Meet Our Veterinarians
For decades, our team of veterinarians has been committed to serving Amesbury, Massachusetts and neighboring communities in Northeastern Massachusetts (Salisbury, Newbury, Newburyport and West Newbury) and Southern New Hampshire (Kingston, East Kingston, Haverhill and Seabrook). Our animal clinic’s veterinarians are proud to provide their veterinary services to both large and small animals.
Being a lifelong resident of Amesbury, she finds it satisfying to be able to work within and give back to her community. The planning and development of the new animal hospital has truly been one of the great professional experiences of her life. “It is such a pleasure to share this space with an outstanding staff and clientele.”
Dr. Bastien enjoys her off duty time with her husband AL. They enjoy traveling, and she thinks everyone should go to Rome at least once in their lifetime. Daughters Kate and Kim are both married and live locally. Her grandson, Liam, is a constant pleasure and there is a new granddaughter on the way. She and Al are allowed to cohabitate with cats Gus, Rufus, Nala, and their new addition Max (Nala is not so sure she likes him). Being a fan, she is also extremely happy that the Red Sox and Patriots were able to meet her expectations in 2014-2015! Keep it up!
At home, Dr. Smith is fortunate enough to have a wonderful family. He enjoys relaxing with his wife Becky and daughter Lila (a regular at Amesbury Animal Hospital and on farm calls with her dad). It has been a unique and rewarding experience having Lila grow up as a part of the Animal Hospital. Dr. Smith also shares his home with his 2 dogs, Juniper and Cooper, 3 cats, Hudson, Cassie and Joel (aka Jolelepants), and a flock of backyard chickens.
When not on farm calls, in the office practicing small animal medicine, or doing managerial work, Dr. Smith enjoys hiking the mountains and getting off the grid with family camping trips to Vermont. As Lila has grown up, he has become a year-round softball parent and supports her 4H interests in raising and showing purebred Berkshire pigs.
Dr. Stephanie graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Animal Science, then received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from her home state at the Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!). She went on to complete an internship in south Florida, and then was a staff veterinarian at the zoo in Miami for over 3 years. As incredible an experience as this was, she and her husband decided to move up to New England to settle down and raise a family.
Although she at times misses the large exotic animals, she is happy treating the mostly-smaller, mostly-friendlier, and mostly-furry other family members. She has a full house with two kids, two dogs, two guinea pigs, three cats, and eleven chickens! In her (very limited) spare time, she enjoys the beach, exercising, hiking, biking, and surfing.
Only kidding, actually Dr. Hanneman was born in the suburbs of Chicago, but the other story sounds so much more interesting.
Raised both in Chicago and a suburb of NYC, she later graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Animal Science. While there, she spent much time working as a groom in Cornell’s polo barn and milking cows for NY state quality milk. From there, she moved back to the Midwest and graduated from Purdue University Veterinary School. After much soul searching, she decided to specialize in small animal medicine and followed vet school with an internship in small animal medicine and surgery. She has been at Amesbury Animal Hospital in a part time capacity for over 10 years.
On a personal note, she and her husband, also a veterinarian, have 2 sons, 2 border collies and 2 cats. She spends her “down time” running her kids to various activities, mostly soccer, and running her dogs in agility at the Masters level. The Dogs are easier to run and seem to appreciate the attention more. She is involved in The Sharing Foundation, a nonprofit organization, promoting the welfare of Cambodian youth. Having traveled to Cambodia, she enjoys travel and is hoping to visit more exotic locations in the future.
Dr. Angela Durkac grew up in Virginia and knew from an early age she wanted a career in medicine. Inspired by her mother, an emergency nurse, she loved hearing about medical cases and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Before long, she realized her passion was doing the same thing for pets and the people who love them.
After earning her degree from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr Durkac made her way north to join Amesbury Animal Hospital in 2021. She enjoys many aspects of veterinary medicine, especially building relationships with clients and tailoring her approach to each individual patient.
Dr Durkac’s goal at every visit is to create a low-stress experience for both pets and their owners. She believes that taking a little extra time, paying attention to each animal’s personality, and finding the right handling technique can make all the difference in helping pets feel comfortable and cared for.
Outside of work, Dr Durkac enjoys spending time with her husband, their two dogs and two cats, and preparing for their newest family member – a baby on the way! While she loves living in New England, she admits she is still adjusting to the winters after growing up in Virginia.
Dr. Mary Frelinger has been a part of the Amesbury clinic since 2022. She grew up dragging family and friends to many equestrian events across New England. She received her undergraduate degree in Animal Science and Pre-Veterinary Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she lived on a farm amongst sheep, goats, alpacas, cows, and horses. While traveling extensively for Veterinary school at Ross University (St. Kitts) and Louisiana State University with her loyal hound dog Moxie, she helped run a shelter program for stray dogs and cats in medical need. She has a particular fondness for working with “grey muzzled” senior pets.
Dr. Mary is accompanied to work daily by her treeing walker coonhound Moxie, who provides dedicated office supervision and treat revision. She is also owned by a younger coonhound “Mayem” who earned every inch of her name, an old street mutt “Rufus Awoofus”, cats “KitKat Harington” and “Tumbleweed McDustbunnyVonDryerLindt” as well as a giant Sulcata tortoise “Dandelion” who grazes and mows her lawn. Her house commonly hosts foster animals. While currently horse-less, she does not expect that to last for long.
When not in clinic, Dr. Frelinger spends her time binge-reading books and adding to her ever-growing novel collection. The rest of her free time not spent with hounds and horses typically involves painting, or some other form of arts/crafts.
Dr. Candace (Candy) Davidowicz, DVM, is a new graduate joining the veterinary team. Originally from Haverhill, Massachusetts, Dr. Davidowicz grew up as a fourth generation farmer and surrounded by animals which developed her passion for veterinary medicine at an early age.