Meet our Doctor and Team
"Gidget" Ziegenbalg family doggie
Gidget is BVC's greeter and she loves saying hello to all our clients and their furry friends!
Meet "Kona"! She is the Ziegenbalg family's newest addition!
Dr. Brett Ziegenbalg, D.V.M. (Practice Owner)
Dr. Ziegenbalg (Dr. Z), graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Environmental Biology. After graduation he was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy and served as a Naval Intelligence Officer providing support to NATO operations in Bosnia, Rwanda and the middle east. He received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and is a member of Phi Zeta. Dr. Z has special interests in preventative medicine, minimally invasive surgery, ultrasound and endoscopy. He loves the challenge of being proactive rather than reactive and trying to prevent problems before they happen. Dr. Z considers it a great privilege to take care of his patients, interact with and assist their owners to help provide longevity and quality of life for their pets. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his wife Brandy and daughter Elise in the outdoors. On days off he can be found in the Cascade range north to the Coast range of British Columbia; ski mountaineering, heli-skiing and keeping up with his daughter on the mountain; who likes to jump off everything-like her dad! They have Gidget (pictured above), a toy poodle who you may see if you come into the clinic and Kona an old english golden doodle. She is our happy greeter.
Meet our Team
Burlingame Veterinary Clinic's team are experienced, and happy to take care of all our patient and client needs.
Practice Manager
Brandy Ziegenbalg
Brandy, Dr. Z's wife, has loved animals since she was very young. She has many years of experience in all facets of companion animal veterinary practice. Brandy attended Baptist School of Nursing in 2006 and became a surgical technician and worked in human general, orthopedic and ophthalmic surgery for 5 yrs. Brandy and Dr. Z married in June of 2006 and later had their daughter Elise in 2010. Brandy and Dr. Z built and started their own practice in Arkansas in 2007, where she was the practice manager. Brandy has enjoyed getting to know all the clients and their furry companions. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, baking, hiking, traveling and snow skiing. You might even catch Gidget (Toy Poodle) in the clinic and their sweet daughter Elise, who loves to help with the patients.
CLIENT RELATIONS/VETERINARY ASSISTANT
Brenda
Veterinary Technician
Kristin
Kristin came to work with the BVC team in February of 2016. She is a native Portlander and has been working in the Veterinary field for 20 years. Above is a picture with her late lab mix "Mark" and her kitty "Randy". Kristin has been married to her wonderful husband Martin for 22 years. She and Martin love to go swimming, hiking, camping and canoeing in their spare time. Kristin takes pride in caring for all her patients and enjoys her job. We are very happy to have her on our team!
Lead Veterinary Technician
Spencer
Veterinary Technician Spencer moved to Portland from Southern California in 2021 with her wife and animal kiddos. This includes their fur son Wyatt (featured above), two cats Chai and Titan, and Green Wing Macaw, Rose. Before moving to Portland and working at BVC, she went to school and earned a degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management to then become a Great Ape Zookeeper caring for Gorillas, Orangutans and a variety of different primates. She then transitioned into the veterinary field 5 years ago working with dogs, cats and exotic animals. She loves everything to do with caring for animals. On her days off, Spencer loves taking Wyatt out to explore and binge watching Harry Potter. We are very happy to have Spencer with us. She has been with us since May of 2022.
Veterinary Technician
Sandia
Sandia was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. After studying animal science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and starting veterinary school at the University of Sydney, Australia, she decided to take a step back from schooling to gain more experience in the field and has been working as a vet tech for the past 6 years. She moved to Portland in November of 2021 with her boyfriend, two cats, and two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, arts and crafts, and trying to keep her indoor plants alive. She joined BVC in December of 2022. We are very happy to have Sandia on our team!
Erika
Erika made the journey from California to Portland after graduating in 2020 with her degree in Wildlife Management and Conservation. She started her first job in the veterinary field that summer and quickly realized she also had a passion for helping people’s personal pets. Now nearly 4 years down the line she’s still learning new skills and putting them to the test as a tech.
When she’s not helping out at the clinic she enjoys spending time with her family (especially two young nieces!), exploring all the beautiful birdwatching spots the Pacific Northwest has to offer, or cuddling up with Olive (her pomeranian) and a good book.
Erika joined the BVC team February of 2024. We are happy to have her!