Dr. Phil grew up surrounded by animals including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, horses and chickens so it wasn’t a difficult decision for him to apply to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Canada. After graduating in 1994, he traded in the snowy Canadian winters for the sweltering summers of Las Vegas where he worked at an animal clinic for 12 years, focusing on small animal medicine. The bright lights of Vegas started to fade so he moved to Los Angeles and enjoyed the starry lights of that city for nearly ten years, working at a small animal clinic in Sherman Oaks. During this time, he worked on his “other full time job” which is a nonprofit supporting scholarships for underprivileged youth in northern Cambodia. He founded the Savong Foundation in 2011 and he returns to Cambodia at least once yearly to meet with his students and staff.

After taking a sabbatical during which time he volunteered in India with the Humane Society International, he accepted a position with Animal Samaritans and a year later, joined the staff at VCA Desert. His passion is small animal medicine and he strives to give the best customer experience he can.

Outside of work, he loves photography, crossfit and exploring different cultures. To ease the stress of long workdays, he comes home to an incredibly handsome Pekingese rescue named Chan.