Practice Manager
Office Manager
Training Coordinator/Inventory Manager
Lead Veterinary Technician
Certified Veterinary Technician
Surgical Technician CVT
Veterinary Technician
Veterinary Assistant
Kennel Assistant
Lead Customer Service
Customer Service Representative
Client Service Representative
Client Service Representative
Client Service Representative
Massage Therapist
Dr. Katti Strahsmeier-Stoller is the owner and head veterinarian of BelaCoop Animal Hospital of North Park. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Dr. Stoller grew up with a love for animals and by the age of 7, she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. After graduating high school, she left to start her career as an Animal Science/Pre-Vet major at Virginia Tech University. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, she continued onto graduate school in Poultry Nutrition at Virginia Tech University. After leaving her Master’s program, she relocated to the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean and furthered her education at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. She subsequently returned to the United States to finish her clinical year of study at Purdue University, obtaining her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2006. From there, she worked on Cape Cod at Sandwich Animal Hospital for 3 years, met the love of her life, and moved back to Pittsburgh. She obtained a job working in emergency medicine for the next 3 years and married her husband, Sam. Katti then went on to do relief work in shelter medicine for the Western PA Humane Society and White Oak Animal Safe Haven. Katti and Sam decided to make Katti’s dreams come true and opened their own animal hospital in July 2013. They wanted to make the animal hospital special and name it after their two beloved dogs, Bela and Cooper, that have both passed away. A few years later, they opened BelaCoop Beauty Bar, a pet grooming facility, and plan on opening their boarding facility in the year 2023. Dr. Stoller has also been working on writing her first book, “For the Love of Dog” which will be published and available by the summer of 2021.
Sam and Katti currently have two cats, Liamuiga who was rescued from the island of St. Kitts, and Kittniss, a local rescue. They also have two dogs, a Golden Retriever/Hound mix named Pepper, who they adopted from the Western PA Humane Society, and a rescued Pit Bull named Zen. Katti and Sam also have a daughter, Siena, and a son, Rainer. Dr. Stoller’s hobbies include spending time with her family, gourmet cooking, interior decorating, and shopping. Dr. Stoller has also been featured in the hit TV show “My Dog Ate What!” on National Geographic Wild. She also had an honorable mention in the Veterinary Practice News magazine as well as the Pittsburgh Magazine.
Dr. Shannon Thieroff is an AVCA certified animal chiropractor. She has been a people chiropractor for 20+ years and an animal chiropractor for more than a decade.
Dr. Shannon especially likes working with dogs and cats. Many of her patients are animals whose owners want them to be well and do preventative care. Others are aging animals who need help with their mobility and strength. Dr. Shannon is also trained to help animals with injuries to their spines and legs.
In addition to chiropractic Dr. Shannon works closely with the staff at Belacoop to make sure that every patient has access to the care they need including chiropractic, traditional veterinary care, and even things like laser treatment and supplements.
You can tell that your animal may need to be adjusted if:
Chiropractic, when performed by a certified animal chiropractor is a very safe, affordable and effective option for animals through their lifetime.
You can schedule an appointment by contacting Belacoop and questions are always welcome at drshannonthieroff@gmail.com
Dr. Liz Knabe joined the BelaCoop family in January 2022. She studied Animal Science at Penn State University and earned her doctorate in 2015 from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She then completed a 1-year small animal rotating internship at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Nashville. In 2016, she moved to Pittsburgh and began her career in veterinary medicine. Dr. Liz has a particular interest in dentistry, feline medicine, and geriatric medicine.
Dr. Liz and her husband live in O’hara Township with their chocolate Labradoodle puppy, Bean, and two cats, Davy Jones and Calypso. Outside of the office, she enjoys spin class, hiking with Bean, reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Rose Flaherty, office manager at Belacoop Animal Hospital thinks that the world would be a better place if everyone owned a dog! Rose has been in the veterinary field for almost 20 years, and with Belacoop since 2015, She has enjoyed every moment of helping pets, and their families navigate through all stages of life.
Rose has 6 children, ranging from 33 to 5 (nope that is not a typo, yes I have a 5-year-old!) Three dogs share her home, 1 Rottweiler mix, and 2 CRAZY French Bulldogs.
Rose hopes to see a cancer-free world for all pets one day.
Originally from Clarion County, PA Jess grew up with a wide variety of both domestic and farm animals. She knew she wanted to be a veterinary technician at a very young age and that never changed. She started in the field nearly 20 years ago and has worked in both General Practice and Emergency and Critical Care. She also worked in Obedience Training for many years.
When not at work Jess can be found at her son’s soccer games, reading a book, hiking in the woods, or cheering on the Dallas Cowboys. She lives near Pittsburgh with her husband, Dave and two sons Deacon, and Elliott. She also is the proud owner of an English Bulldog Mix, Lottie, Vizsla Mix, Edgar and 2 cats, Stanley and Sasha.
Hannah went to school at the Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh and graduated as a Veterinary Technician with an Associate Degree in Veterinary Technology in 2018. She took her VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Examination) in 2019, and became a Certified Veterinary Technician.
In January 2021 Hannah became part of the BelaCoop family, working full-time as a Certified Veterinary Technician. She has grown to love working in surgery and monitoring anesthesia, as well as working with feline patients.
Hannah has two cats at home; Kessel who she adopted in 2017 from the Vet Tech Institute, and Rupert who she adopted in 2020 from Animal Friends. She also enjoys keeping betta fish and currently has three betta fish, Floyd, Juniper, and Claude. When she’s outside of the office, you can find her enjoying nature at North Park, or pet sitting for family and friends. Her favorite part about working at BelaCoop is being able to make a difference in each pet’s life no matter how big or small.
Sam graduated from the Vet Tech Institute in 2012. Since then, she has been in the field working in several small practices and emergency/specialty clinics. In June 2022, Sam joined BelaCoop. She enjoys plants and pets with spicy personalities.
Sara went to vet tech school in 2011 after being honorably discharged from the army and started working as a vet tech in 2012. She started working at BelaCoop in March of 2022.
Outside of BelaCoop, Sara works for a cat rescue organization. She currently has 3 dogs and about a dozen rescued (but non-adoptable) cats. She’s passionate about wildlife and her hobbies include; singing, volleyball, wildlife photography, and giving gifts to anyone in need.
Even though she went to college to study English Writing, Rebecca quickly learned that anything related to a desk job was not for her. She started her journey in the animal field in 2020, receiving a certification in Zoo & Aquarium Science and spending a year working as a keeper at a wildcat sanctuary in Oregon. She moved back to Pittsburgh in 2022 to be closer to family and was thrilled to have the opportunity to join BelaCoop and expand her experience in the field. Outside of work, Rebecca spends her time doing freelance writing, cleaning up after her cats, or traveling — always with coffee in hand.
Mandy went to school at the Median school and graduated as a veterinary technician in 2004. She has been in the field since then working in several small practices and emergency clinics. Mandy became part of the BelaCoop team in March 2014 working as a certified veterinary technician. Since then, Mandy has become a mother to 3 children and has pursued her true passion, taking care of her kids. She is now a member of our client service representative team and works part-time. Her hobbies include anything to do with her kids. Mostly being outdoors exploring nature, hiking or camping, having movie nights, and dance parties. Her favorite part about BelaCoop is greeting and getting to know all of our amazing clients and patients that she has grown to know and love.
On the customer service team, with a bachelor’s in animation, Speck ended up off the art track and down into animal caretaking working at a shelter and boarding center, now here at Belacoop. With a huge love of all animals, especially dogs, Speck always looks forward to meeting new patients every day.
On days off they enjoy watching animated content, gesture drawing, and getting outside as much as their energy will allow, favoring many of the larger lakes outside the city; drawing whenever inspiration hits, mostly focusing on gesture studies and character designs.
Nicole dreamed of working with animals from early childhood and has always felt a deep connection and love for all animals. This also includes rodents and lizards, much to her mother’s dismay.
She started her grooming career bathing dogs at a large corporate pet store chain in 2013. She completed their grooming academy in 2014 and never looked back. Wanting to leave corporate grooming behind for more personal pet relationships, Nicole started at BelaCoop Beauty Bar in 2019 when they opened.
Nicole’s favorite thing about grooming is the relationships she builds with her furry clients, “There is no better feeling than when a pet that is anxious begins trusting you and watching that trust grow with every visit. Grooming is more than just haircuts, we love our clients and want them to be happy and healthy.”
When she isn’t grooming, Nicole enjoys spending time with her own dogs Hank and Georgie, listening to podcasts, and caring for her ever-growing indoor plant jungle.
As a child, Sara always wanted to be around animals and always had dogs growing up. In 2012, she went to Pampered Pet grooming school which kickstarted her grooming career. After working with a couple of other salons, Sara found an open position at BelaCoop Beauty Bar and started working there in 2020. She really enjoys getting to know clients and their families, working with the dogs she grooms, and the entire team at BelaCoop.
“I would say my favorite part about grooming is seeing an owner’s reaction to their pet’s haircut, especially if it’s a dramatic transformation.”
When she’s not grooming, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband going antiquing, and working on their home together. She has 2 corgis, Oscar and Pete, and loves spending time with her family.
From early childhood, Sarah had always been drawn to animals. Her older brother inspired her with his own passion for nature and compassion for animals, always sharing his books and field guides. Her childhood dog Bailey taught her everything she needed to know about what it was like to love a pet and just how strong bonds can grow between a fur baby and its owners.
In 2021 Sarah moved from her small hometown in New Hampshire and started working at BelaCoop Beauty Bar. She enjoys interacting with the dogs, being the first person to greet clients when they walk through the door, and seeing the impact kindness can have on someone.
“You never know what someone is going through, getting to know clients and having conversations with them is so important to me. I want everyone to feel happy and safe when they walk through those doors.”
Outside of work, Sarah spends her time creating digital art, candle shopping with her best friend, and collecting crystals.
Ever since she was a child, Kristi has always loved animals and after rescuing her beloved dog Champ in 2019, Kristi realized she wanted to work with animals. She started working at BelaCoop Beauty Bar in June 2022. In the future, she hopes to go to grooming school and be able to help pets look and feel their best.
In her free time, Kristi enjoys reading, playing video games, and of course, spending time with her dog.
