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.

Jolene

Veterinary Assistant.
Jolene is currently a senior at Williamsfield High school, after graduation, she plans to attend Western Illinois University in the pre-veterinary path. She has two pit bulls, Oliver and Roscoe, and a cat, Nubby. Along with these pets, she has a couple of horses and a ferret, Poppet. In her free time, she enjoys trail riding, hunting, and participating in any FFA activities!

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.

Mikayla

Mikayla was raised on a small farm near Reynolds, where she grew up with all kinds of animals: dogs, cats, Guinea pigs, “regular” pigs, rabbits, ducks, turkeys, chickens, goats, two sisters, and the occasional cow. After completing the Veterinary Assistant program at Black Hawk East in 2023, she joined the team at Wags and Whiskers. Mikayla is living the “city life” now in Elmwood, where she lives with her boyfriend, Rhett, cats Misty and Daphne, and a snail named Gary.

Marisa

Veterinary Receptionist.
Marisa is originally from Freeport, Il, Moved to Peoria, il in 2014 and is currently living in Yates City, il with her fiancée Chris and her first child Waylon. Rural living is a bit of an adjustment but she’s loving every second if it. Since she was a little girl she’s has always had a passion for animals of any size, or species. She even saves the spiders in her home (not including the ones she has as pets)! She has three rescue dogs, a few kitties too. 
She enjoys working at Wags and Whiskers because our team is caring and patient with each other as well as our patients, if there’s ever anywhere to have a work family Wags is it! Dr. Janelle has also been a blessing to get to know and Doc’s knowledge and ability to teach the people around her is something Marisa values a lot. She is never too busy to explain and teach her staff and clients. 

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!

Kaitlynn

Kaitlynn graduated from Black Hawk College in May of 2023 and became a certified veterinary technician in July of the same year. She has always loved animals, from her first dog Pumpkin, to her parents’ dogs Toby and Spencer (and most recently Rippley), to her Pomsky Arya with her two cats Luke and Maisie. In her spare time, you can find her loving on her fur babies as well as helping her friends and family with their animals. She also enjoys reading and discovering new shows to watch in her free time. Kaitlynn loves what she does and loves the team here at Wags & Whiskers!

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.