Meet Our Staff

Dr. Gary Haver began working in animal hospitals at the age of 14. He launched his veterinary career in 1996 after graduating from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, having earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1992.

Since graduating, Dr. Haver has worked as an associate veterinarian, medical director, and relief doctor in New York, Maryland, and California. He has also provided services for county animal shelters in San Diego and currently co-owns Peaceful Passing, an in-home pet euthanasia service.

Dr. Haver resides in Carlsbad with his wife Dana, their three dogs, TJ, Mickey, and Powder, and their cat Charlie. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, SCUBA diving, fishing, sailing, and martial arts.

Dr. Michele Greer grew up in upstate New York. She received her Bachelor’s degree in biology after attending the State University of New York at Buffalo and San Diego State University. After graduating from Mississippi State University in 1998 with her doctorate in veterinary medicine, she practiced at large multi-doctor practices in Costa Mesa and in Del Mar.

She later decided to do relief veterinary work and pursue interests in holistic medicine. She attended Parker Chiropractic College in Dallas for animal chiropractic care and trained in veterinary acupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in San Diego. Dr. Greer’s other special interests include preventative medicine, dermatology, and dentistry.
Dr. Greer resides in Oceanside with her mixed breed border collie, Mindy Sue who is now retired from doing agility. Dr. Greer can be found riding her frisky grey Arab, Juliet whenever time permits.

Born in Lanaken, Belgium, Dr. Caroline Defresne (pronounced De Fren), speaks Dutch, English, French, some Spanish and a little bit of Danish. She is from “Flanders” where the people speak Dutch but her grandfather was from the French speaking part of Belgium, hence the French sounding last name.

Dr. Defresne, or Dr. Caroline, graduated cum laude with a degree in Veterinary Medicine in June 2004, and then earned a Master in Laboratory Animal Science in 2006, both at the University of Ghent, Belgium. The University of Ghent has ranked first place in Veterinary Science by the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World University.

Dr. Defresne worked in veterinary hospitals in Belgium and The Netherlands with both companion and large animals before moving to the United States several years ago. She met her husband, who is from Denmark, in Maastricht at their local softball club. They relocated to Southern California for her husband’s work and after spending some time looking for the perfect property, they have made Valley Center their home.

After first having volunteered and fostered for the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) in Escondido, she then worked for SDHS as a vet tech while completing the ECFVG program to obtain a USA / California DVM license. She has a special interest in care for very young kittens and puppies through her shelter work, and in positive reinforcement training through training her own puppy/ young dog.

Dr. Defresne and her husband have a four-legged child named Abby, a 13 inch Beagle or “Pocket Beagle”, who is extremely loved and a tiny bit spoiled. In her spare time, she enjoys doing K9 nosework (“scentwork”) with Abby and competing in NCSAW nosework trials. She also loves traveling, exploring nature, wildlife photography, and reading. On her Bucket list: to visit every National Park in the U.S.

Dr. Amber Brown, a Southern California native, has dreamt of becoming a veterinarian since she was 5 years old. She pursued her passion by earning an animal science degree with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2004. In 2009, she achieved her goal by receiving her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Western University of Health Sciences, the only veterinary school in Southern California.

Following her graduation, Dr. Brown was accepted into a prestigious internship at California Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, where she trained under specialists in internal medicine, surgery, cardiology, neurology, and emergency medicine. Over the years, she has honed her skills as an associate and relief veterinarian in Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Dr. Brown is thrilled to join the team at Sky Canyon Animal Hospital and looks forward to continuing her growth in the veterinary field. She has a particular interest in internal medicine, cardiology, preventative medicine, dentistry, and small exotic mammal medicine.

In her personal life, Dr. Brown is the guardian of four cats, a rabbit, and a tortoise, and the proud parent of a spirited toddler son who keeps her on her toes.

Jesse Jennings, RVT, is the co-owner of Sky Canyon Animal Hospital. This marks his first ownership role in animal care after earning his necessary certifications and dedicating hundreds of hours to medically caring for animals.