Dr. Eric Winchester was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Florida in 1965, after which he went to work for the State of Florida Division of Occupational Health as a chemist. He married Jacksonville native, Janis, in 1966. In 1968 he entered Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, the only veterinary school in the Southeast at the time. Through veterinary school he worked for the Alabama State Toxicology Laboratory as a clinical toxicologist. Dr. Winchester received his D.V.M. from Auburn University in 1972 at which time he entered into general practice at Murray Hill Animal Hospital on Jacksonville’s Westside. His first son, Rod, was born that year. In 1975, Dr. Winchester and his wife Janis opened Julington Creek Animal Hospital as a combined practice for both small and large animals – the first in the area. Shortly thereafter, their second son, Jason, was born. At that time, San Jose Boulevard was only a two-lane country road with mostly horse farms dotting the landscape. As Mandarin grew, so did the small pet population. Julington Creek Animal Hospital shifted its focus to an exclusively small animal practice in the mid-1980’s. Since that time, the practice has grown to five veterinarians including 16-year Julington Creek associate Dr. Cahill and Dr. Winchester’s son, Dr. Rod. In August 2002, Julington Creek Animal Walk opened as the first Dog Park in Duval county and Northeast Florida’s most spacious luxury pet resort and spa. Dr. Winchester’s professional interests include orthopedic and soft tissue surgery. His personal interests include fishing and traveling, particularly in Belize. His other family members include Babar the Rottweiler; Goldie the cat; Lola the French Bulldog, and Pedro, a blue and gold macaw.

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Dr. Jack Cahill was born in Waterford, Ireland. He was raised in Dublin, Dundalk, and Limerick, and graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in Ballsbridge, Dublin (1966) with his B.V.M. and M.R.C.V.S. During University holidays he worked in London and New York to gain valuable experience. He worked on horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs in his own large and small animal practice in the east of Ireland. He worked as a pathologist for three years prior to immigrating to America in 1988. His first, and only, career in America has been as an associate at Julington Creek Animal Hospital. His interests are all creatures great and small, people, reading poetry, and traveling. He is married to Professor Eileen Maguire who teaches English Literature and Irish Fiction at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. His three children are Portia and Penelope, two English Springer Spaniels, and a cat named Phoebe.

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Dr. Rod Winchester was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from Bolles High School in 1990; obtained a B.S. in Marine Biology from Mississippi State University in 1994; and received his D.V.M. from Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. During school, Dr. Rod studied marine mammal veterinary medicine in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and participated in veterinary externships in the cities of Cincinnati, Honolulu, and Miami. He entered into general practice with his father immediately after graduation in May of 1998. His professional interests include dermatology and gastroenterology of dogs and cats for which he has received post-graduate training. He is also interested in the evolving role of the veterinary profession in political and social issues. He served as president of the Jacksonville Veterinary Medical Society from 2003-2004, and is actively involved locally in veterinary medical policies. He married Jacksonville native, Shawn, in 1999, and they have two sons, Reef Jonas and Kai Ryder. Dr. Rod's outside interests include surfing, snowboarding, and scuba diving. Other family members include two Chihuahuas, Bruiser and Rita.

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Dr. Zuleika Cotto was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She’s had a love for animals since she was a child. She began her interest in animal health by completing her A.S. degree from the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo. She moved to Oklahoma in 1997 and received her Animal Science B.S. degree in 2001 from Oklahoma State University. She completed her D.V.M. degree in 2004. Dr. Cotto furthered her studies after graduation by completing an internship in Food Animal Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Cotto enjoyed the Florida sunshine and decided to stay. She worked in a mixed animal practice on the west side of Jacksonville before joining the Julington Creek Animal Hospital team. Dr. Cotto has two Dachshunds named Chucky and Beebop who enjoy playing in the Julington Creek Animal Walk swimming pool.

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Dr. Maria del Mar Guzman was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After graduating from high school she worked in a veterinary practice as a veterinary assistant while completing her B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico. She completed her D.V.M. degree in June of 2007 from The Ohio State University. While in veterinary school, Dr. Guzman worked with Rural Area Veterinary Services performing free spay and neuters for pets around the United States. Her personal interests include playing the guitar, singing, painting, and traveling. She relocated to Jacksonville in July of 2007 and lives with her dog Alice, a Border Collie/Husky mix who was a shelter rescue.