her own practice and has made the San Jose area her home for seeing humans. Dr. Paige specializes in Active Release Technique (a soft tissue technique) and is also a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician.
After shadowing an animal chiropractor and witnessing the transformation in the animals she worked on, Dr. Paige committed to the extensive postgraduate program at Options for Animals in Kansas in 2017 to learn how to adjust both large and small animals. She graduated from the program and completed rigorous testing in order to become a member of the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association. She has incorporated her human chiropractic skills and understanding of the musculoskeletal system into her animal practice, seeing animals for many similar ailments – back/neck injuries, limps that won't go away, arthritis/IVDD and many more.
When not at the office, she is an avid pickleball player who likes to participate in tournaments. She lives with her fur babies, Raya and Ernest.
Meet Our Staff
Osadhi (she/her)
Hospital Director
Hi! My name is Osadhi and I am the Hospital Director here at Creature Comfort. My life has woven in and out of the veterinary field for about 30 years. Along my veterinary journey, I have been fortunate to gain experience as a kennel assistant, nurse, receptionist, organizational and team development consultant, and more.. And threaded through each step in this adventure is a rich history in and an abiding passion for holistic medicine. I am a Shamanic Healer with certifications in large and small animal acupressure and shiatsu massage, Reiki, and western plant medicine. I strongly believe that holistic medicine is not just a practice -- it is a way of living and this is what I bring to each facet of my work with Creature Comfort.
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I share my life with an extraordinary being named Desi (shihpoo x unicorn) and the beautiful + majestic Artemis (shepherd x alicorn). When not scampering through the healing pastures of Creature Comfort, I am obsessed with anything French, horses, world travel, murder mysteries, art!, typewriters, goth/punk, my record collection, and life.
Desi
Hall Monitor
Hey there .. I’m Desi and I’m the Hall Monitor for Creature Comfort. I have been monitoring halls pretty much since puppyhood. It’s hard work but I love it! When I am not directing the clinic, I enjoy salon days -- having my hair + nails done, frolicking off leash on the beach, snuggling with my human and keeping tabs on the neighborhood (barking is my favorite!).
Stormy (she/her)
Lead Veterinary Nurse
Stormy has over 20 years of experience in veterinary medicine, and came to Creature Comfort looking for a change after working at emergency centers. Stormy’s main interests are pain management, wound care, assisting in surgeries, and working with exotic pets. She also loves helping find anything that makes her patients happy and healthy.
Stormy’s superpowers include performing blood draws, placing IV catheters, and working with aggressive patients by creating a safe space for them and finding ways to make them feel more comfortable. Stormy also enjoys building relationships with our clients, and making sure that both the client and their fur kiddo are happy and well.
Outside of Creature Comfort, Stormy lives at home with her husband, her boyfriend, their 3 cats, and her Green-Cheeked Conure. Her main hobbies include traveling, scuba diving, and aviation and wildlife rehabilitation.
Mondia (she/her)
Veterinary Nurse
Mondia has been a veterinary nurse for the past 10 years at Creature Comfort. She brings a passion for integrative medicine to the clinic, and has dedicated her entire veterinary career as a nurse to Creature Comfort.
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Mondia is especially interested in patient comfort and ensuring that all of our patients have the most positive experience. She is also interested in animal communication, and her superpower is speaking fluent Pit Bull.
She lives at home with her husband Sean, and her army of stuffed animals. While outside of the clinic, Mondia enjoys collecting vinyl records, crystals, decorating her spooky Halloween home, and dog photography.
Creature Comforters
More pics + bios to come. Stay tuned!