Katie Ibsen (Veterinary Assistant)
Hi! I'm Katie I. and I started at Tender Care as a Veterinary Assistant in March 2021. I was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. I have an AAS from Kirkwood Community College and a BS in Wildlife Education from UW-Stevens Point. I have loved animals for my entire life but my main passions are birds, wildlife and connecting people to the natural world. I served as Director of Education at a raptor center in Northern WI where I did educational programs and trained non-releasable raptors. I have also worked in the fields of wildlife rehabilitation and parrot rescues. I moved to Prairie du Chien in June 2020 after my husband, Trevor, got a job with the WI DNR. Since I moved to PDC, I have opened up my own bird education organization called Avian Connections (check out my Facebook page!) I have special permits that allow me to keep my two non-releasable vultures, Shiloh and Vlad, and Juniper my owl, for educational use and I am hoping to obtain a few more birds in the near future. At home, I have an Aussie named Bindi, and 3 parrots, Niyah, Kermit and Cloud. Although most of my experience is with birds, I love working with dogs and pocket pets, especially when it comes to behavioral management and enrichment. During my free time I like to cook, hike and spend time with my animals, family and friends. I am so excited to learn more about veterinary medicine and to get to know your pets!