Staff

Dr. Wood received her DVM degree in 1995 from the University of Madison-Wisconsin. After graduation, she moved to the Twin Cities area where she has provided small animal veterinary services in a high traffic, busy practice in the south metro for over 20 years. She loves surgery, wellness care, educating owners and facilitating the human animal bond. She also has experience at a high volume spay and neuter clinic and worked at MN pets where she performed at home euthanasia and hospice care. Dr. Wood is very excited to continue caring for the existing clients as well as welcoming new ones. She lives in Lakeville with her husband, 2 daughters, 4 dogs, and 2 cats.

Dr. Schaefer is a Minnesota native that joined the Peace of Mind Veterinary Care family in July 2016. She graduated from the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2016. When the chance to study abroad in Scotland for vet school presented itself, she didn’t hesitate to accept the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dr. Schaefer has been active in the veterinary field for the past sixteen years, first as a veterinary technician with Dr. Wood before and when on breaks from vet school. She is extremely excited to continue offering high quality medicine and care to her patients. Dr. Schaefer has interests in surgery, new pet education, dentistry, and internal medicine. Dr. Schaefer looks forward to meeting new clients while optimizing the health of their animal family members. Outside of work, she enjoys going to concerts, kayaking, seeing new movies, and spending time with her family, including her two domestic short haired cats, Bennee and Beans, and her wiggly, spunky bulldog, Bubba. 

Dr. Torvik returned home to Minnesota after graduating from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in Saint Kitts and Nevis and spending a year in Southern Illinois. Originally born and raised in the south suburbs of the Twin Cities, he loved the area so much that coming back home was an obvious choice! Dr. Torvik has been part of the veterinary community since 2015 where he began as a veterinary assistant at a clinic in south Minneapolis, though his passion for the care of animals can be traced back to well before then! Professionally, Dr. Torvik is interested in bringing exotic animal care (small mammals, birds, and reptiles!) to Peace of Mind, as well as reinforcing his other interests in small animal dentistry and client education.  When not at work, Dr. Torvik enjoys board games, video games, cooking, the occasional movie, and the rare book where time permits.

Shahyla (aka Shy) is a Certified Veterinary Technician, and our Practice Manager. She graduated from Argosy University in 2014 with a degree in Veterinary Technology and has been working in the veterinary field for 11 years in both large and small animal. Shy is married and has 1 daughter, they share a small ranch with cows, goats, chickens, horses, a cat named Pancho and their Australian cattle dog named Colt. They enjoy outdoor activities including horseback riding, socializing with friends and spending time with all their animals.

Kira has been passionate about animal care her entire life. She has a BA in Biology, was a ZooKeeper in Phoenix for 5 years, and attended Argosy University for Veterinary Technology. In her free time, Kira enjoys fibers arts like quilting, spinning yarn, and knitting, as well as taking weekend trips to the North Shore to explore the waterfalls. She recently bought her first house, and has discovered the joy of gardening as well. Kira is excited to continue her veterinary career here at Peace of Mind!

Lee is a Certified Veterinary Technician that started with our team in April 2019. After his beloved dog, Kiray, got sick, it was then that he wanted to help every kind of animal live a more fulfilling life. Lee graduated from Northwood Technical College in New Richmond, WI in December 2022 and obtained his certification in March 2023. He lives in Burnsville with his wife, dog Tulip, and cats Softball and Gandalf. He enjoys playing video games, traveling and anything Lord of the Rings.

Allie is a certified veterinary technician that started with our team in November 2020. She graduated from Dakota County Technical College in May 2019 with a degree in Veterinary Technology. She has been working in the field since 2017 in small animal practice. She has two cats - Nala, who is a sensitive soul calico, and Boo or also known as 'Boo Thang' who is a playful chunky (working on losing weight) black beauty. Her goal in life is to help all the animals that she can to ensure a long healthy life! 

Jayden's first job of being a kennel assistant in Oregon inspired her to pursue becoming a veterinary technician. She has been teching for almost 4 years and transferred her skills to Peace of Mind in June of 2021. She has been dirt biking for the past 5 years and enjoys hunting with her two chocolate labs, Rufus and Gunner. 

Shannon started helping out behind the scenes of Peace of Mind with boarding  in early 2016. She has since become a full time receptionist who loves greeting both human and animal guests. A born animal lover, she has experience volunteering at the Minnesota Zoo, working at a doggy daycare and boarding facility, as well as taking care of the many pets of her own. She spends her time reading, writing, and keeping track of her three cats Aria, Cthulhu, and Tintin, as well as her white-capped pionus parrot, Nikita.

Judy joined the Peace of Mind Veterinary Care family in 2017 after she became an empty nester. Blessed to have two beautiful  cats named Shechorah and Chemah, Judy knows that pets are part of the family. Judy enjoys greeting customers each day and providing them and their pets with care that she would want for her own family. Outside of work, Judy enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren and both of her kids who still live nearby. Judy lives in Savage with her husband Joel of 34 years. Enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Maciah only recently joined the Peace Of Mind Team and her favorite part of the job is getting to see all the adorable pets come in (especially the cats). She is a cat lover who recently moved to Minnesota from Michigan. In her free time she enjoys reading, drawing, and spoiling her three cats, Barney, Tsuki, and Nemo.

Julie is an accomplished boarding manager who loves animals. She grew up on a horse ranch in Arizona, moving to Minnesota in 1999. Julie was our boarding manager since the beginning of 2018 and has transitioned into our facilities manager since we have discontinued boarding. Her free time consists of spending time with her 4 dogs, 1 cat, and 4 adult children.