Dr. Nicole B. Harris
Owner/Veterinarian

Since her earliest memory, Dr. Nicole Harris was driven to become a veterinarian. Her early experiences with animal care made a deep impression, and her love of medicine and problem solving grew. For Dr. Harris, a career in the world of animal care was simply the only choice! 

Dr. Harris opened Avenue Animal Hospital in the fall of 2012 to provide her own brand of modern diagnostics and client-centered services to the pet owners of the area. She has special passions for ultrasound, dentistry, and interacting closely with clients to develop personal and meaningful relationships. Dr. Harris and her husband, Eric, a software engineer, have two children and share their home with four pets of their own: Leon, a rescued French bulldog with a BIG personality; Bayla, a Boxer whose tail never stops wiggling; and two loveable black-and-white cats named Rhett Butler and Saki. When she isn’t caring for pets here at the clinic or enjoying the company of her family’s own four-legged companions, Dr. Harris enjoys reading, cooking, listening to music, and spending time around horses. She’s also an avid traveler, and loves experiencing new cultures across the globe.

Dr. Joni Johnson
Associate Veterinarian

As a little girl, Dr. Joni Johnson always had the answer ready when someone asked her what she’d like to be when she grew up. Veterinary medicine has been her passion ever since she can remember! As she got older, Dr. Johnson’s interest didn’t waver—she is truly able to live her dream while bettering the lives of pets on a daily basis here at Avenue Animal Hospital.

After graduating with her veterinary degree in the summer of 2013, Dr. Johnson joined the team here at Avenue Animal Hospital. She’s particularly fond of dentistry work, especially oral surgery—nothing compares to seeing and hearing how much better a pet feels after treatment. Dr. Johnson is also passionate about dermatology, and loves using her skills to better the lives of pets living here in “allergy central!” In her time away from work, Dr. Johnson enjoys going on adventure vacations, reading, playing the piano, and attending live concerts. At home, she and her husband, Wes, live with three rescued cats: talkative Andre, who loves being held; Mimi, a beauty queen with a face marking that makes her look like Cindy Crawford; and Mr. Duncan, who serves as Dr. Johnson’s personal alarm clock every morning.

Linda
Practice Manager

With over 10 years experience in the veterinay industry, Linda proudly joined the Avenue Animal Hopsital family in October 2016. She first met Dr. Harris in 2008 when she began working at another local veterinary clinic. Over the years, the two maintained a friendship and were excited when the opportunity to work together presented itself. She started working here  as one of the clinic's receptionists and enjoys the relationships she gets to build with the clients and their pets. Linda has three grown children and three grandchildren. In her free time, Linda loves spending time with her grandbabies, baking, cooking and going on motorcyle trips with her husband Darrell. They also have two dogs, ChiChi and Lucy.

Laura
Inventory Manager

Laura joined the Avenue Animal Hospital family in 2014. She’s able to focus on small-animal care professionally while continuing to work with horses as a hobby. Here at the hospital, Laura is particularly fond of developing lasting relationships with clients and working closely with the talented and compassionate clinic staff. Laura and her husband, Ben, share their lives with two cats named George F. Pickles and Agnes Clementine, their German shepherd named Bruce, as well as Laura’s two horses, Riddle and Scotty. Much of her free time is spent training and competing her horses in three-day eventing. While in college, Laura rode for her university’s dressage team and competed at the Intercollegiate Dressage Association Nationals in 2009 and 2010, taking home first place in 2009.

Tanya
​Receptionist  

Tanya brings over 20 years of experience in the veterinary/animal industry. Over the course of her career, Tanya has developed a strong passion for animal welfare and rescue. When the Mt. Juliet Animal Shelter opened ten years ago, Tanya immediately began volunteering time to help the animals. Her volunteering turned into a position as an animal control officer. After a few years as an officer, Tanya decided she wanted to go back to working in a clinic setting where she can utilize her skills and passion for bettering the lives of pets. She and her husband, Richie, have two adult children. Tanya's house wouldn't be complete with out her seven rescue dogs and four cats.

Karen
Receptionist

Karen, our newest team member, joined this March and is so happy to be part of the Avenue team. She previously was the volunteer coordinator for the Mount Juliet Animal Shelter. While working at the shelter, she acquired even more of a passion for animals. After working with our hospital through the shelter, Karen knew she wanted to continue in this field to gain even more  knowledge of animals. She has lived in Mt. Juliet for 17 years with her husband John and they have two kids, Anna and Nick. She currently has four dogs and two cats, which have all been rescued by Karen.

Staci
Technician

Staci began volunteering at the Mount Juliet Animal Shelter in 2009. It was there that she met Dr. Harris. Staci has been working in the pet care field ever since, and also graduated from Volunteer State Community College’s veterinary technology program in 2016. In addition to her special interests in surgery and critical care, Staci enjoys meeting new pet owners and establishing meaningful relationships with them and their four-legged companions. Helping a pet owner through a tough time is the ultimate reward for her. When time permits between her busy work and study schedules, Staci enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her own pets. She has three dogs—Leah, Ozzy, and Louie—as well as a three-legged cat named Athena, many hermit crabs, and several aquatic pets.

Stephanie
Technician

Stephanie had worked with Dr. Harris on and off for several years prior to joining Avenue Animal Hospital in April of 2015. Now with having over 10 years of experience, she particularly enjoys performing dentals and taking oral x-rays. Stephanie even holds a level-one Veterinarian Dental Technician Certification. In her time away from work, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family, including her son Jett, and riding and training horses. She has a total of four Quarter horses and one pony, along with three cats and three dogs, all of which are blue heelers, Moonshine, Colt and Hank. We are proud to have her as a part of our family! 

Vincent
Technician

Vincent grew up in the Old Hickory area and now lives in Lebanon, TN. We welcomed him to our practice in November 2017. He enjoys performing phlebotomy tasks and taking care of our surgery patients. We are thrilled to have his knowledge, experience and wonderful attitude to share with our patients.  Vincent has one dog, named Asteria, and a red tail boa named Albert. In his spare time, Vincent enjoys working on his '71 Monte Carlo and being a fitness guru. We are very excited to have him as part of our team!

Angelica
Assistant

Angelica became a member of the Avenue Animal Hospital team this past summer. She had been a veterinary assistant at a differenct clinic, but was eager to join an AAHA accredited hospital. Angelica has been working with animals in some capacity since she was 15 years old. She enjoys being able to help pets and better their lives. Angelica is married to her high school sweetheart and together they have one dog, a cat, and a hedgehog. Angelica is also going back to school at this time to pursue her degree to become a licensed technician.

Traci
​Assistant

Tracie joined the team this past October. During her senior year of high school, Tracie worked at a vet clinic and thoroughly enjoyed learning about the industry and caring for the animals. After high school, she became a phlebotomist and until recently was working for the Red Cross. Tracie is excited to be back working with animals and will also be attending school online to become a licensed technician. Helping animals and creating a bond with them is what Tracie enjoys most about this job. She also has two horses she rides for pleasure and one cat and dog.
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Isaac
Assistant

 Isaac is originally from Michigan and now resides in Mt. Juliet, TN with his lovely wife Christine. He began working with us in February 2018. We feel so lucky to have him as a part of our Avenue family. He is wonderful with the pets and with the experience and knowledge that he is getting, he wants to become a veterinary technician and hopes to have a dog sanctuary in the near future. We are extremely excited to have him working with us. 

Will
Assistant

Will is excited to be a member of the Avenue team. His hopes are to gain knowledge and understanding of the veterinary industry that will help him on his path to becoming a technician. Will recently was a lead pet care associate at PetSmart, but wanted to begin working in a clinical setting. He enjoys animals so much that he has over 120 total! He has animals of all species which include avian, aquatics, reptiles, dogs, cats, and rodents. Besides the new skills Will is learning as an assistant, he most enjoys the staff relationships and environment of the clinic.

Jennifer
Groomer

Dayle
Groomer Apprentice

Ava-Nu
​In Memoriam

Jennifer first worked as a hairdresser out of high school but has been grooming dogs and cats since 1993. She lives in Mount Juliet with her husband and youngest daughter, and her oldest daughter is in college. She specializes in scissor trims but can perform any desired groom. Jennifer also enjoys cooking and spending time with her family on the lake.

Dayle joined the team last January as a veterinary assistant, but has most recently taken an interest in grooming. With her artistic background, Dayle is excited to learn the techniques for animal grooming and styling. She is working one on one with Jennifer and will soon be our second full time groomer. Dayle has two dogs and a cat of her own. 

Ava was part of Avenue Animal Hospital since opening in 2012. She was the official greeter of the practice and when she was not walking around helping the technicians in the back, you could find her sleeping in her favorite window sill. Sadly, due to age and a returning tumor, the doctors and staff at Avenue decided to lay Ava to rest in September 2017.