Our Team

Dr. Daniel Lange, DVM

Dr. Lange has been practicing veterinary medicine for the past 27 years. He has served the needs of pets and their owners in the greater St. Charles area along with surrounding counties. He deals in companion animal medicine (primarily dogs and cats) but also deals with exotics like ferrets, guinea pigs, hedge hogs, rats and the like, as well as birds.

Dr. Lange is a 1975 graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Zoology. In 1981, he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association. In his spare time, he enjoys running, swimming and spending time with his wife and 4 legged kids that include horses, ducks, chicken, cats and dogs. He is grateful for the wonderful pets he has met and the great owners that go with them with at Elm Point.

Dr. Michael Little, DVM

Dr. Little has been practicing veterinary medicine for the past 12 years in the St. Charles community. Growing up on an Angus cattle and row crop farm, Dr. Little’s interest have always been small animal medicine and small surgery.

In 1993, Dr. Little received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri in Biochemistry. In 1998 he graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri Veterinary Teaching Hospital. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and two cats Ruger and Parasite (Paris) Hilton Little, as well as traveling, volleyball, and Cardinals' games. Dr. Little enjoys communicating and forming relationships with clients and their pets at Elm Point Animal Hospital. He is also an active member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association.

LeeAnn Ducey, Veterinary Technician

LeeAnn, fondly known to her peers as our Cat Whisperer, has over 38 years of experience that ranges from mixed animal practice, shelter work, embryo transfer in cattle and small animal medicine. LeAnn is Elm Point’s senior technician, purchasing agent and is responsible for the feline boarding facility.

In 1970, LeeAnn graduated from Central Carolina Technical College as a Vet Technician. LeeAnn enjoys caring for the infirm senior pets, especially cats. She is always looking for ways to make Elm Point a more comfortable and fun environment for your cats.

Carol Hirt, Business Manager & Licensed Veterinary Technician 

Carol has been working in the veterinarian field since 1976. She graduated as a licensed veterinary technician from Michigan State University. While she is more on the business end than direct patient care, Carol finds time to sneak puppy hugs and kisses. Carol's love for animals has been apparent since her childhood. She enjoys working at Elm Point Animal Hospital because of the great doctors and staff whose dedication to animals shine through every day.

Carol moved to Missouri from Michigan in 2004 with her husband Tim, 2 dogs, Maggie & Spero, and her cat Issac, whose nickname is MC "movie critic". In her spare time, Carol enjoys gardening, reading, traveling, spending time with her 3 beautiful granddaughters and watching NASCAR.

Sherry Taul, Receptionist

Sherry has over 15 years as a veterinary receptionist. For six years, she volunteered at a wildlife center and greatly enjoyed her experience. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her four footed family that includes four dogs and two cats.

Laurie Beste, Veterinary Technician & Receptionist

Laurie B has been working in the veterinarian field since 1989. She enjoys working at Elm Point Animal Hospital because of the great doctors and the new pets she meets daily. Laurie B loves spending time with her husband and cat.

Laurie Tollefsrund

Laurie has been working with Elm Point for the past 6 years. She enjoys the variety her work offers on a daily basis and truly believes in the medicine Dr. Lange & Dr. Little practice. She has always had a passion with working with animals.

Aside from work, Laurie has a wonderful husband, 2 children and 3 pets of her own. In her spare time, she enjoys learning about different habits of different species of animals.

Becky Salmanowicz, Professional Groomer

Becky has been a professional groomer for the past four and half years. She received her grooming certificate from the Pet Smart School of Grooming. She really enjoys being able to work with all the animals at Elm Point Animal Hospital on a daily basis, especially when she gets to know a client and their pet really well.

Becky has two dogs, 2 parakeets, and a dwarf Rabbit. In her spare time, Becky enjoys reading, watching movies and singing.

Vicky, Kennel Assistant

Vicki has years of experience working with animals. Currently, she is the Kennel Assistant at Elm Point Animal Hospital. Vicky lives with her husband, two children and Pit Bull named Baley. She enjoys learning new things everyday at Elm Point Animal Hospital and promises to make your animals stay comfortable, just as if they were at home.

Shana Bendawald, Registered Veterinary Technician

Shana graduated from the Vet Tech Institute at Hickey College in 2008. She met the Elm Point staff while on her externship and has been part of the family since. Shana enjoys working at Elm Point because of the dedicated and caring staff.

Shana has been married for 4 years, has 2 boys, Jakob & Shane, and is expecting her third boy in May 2010. In addition, she has 4 furry children; a cat named Mr. Fluffy pants and three dogs named Rollen (lab mix), Lucky (beagle) and Bailey (basset hound). In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, scrapbooking and reading.

Kelli Moreno, Registered Veterinary Technician

Kelli graduated as a Registered Veterinary Technician from Bel-Rea in 2007. She loves the challenge of helping and understanding animals when they cannot speak and say what is wrong. Kelli loves the staff, great atmosphere and new facility that Elm Point offers.

Kelli has 1 dog named Whiskey and 1 cat named Boyfriend. In her spare time, Kelli enjoys playing rec volleyball and softball.

April Bilyeu, Registered Veterinary Technician

At the age of 13, April began volunteering at a local animal clinic as she realized her calling was to help care for animals. She loves the high quality veterinarian care Elm Point provides and could not ask for better team members.

April is married to her husband Jason, has 2 children, Savanna & Mason, and has 3 pit bulls. She hopes to continue her education and become involved in community outreach programs. In addition, she is considering a second job, teaching a class of future technicians at Sanford Brown College.

Robin Messmer, Kennel Staff

Robin has been apart of the Elm Point team since 2009. The site of a wagging tail warms her heart and she fully believes on spoiling pets during their stay in the kennel. Robin enjoys working in a friendly atmoshphere that is committed to clients and their pets.

Robin has 4 children and 4 grandchildren. In addition, she has 3 dogs named Geronimo, Maximus & Snowbelle, 2 cats named Oliver & Wicked and 2 horses named Independence & Neera. Robin also cares for a variety of farm animals on the property next to her home.

Jill Unverferth, Veterinary Assistant & Receptionist

Jill has 6 years of experience as a receptionist and full-time technician. She loves working at Elm Point because of all the great clients and their pets, as she has always had a strong love and passion for animals.

She has 3 dogs named Phoebe (Schnoodle), Chloe (Maltihuahua) and Daisy (Yorki Poo) as well as a black cat named Steve. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her pets, reading, cleaning and being with her family.

Amy Klatch, Kennel Assistant, Kennel Staff

Amy has been with Elm Point since June of 2009. She takes care of the animals simply because she loves animals! Amy lives at home with her mom, dad and 2 younger sisters. She has 3 dogs; 2 Yorkies named Berlioz and Bella, and a yellow Lab named Dutchess. In her spare time she loves watching shows like One Tree Hill and CSI New York. She also enjoys spending time with her dogs and getting together for special events with her family.

Karen Sommerhalder

Ever since she can remember, Karen has had a loving passion for animals. She feels that she has found a passionate and caring staff to further her career with at Elm Point Animal Hospital. Her favorite things to do at work are laboratory analysis and assisting with surgeries. Karen has four cats: Louis, Tucker, Dolly and a new kitten; one dog named Emma; and two horses Shaenee and Dakota, which she rides competitively. Karen has been riding and training horses for 16 years. In addition to her passion for animals, Karen is the lead female vocalist for her dad's band. Eventually, she hopes to enter several singing contests.

Connie Blake

After 13 years as a flight attendant, I found myself asking my two dogs to help me figure out what it is I want to be when I grew up. To them, the answer was simple. So, I took the big step of going back to school to become a registered veterinary technician. After graduating Bel-Rea Institute in 2007, I moved to Missouri to be closer to family. I am currently engaged, and between us, we share our home with 3 dogs and 3 cats.

Angie Roach

Angie has been working in the veterinary field since 2001. She has experience working with small animals as well as large animals. Angie worked in the corporate insurance industry for two years and decided she missed working with animals and chose to get back in the animal field doing what she loves. Angie received her Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice in 2008.

Angie has been married for 2 years to her husband Kevin and has a little baby girl Camryn. In addition to a new baby she has a black lab, Mr. Bojangles and a chocolate lab Bailey. In her spare time she loves spending time with her family and taking the dogs to the park to swim.

Beth Edwards, Veterinary Technician