Dr. Janelle McFarland

Dr. McFarland graduated in 2004 from the University of Illinois, where she spent seven years working on her undergraduate degree and attending veterinary school. She grew up in the local area, spending half her childhood years in Yates City and the other half in Farmington. She currently resides in Elmwood with her three busy children, two quirky cats named Grady and Flash, and one Leopard Gecko named Harrison.

Dr. McFarland enjoys meeting new people and patients as well as seeing those she has had the pleasure of caring for over the years. She adores the small-town atmosphere where clients and patients become like extended family.

She has a huge love for the outdoors, including fishing and hunting. She also enjoys running, biking, skiing and lifting weights. When life affords her additional time, she loves to sew.

Makaela

Makaela graduated in 2016 from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. After graduation she returned to the area to play a more interactive role in her family’s grain and livestock farm. In addition to the livestock she cares for, she has two Labrador Retrievers, Ruger and Marley, a Labrador Retriever mix, Oakley, a cat, Ralphie, and a Lionhead Rabbit, Mr. Nibbles. 

In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family. She and her husband, Bryson, have a young son, Harrison. She also enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time outdoors.

Ellis

Veterinary Assistant.
Ellis has worked at Wags and Whiskers since May of 2022! She lives with her parents, brother, and sister on their family farm with all of their animals. They have 2 horses named Tripp and Cowboy, our 2 dogs Jasper and Leif, and 6 cats! She is a Sophomore at Williamsfield High School. Ellis hopes to continue working and studying in the veterinary field. Some of her hobbies include training horses, reading, and playing frisbee with her dog. What she most enjoys doing when working is assisting Dr. Janelle with exams and observing surgeries.

Hannah

Veterinary Assistant.
Hannah started with Wags in October of 2022 bringing with her 5 years of experience as a Veterinary Assistant and 5 years as an accredited dog trainer. In her spare time, you can find her driving around the countryside jammin to pop punk music or hanging out with her four amazing doggos (Lunah Byrd, Skeletor, Neelix and Samson). Hannah is currently in school to become a Certified Technician to be able to bring another level of expertise to our practice. Hannah loves helping our clients with their health and behavior needs!

Kim Paige

Kim lives in Elmwood with her husband Bob, their dog Willow, and their two kittens, Lucy and Ethel.  She has two grown children Nicholas (Brenda) and Elizabeth.  Kim likes to garden, both flowers and fruits/ vegetables.  She does a lot of canning (salsa, jams/jellies etc.). She and Bob take care of the landscaping and flowers for the city of Elmwood parks and streetscape. She loves to bake (especially cheesecakes), sew and read.  Kim also really likes photography and drawing as well.

Sierra

Sierra joined the Wags crew in 2023. She grew up with dogs and cats and other various critters and has loved animals from a young age. Sierra’s favorite part of working for Wags and Whiskers is being able to see pets grow up and progress. Off the clock, Sierra enjoys being in nature and spending time with friends, and her boyfriend, Lenny, and their 5 cats.

Abbie

Abbie is originally from Kewanee, IL where she began her career in veterinary medicine. Abbie has completed half of her studies to become a certified veterinary technician and plans to return in the fall of 2025. However, Abbie has 3 years of experience as a veterinary assistant! Abbie currently resides in La Fayette, IL with her boyfriend, Ty, and her two dogs, Athena (husky) and Thor (lab/husky), and her black DLH Gotham. She also has a very spoiled pet pot bellied pig named Rose, who is not so small. She plans to add chickens and goats and all sorts of other friends to the family in the future! Abbie absolutely adores animals of all kinds! In her free time, Abbie enjoys cooking, decorating, and spending time outdoors with her fur babies.

Lily

Lily is a student at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg. She began working at Wags and Whiskers in October 2024. After college she hopes to move to Montana and work at Glacier National Park as a park ranger. One of her favorite things to do is watch the tv series Yellowstone. She has two dogs named Oakley and Murphy. Oakley is a sheepadoodle and Murphy is a goldendoodle.

Mikka

Mikka recently moved to Illinois from Montana to be closer to family. She began working at Wags and Whiskers in August 2024. Her love for the veterinary field started back in 2019 and never left. She loves all her fur babies at home, 4 crazy cats and 1 German Shepard. She also has a baby of her own on the way.

Nathan

Sam

Sam is a 2-year-old Golden Retriever. He does not know a stranger, he will frequently flop himself over for scratches whenever there is a willing human. He has two feline housemates. He and his mom have a deep bond, goes with her to work each day and whenever she travels for pleasure, he joins.