Susan was raised on a farm north of Cochrane. She had a Scottish Terrier growing up, and purchased her first show dog as a teen, to start conformation and obedience showing. Her experiences with a variety of terrier breeds, their personalities and problems, led her to dog training – specifically clicker training with the Karen Pryor Academy of dog training.

With her love of animals, it seemed clear that she needed to pursue a career in a related field. This led to a diploma in Animal Health Technology through Olds College. After graduating Susan enjoyed working in a variety of fields including 15 years in veterinary emergency medicine, and 10 years as a Manager of a Veterinary Reference laboratory. Susan joined the Chestermere team in January 2018 and has been enjoying the change of pace into primary care. 
She is fear free level 3 elite certified.