About Stride
The Back Story
In 2016 Janice McConnell, DVM, CCRT, cVMA and Kristin Wolter, CVT, CCRA, CCFT started up a conversation about working together in canine physical rehabilitation. In 2017 it became reality after successfully acquiring the canine rehabilitation business Pawsitive Strides, which had been owned and operated by Bend Veterinary Specialists. Ever since, Stride has become an integral part of the veterinary community in Central Oregon.
In 2019 we moved from the small 800 square foot space into a a now quickly shrinking 2400 square foot space. We and have also added full and part time staff members in order to meet the needs of the community. We continue to strive to provide the best physical rehabilitation practices for our clients and their pets, always developing our own skills and understanding of the many intricacies of canine physical rehabilitation.
Providing passionate rehabilitation solutions that enhance the unique bond you share with your pet.
About the owners
Janice McConnell obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 2003 from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and BiomedicalSciences. Including her internship in emergency & critical care, Janice worked as an emergency medicine veterinarian for 14 years.
Sparked by a strong interest in pain management and opportunities to vastly improve the quality of life for aging and post-operative pets, Janice has devoted the last several years of her career focused in the field of physical rehabilitation.She obtained certification in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture (cVMA) in 2014, and became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT) in early 2016 through the Canine Rehab Institute. She operated her own mobile rehabilitation and acupuncture business in Denver, Colorado before returning to Bend in 2017 to join Kristin in establishing Stride.
Janice finds the ultimate satisfaction in helping pets live more comfortable and active lives and is inspired daily by the Stride team, all of whom are genuinely dedicated to offering comfort, compassion, and guidance to our amazing patients and clients.
Outside of work, Janice enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring with her husband, two sons, and dogs. The cat and gecko are fortunately not subjected to her pleas of outside time.
Kristin Wolter, CVT, CCRA, CCFT has been in the veterinary medical field since 1993 working her way through various positions while attending school part time. As she gained experience in the field, she felt it was a natural fit for her. She successfully challenged and passed the national veterinary technician exam about 10 years later. She has a wide range of experience working in equine practice, mixed animal practice, small animal referral practice and now canine physical rehabilitation and canine fitness.
In 2008, Kristin acquired her certification as a physical rehabilitation nurse through the Canine Rehab Institute. Her professional interests include gait analysis, functional exercise for dogs and canine sport fitness. Kristin is pursuing certifications in canine massage therapy and myofascial release techniques in order to better help her patients feel their best.
While not at work, Kristin enjoys training and competing in agility as well as training competitive obedience with the goal of competing someday. She is a bonafide dog training geek, with substantial interest in canine behavior and positive reinforcement training techniques. Other activities she enjoys with her dogs and partner, Ron, include camping, hiking and photography when she has time.
Meet Our Team
We are proud to present one of the most caring and compassionate veterinary rehabilitation teams you will find. When you combine compassion with a vast breadth of knowledge and experience that each individual brings to the table, you get a team that is more than ready to provide the best possible care for each client and patient.
Rachelle Hein, CVT
Rachelle graduated from the Veterinary Technician Program at Madison Area Technical College in 2003. Since then, she’s worked in small animal general practice, mixed animal general practice, and small animal emergency medicine. Her interest in rehabilitation and fitness work developed during her time working in veterinary emergency practice, when she agreed to foster an injured stray who required orthopedic surgery. She joined the team at Stride in November 2020. Rachelle has a strong interest in animal behavior, training, fear free handling, senior and geriatric fitness. Rachelle has three dogs; Australian shepherds Misha and Rowena, and border collie/whippet mix Kevin Tran, the “foster” who never left. Rachelle and the dogs live in a little house in Redmond lorded over by a Machiavellian cat named Meg. Rachelle enjoys hiking with her dogs, dabbling in a variety of dog training disciplines, reading, and writing fiction. As evidenced by the names she chooses for her dogs, she has an affinity for the T.V. show Supernatural, and more often than not has an episode playing in the the background.
Lani Nichol, Client Services and Assistant
A native Central Oregonian, Lani graduated with Bachelors degree in Kinesiology from OSU Cascades. She joined Stride in 2020 and brings a wonderful fusion of experience after previously working in both human physical therapy practice as well as specialty veterinary practice. Lani is pursuing both her Canine Massage Certification as well as certification to become a Canine Rehabilitation Assistant.
When she's not working Lani spend most of her time at family events of all sorts - including highly competitive water wars in the summer. Her favorite activities, include water sports (rafting, wake boarding, knee boarding), family activities (camping, bowling, board and card games), horse back riding and spending time with her 2 dogs LayC Lou and Mikah Mike.
Samantha Campisi, Client Services
Samantha moved from the East Coast of the United States to Central Oregon in 2016 in hopes of new experiences and to see what the Pacific Northwest is all about. What was going to be a temporary move, turned into an unexpected home and fondness for life in the high desert.
Samantha joined Stride in 2021, taking a position as a client services representative. A previous client, she learned the ins and outs of physical rehabilitation with her own dog, Dobby, a few years before joining the team. With previous experience in hospitality, education, and animal welfare, she is well equipped to support our clients, patients and staff.
When not at work, Samantha and her dog can be found running, hiking, or playing volleyball throughout Central Oregon.