Peter Helmbrecht

Practice Owner, DVM

Dr. Peter Helmbrecht graduated from the University of Wisconsin – School of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. He has been with Northside Pet Hospital since 2015. He enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine, especially preventative care and internal medicine.

Dr. Helmbrecht is a native of the area, growing up on a small farm south of Eau Claire. It was there that he discovered his love of all kinds of animals. Outside of work, his hobbies include fishing, golfing, and racquetball. He and his wife, Gloria, raised three children and enjoy traveling across the country to visit their children and grandchildren. Dr. Helmbrecht is pictured with his English Setter, Huxley.

David Menard

DVM, CCRT

Dr. David Menard was born and raised in Wheaton Township, Chippewa County. He grew up on a large dairy/beef farm. He attended Regis High School, and then went to UWEC where he received his B.S. in Zoology and Chemistry. 

He then attended the University of Minnesota, where he obtained a B.S. in Veterinary Science in 1981, and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree in 1983. He did relief work from 1983-1987 in the area. In 1987 he opened Northside Pet Hospital. 

Dr. Menard lives with his wife Bonnie, and their dog Elliott (pictured). He enjoys Model Railroading in N-Scale, Military History, spending time with his grandkids, traveling, and hiking.

Hannah D. - Assistant Manager
Hannah grew up in Ladysmith, Wisconsin where she discovered her love for animals on her parent’s hobby farm as well as volunteering at the local animal shelter. She has raised and cared for a number of animals including: cows, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, and an array of exotic pets. She then moved to Eau Claire to attend Chippewa Velley Technical College, where she graduated with honors and an Associate’s Degree in Administration with an emphasis in health care. In Hannah’s free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, crafting, getting tattoos, and spending time with friends and family. Hannah is pictured with her rescue dog, Otter.

Katie T. - Certified Veterinary Technician
Katie grew up just outside of Siren, WI. She has always known that she wanted to work with animals ever since she was a little girl. She would read fictional vet books and watch vet shows for fun. Katie graduated with her Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology from Northwood Technical Collage in August of 2023. While in school, she also worked as a kennel tech at the Humane Society of Burnett County gaining more hands-on experience working with animals. After graduation, she took her VTNE and became certified in November, 2023. In her free time, Katie likes watching Kdramas, hiking, and spending time with her family. She currently has a Goldendoodle named Ember and two cats named Benji and Finley (pictured).

Andrea S. - Veterinary Technician
Andrea was born and raised in Park Falls, WI. and has loved being around animals for as long as she can remember. She attended Globe University and graduated in 2014 with her Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology. In her free time, she loves being at home with her three children making memories together. Their favorite activity to do as a family is having movie/game nights. Andrea currently has a plethora of animals at home. She has two dogs: Luna and Dobby, three Sphynx cats: Somber, Severus, and Ghost, and a bearded dragon named Khaleesi.

Shelby S. - Veterinary Technician
Shelby grew up in Merrill, WI. She started watching Animal Planet and shows like Houston ASPCA as a young kid. She knew then that she would end up working in vet med. Shelby graduated from Northcental Technical College and received her Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology in 2025. She has worked in the veterinary field since spring of 2023 as both a receptionist as well as a veterinary assistant. In her free time, she enjoys going hiking, camping and exploring around Lake Superior with her family. She also enjoys going to concerts, reading books, training her dog, and taking him swimming. She currently has a four-year-old Labrador/Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix named Tucker (pictured).

Jade S. - Veterinary Assistant
Jade graduated from Animal Behavior College with her Veterinary Assistant Certificate in 2023. She is currently enrolled in the Vet Tech program through Penn Foster. In her free time, she really enjoys being outside. Hiking and kayaking are some of her favorite summer activities. She also likes to read as much as possible. Jade currently has two cats: Captain and Luna (pictured). They are both four-years-old and full of energy!

Addisyn O. - Veterinary Assistant
Addisyn grew up in Colfax, WI. She has been riding horses since before she could walk, which is what sparked her interest in animals. She attended Chippewa Valley Technical College and graduated with her Associates degree in Animal Science Management in 2023. She has also worked with children that have behavioral issues by teaching them how to handle horses as a form of therapy. Addi loves to spend her free time riding and training horses. She also enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with friends and family. She has quite a few animals at home: a four-year-old Blue Heeler named Dually (pictured), a one-year-old black named Onyx, three cats named Kahlua, Tiny Bliss, and Saffron, along with four horses: Willow, Otis, Buddy, and Bingo.

Kaylee C. - Veterinary Assistant
Kaylee was born and raised in Chippewa Falls, WI. She has always loved animals and knew from an early age that she wanted to help as many animals have the best life possible. She got her start working with animals at a boarding facility. She worked there for almost three years before she decided she wanted to transition to the vet med side of animal care. In her free time, Kaylee likes camping, kayaking, and having bonfires. She also likes reading, baking, scrapbooking, and being with friends and family. She currently has a two-year-old Turtle named Shelly and two Nigerian Dwarf goats named Aspen and Maple. Kaylee is pictured with her family dog, Letty, a three-year-old golden retriever

Mikayla M. - Client Service Representative 
Mikayla grew up in the small town of Poplar, WI on a 40-acre hobby farm. In high school, she was involved in the local 4-H club, bred and raised Holland Lops, and did projects with dogs, cats, and horses. She then went onto college and graduated from WITC with high honors and an Associate’s degree in Business Management. After college, she worked at Superior Animal Hospital for three years in their boarding area as well as A Place for Fido, a pet supply store in Duluth. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, and canoeing. She has hiked many state parks and trails. She also likes to bike to work when the weather is nice and go to the gym on weekends. Mikayla currently has two dogs: Berlin, a German Shephard, and Charlie, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, as well as two cats named Ginger and Pepper.

Brittany H. - Client Service Representative
Brittany grew up in Cadott, WI on a small hobby farm. They had all kinds of animals including ducks, chickens, and cows. She and her siblings would always bring home stray animals as well. Brittany has worked in customer service since she was 16 years old and is a very dependable and hard worker, making her a great fit for our team! In her free time, she loves to go thrift and antique shopping and likes to collect old, colored glassware. She also likes to go camping and being in the water. Brittany currently has three cats at home. Yamms and Sweet Potato, who are five-year-old brothers, and Boots who is twelve-years-old.

Brooke H. - Client Service Representative
Brooke was born and raised here in Eau Claire. A lot of her family had pets when she was younger and she was finally able to talk her mom into letting her get a cat when she was 11-years-old. She has loved having animals as part of the family ever since! Brooke enjoys cooking and taking her dog for walks. She also loves being outside, gardening, and playing games with her son in their backyard. They currently have an eight-year-old Goldendoodle named Molly, a three-year-old cat named Remy, and a one-year-old mini Aussie/Yorkie-poo named Murphy. 

Amanda M - Client Service Representative
Amanda grew up in Gravestown, Mississippi and recently relocated to Wisconsin. She has always had animals growing up and loves the joy they bring to her life. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors camping, hiking, and being on the water. She also likes to work out and lift weights. Amanda currently has a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Charlie who is two-years-old.

Thomas - Clinic Cat - Rest in peace sweet boy, May 30, 2019.
Thomas is one of the most affectionate cats you will find. Sit in our lobby and Thomas is bound to be in your lap giving you BIG HUGS, whether you are a cat person or not. He is very demanding. Tommy is 18 years old and joined our team 2005.

Sam - Clinic Cat
Sam 1995 - 2012, Our long time clinic cat and friend sadly passed away in November 2012. He joined our staff in 1997 and has supervised all the comings and goings ever since. He will be missed but not forgotten.