Meet Our Team
Dr. Kara Breinin
Veterinarian
Dr. Breinin is proud to be a graduate of the University of Missouri with both a B.S. in Animal Science and a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Up to now, she has spent most of her career in the Kansas City metro; however, as a recent transplant back to Nebraska, she is excited to experience Lincoln and all it has to offer! She has professional interests in dentistry, surgery, palliative/hospice care, and small animal exotics. Additionally, she has taken advanced training in fear-free medicine to help alleviate your patient’s anxieties and fears and make everyone more excited to see the veterinarian!
Personally, she is the proud owner of three amazing pets-a sassy red Australian Cattle Dog, an opinionated Russian Blue feline, and a hilarious rabbit named Hareiet. In fact, in the past, Hareiet has been known to come with her to work to serve as an emotional support animal for children.
She has several passions outside of work. She likes to think of herself as a foodie, and in her free time, she can often be found trying out new recipes, especially specialty desserts. She loves to travel and to date, Jamaica and Scotland have been some of her favorite places to visit. She would love one day to make it to Australia. She loves creating things as well and can often be found with a camera in hand, making a new quilt (Halloween ones in particular), or attending a concert.
She looks forward to serving you and all your pet care needs at Cotner!
Christena
Veterinary Technician
Christena is one of our fabulous veterinary technicians whose main interest is in the surgery suite after having worked in veterinary specialty practices in both Missouri and Arizona. She brings extensive knowledge in surgery technician practice and recovery to our team. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Lincoln to see all it has to offer with her two adorable children. Her home is never dull with the addition of two dogs and three felines to the mix! When she has downtime, Christena loves to travel, especially to see loved ones in both Nebraska and Missouri.
Helena
Veterinary Assistant
Helena is one of our amazing veterinary assistants who brings amazing enthusiasm to our team. She loves cozy nights spent snuggling in with her fur babies, knitting, and catching up on her favorite shows! She has four pets at home: Winston, Loki, Junipur, and Norman. Her passion for animals started at a young age when she rescued a squirrel after it fell from a tree!
Kylie
Veterinary Assistant
Kylie is another one of our marvelous veterinary assistants. Kylie is originally from Branson, Missouri, and has been with Cotner Pet Care since November 2018. She received her B.A. in Psychology from University of Nebraska- Lincoln in 2019. After graduation, Kylie worked as a full-time vet assistant while also working as the laboratory manager for the UNL Avian Cognition and Canine Cognition Laboratories. In 2021, Kylie decided to pursue her M.A./PhD. graduate degree in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Nebraska- Omaha with her research focused on understanding stress in canines and the dog-owner bond. When not in school or at the clinic, Kylie enjoys hiking, traveling, and visiting National Parks with her husband, Sam, and their Cocker Spaniel/Australian Shepherd mix, Howie.
Lindsey
Veterinary Assistant
Lindsey is also one of our wonderful veterinary assistants. Since she is an undergraduate at University of Nebraska- Lincoln working towards her ultimate goal of becoming a veterinarian, most of her free time is spent studying or enjoying the amazing student life Lincoln has to offer. In her little downtime, she prioritizes time spent with her friends and family.
Ashley
Practice Manager / Veterinary Assistant
Ashley is our Practice Manager and is currently in school to become a licensed technician. She came to us with an extensive background in management, HR, and doggie daycare experience, as well as a love and passion for rescue animals. She is most excited to work with behavioral cases and works tirelessly to help make the clinic fear free. She currently has a house full of dogs, Max, Luna, Dominic and Ruby, as well as two cats, Cricket and Kitty. Free time, outside of work, school and being a mom to two little girls is scarce, but live music or around a bonfire with good friends is where you will find her.
Kara
Receptionist
Kara is our fabulous receptionist at Cotner Pet Care! She has lived in Lincoln all her life. She prides herself as being a great pet mom who adores her fur babies, and regularly watches her parents' dogs that she considers furry siblings. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, as well as crafting any ideas her friends and coworkers come up with. She is excited to be the first person to greet you and your pet when you come to visit us!
Momma Ellis Cotner
Clinic Ambassador
Momma Ellis is one of our three clinic ambassadors! She takes her job very seriously of alerting the staff to any creature comfort issues. She is famous for her laid back and can nap attitude. She can be found spending her free time making others aware that diets are overrated, throwing her mane around to garner votes on Instagram, and pondering deep thoughts on how to avoid any treat supply chain issues.
Meredith Cotner
Clinic Ambassador
Meredith is one of our three clinic ambassadors! She and her sister Cristina first applied to work for us when they decided they would prefer a better home than a cold local trash compactor. She takes her job very seriously and just loves to greet ALL our clients and patients. She can be found spending her free time socializing with anyone who asks her too, cleaning up any extra fear free treats, and catching up on Grey’s Anatomy.
Cristina Cotner
Clinic Ambassador
Cristina is one of our three clinic ambassadors! She and her sister Meredith first applied to work for us when they decided they would prefer a better home than a cold local trash compactor. She takes her job very seriously, but prefers to do her work behind the scenes so she may not always be up front to say hello. She is famous for her ability to give cuddles and extra attention to the staff. She can be found spending her free time searching for leftover Churro, working on her personal self-care, discussing cases in depth with Dr. Breinin, and catching up on Grey’s Anatomy.
