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. Durkac has a sheltie named Bandit, a hound mix named Chewbarka, and a rambunctious cat named Teddy. She enjoys spending her free time outside paddle boarding, running, or hiking with her two dogs. She is very excited to be part of the team at Amesbury Animal Hospital and to have the opportunity to work with dedicated and compassionate staff and to care for our amazing clients and patients.
Dr. Mary Frelinger is a recent addition to Amesbury animal hospital. As a Massachusetts local, 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, and horses and showed Dorset sheep, Belted Gallo way cows, and Morgan horses. Though she has spent time in both the hunter/jumper and western rings, Dr. Frelinger has a particular love for dressage and believes all horses (and humans) can benefit from balanced riding and a good stretch. 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.
After graduating, she returned to Massachusetts where she worked in a primarily small animal clinic though continued spending time in the barn in her off hours. These days her home still always has a foster or two living alongside the permanent residents. When not in – clinic caring for animals Dr. Mary spends her time with her three dogs Moxie (Treeing Walker Coonhound), Mango (“Coconut Retriever”), and Noodles (Everything Beagle), Cats Kitt Harington and Tumbleweed, as well as a sulcata tortoise named Dandelion, chameleons, snakes, and a naughty – but – lovable 41 year old quarter horse “Trial by Jury”.
Dr. Mary can frequently be found mucking stalls, drinking iced coffee (all winter), or knee-deep in art supplies. She enjoys seeing a mix of animals and has a special fondness for grey – muzzled senior citizens. In joining the dedicated crew at Amesbury Animal Hospital Dr. Frelinger is most excited about getting back to her mixed – animal roots seeing a variety of patients, and being with a team of veterinarians, talented techs, and support crew who give patients the type of care and attention they’d give their own pets.
Dr. Sam grew up in Queens, NY and attended The University of Maine for her undergraduate studies. At UMaine she played soccer and was involved in the research farm on campus where she began her interest in food animal medicine. Dr. Sam graduated from Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in May 0f 2023. Dr. Sam has an interest in dairy medicine along with small ruminant and small animal preventative care. In her down time she enjoys traveling, camping, and spending time with her family, dog and two cats.