Dr. Robert Calabrese, BVMS

Medical Director

Dr. Robert Calabrese (“Dr. Rob”) offers Firehouse Belterra clients a common sense approach to their pet’s medical care. He focuses on involving clients in patient care plans, communicating clearly, achieving positive outcomes, and educating clients to maintain health and happiness for pets at home. Clients enjoy Dr. Rob’s kindness, sense of humor, and empathy. Dr. Rob has a special interest in dentistry, nutrition, and preventive medicine.

To offer patients current and well-rounded treatment plans, Dr. Rob regularly reads research journals to keep abreast of industry trends. A seminar that stands out for him was the recent AFAST/TFAST Ultrasound course. He has also presented new web and vet tech ideas to a group of industry colleagues in London.

Dr. Rob earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M in 2009. He earned his veterinary degree at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He has a yellow lab named Birdie. On weekends, you’ll find the Calabrese family enjoying Austin’s live music scene or swimming in a Hill Country river.

Justin Nelson, BVetMed

Veterinarian

Dr Justin Nelson brings his personable and empathetic nature, coupled with extensive surgical, diagnostic, and emergency medicine capabilities, to every client and pet he meets.

Clients appreciate his logical method of approaching their concerns. They also love his way with pets: he calms dogs and cats by proceeding at each pet’s desired pace. He often examines dogs while with them on the floor and keeps cats in their carriers to help them stay comfortable.

To stay updated on the most recent developments in veterinary medicine, Dr Nelson attends his favorite annual conference, BSAVA Congress, where he is able to refresh his knowledge of all aspects of veterinary medicine while improving his surgical skills through participation in practical labs.

Originally from the US, Dr Nelson and his family spent a decade just north of London, where he attended the Royal Veterinary College. In his free time, Dr Nelson loves being with his family, his two dogs named, Toos (a Springer Labrador mix), and Neli (a Vizla Weimaraner mix), and two cats, Hibou (a Scottish fold) and TJ (a domestic shorthair). Dr Nelson also enjoys hiking, playing soccer, and any sport in which his three kids are involved.

Adan Davila

Hospital Manager

Adan was born and raised in Austin, Texas. From a young age, he knew he wanted to work with animals and studied Veterinary Technology at Austin Community College.

Adan joined Firehouse Animal Health Center in 2016 and is thrilled to be part of the leadership team at Belterra Village. He regularly attends veterinary technician and management conferences to keep up-to-date on new medical developments.

Adan takes a special interest in client service, patient relationships, preventive wellness exams, and clinic operations. When not at Firehouse, he enjoys spending time with his Fiancé and his son, Samuel. He also has a passion for American Quarter Horses that he owns, breeds, and trains in different disciplines.

Sandra Chavez

Veterinary Technician

Sandra was born and raised in Austin Texas. She began her career in the veterinary field in 2005. While working in veterinary medicine, she completed a degree as a Certified Medical Assistant.

Sandra’s passion has always been working with animals and in June of 2018 Sandra joined the Firehouse team in Belterra Village. Her interest and focus at Firehouse includes client education, as well as fostering a great client and patient experience. Sandra is working on her Fear-Free Certification, a method that creates a better experience for pets by reducing stressors within a hospital setting. In her free time, she spends the weekends watching her daughter Alyssa play in select softball tournaments and traveling with her son Christopher to his All-Star Cheer Competitions. And of course, she loves hanging out with her 2 dog and cats.

Kaitlin McClendon

Veterinary Technician

Kaitlin moved from South Carolina to Texas in 2008 and hasn’t looked back, (partly because Texas has WAY better tacos). She graduated from Texas State University in 2017 with a degree in Psychology. Kaitlin joined the Firehouse Belterra Village team in May of 2018. Here, she has taken a special interest in client communication, patient relationships, and will soon obtain her Fear-Free Certification, a method that creates a better experience for pets by reducing stressors within a hospital setting.

In her spare time, Kaitlin enjoys blogging about her culinary adventures (she’s a huge foodie), reading, and playing video games. She also lives with 4 cats, all of whom are shelter rescues!

Alison Alcantara

Client Service Coordinator

Ali relocated to Austin in 2013 after graduating from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) with her BA in Psychology and minors in Latin American Studies and Brazilian Portuguese. Ali always had a love for animals and found her way into the veterinary field as a part-time client service coordinator. Developing relationships with clients and their pets, as well as Firehouse’s focus on creating a stress-free environment, brings her fulfillment.

Ali is taking part in Communication Training at Firehouse and she also attends frequent continuing education courses to learn new skills that improve the client experience. She loves taking the workload off clients by doing the heavy lifting. Her favorite thing about her role is relating to clients and their pets as a pet owner herself.

When she’s not helping clients at Firehouse, Ali enjoys hiking with her pup, mountain biking, going out on the lake or trying out new Austin restaurants.