Meet the veterinarians
About Dr. Kirsten Love
While I’ve lived in Florida for the last 15 years, I spent most of my childhood and young adult years in Colorado. I enjoy Florida’s beaches, but I also miss Colorado’s four distinct seasons. As a kid, I loved nothing more than bundling up in the cold, drinking hot cocoa, and venturing out to see the holiday lights at the zoo. Growing up, I had cats and dogs, but I was especially fond of reptiles and other less traditional pets, who have so much more personality than people assume. I had pet tarantulas—one lived well past 20 years—iguanas, scorpions, and bullfrogs.
Seeing animals suffer broke my heart as a child, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to become a veterinarian so that instead of feeling helpless, I could do something to help animals in pain. I completed my undergraduate studies in microbiology at Colorado State University and attended the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, where I received my veterinary degree.
I’ve worked in many areas of the veterinary field, including emergency medicine, acupuncture, surgery, and cancer research, which has helped me learn a variety of skills and practice creative problem-solving.
Over the years, I have lost all kinds of pets, from cats and dogs to exotic animals. Some people assume it is less painful to lose an exotic pet, but saying goodbye to a beloved companion is never easy, regardless of the species. Coming into and out of this world are some of the few things every living being will experience, and I am honored to be able to provide different types of pets with a peaceful and dignified transition, free from suffering.
Outside of my work, I love reading and playing open-world video games, and I’ve recently discovered adult Lego sets, which I spend hours completing with my daughter.
About Dr. Jordan Taheri
My first pet as a little boy was a long-haired guinea pig named Bogie. We had hamsters in the past, but this was our first pet that was all mine, and I loved him. So when Bogie got sick and soon passed, I was devastated. I did not agree with my friends’ suggestions to “just get another,” because there was no other Bogie, and he was gone. It was really at this point that I realized I was meant to be a veterinarian.
Years later in 2010, I proudly graduated from University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Having worked all over the country, I now find myself back where I grew up, in Broward County. The place that has always been home to me. I’ll never forget the memories that Bogie and I shared, and what he meant to me. In joining Lap of Love, I am truly humbled and honored to have the opportunity to help people and their loved ones in their greatest time of need. We can never replace our beloved furry friends, but we can give them the loving gifts of comfortable end of life care and a peaceful passing.
About Dr. Marlana Brown
Growing up in Florida, my family always had at least one pet - from dogs, to cats, to birds, to hamsters, we always had a furry family member. Somehow, at the young age of 4, I already knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, and I even have a childhood drawing my mom saved hanging up in my home to prove it! Of course, my love of veterinary medicine started out as me wanting to cuddle cute animals all day long but, as I matured, it soon progressed to the desire to help pets live long, happy, healthy lives with their human best friends.
As a proud graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, I have discovered there are many facets to this field of veterinary medicine. While general practice and emergency medicine were a big part of the first stages of my journey, I have discovered a level of honor and peace in hospice and end of life care that I never knew existed until I experienced it over and over again with my own clients and patients.
I’ve endured several family pet losses as a child, but after suffering the loss of my first personal dog, Laila, in 2016, I gained a deeper understanding of the immense and delicate nature of timely, compassionate euthanasia. Laila provided me with 10 years of incredible friendship, and the wisdom I gained from her loss has offered me the ability to help countless families make that final decision for their loved one.
I currently have seven pets: two dogs and five cats. These little ones are my kids; they are family. The human animal bond is unlike any other, and my goal is to nurture and respect that bond during one of the most difficult, yet noble decisions we could ever make for those we love.
About Dr. Megan Cires
I was born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida and had a close bond with animals from the time I was a small child. I had a very special cat named Barney who was so sweet and docile that I could dress him up and push him around in my toy baby stroller. Around the time I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian and would shadow our family veterinarian learning how to look at samples under the microscope which fueled my love of science. I also grew up singing and performing and my family always said I would one day be “the singing veterinarian” – and I did!
I received a full scholarship to study music at the University of Florida. After graduation, I started a career in banking and human resources while I considered furthering my music studies; however, I felt a nagging regret over not pursuing my childhood dream of veterinary medicine. So, I left the banking industry and began working as a veterinary assistant while completing science pre-requisite courses at the University of South Florida, eventually working my way up to veterinary technician. I returned to the University of Florida for veterinary school in 2010. I still sing and perform in community theatre musicals and as a chorister with the Palm Beach Opera.
After graduating in 2014, I worked in many areas of veterinary medicine including: private practice, shelter medicine, and non-profit community medicine and high volume spay/neuter. I felt drawn to the veterinary hospice specialty in part due to a personal experience I had with the first dog my ex-husband and I shared together when we were in undergrad at UF. Apollo was the sweetest black lab/pitbull puppy with a white chest and toes. Tragically, he fell very ill at only one year old and at the time, being college kids, we did not have the financial resources to hospitalize him for treatment and we were given a very poor prognosis even with aggressive treatment. Knowing in my heart that the ultimate act of love was to end his suffering, I went to our local animal shelter for euthanasia. Unfortunately, Apollo and I had a very traumatic experience, and I vowed that day that if I ever became a veterinarian, I would never allow a person or their pet to feel how we felt that day. I feel honored to join Lap of Love so that I may honor Apollo’s memory every day by gently and lovingly ending beloved pets’ suffering and helping their families with the grief process.
About Dr. Kirsten Love
While I’ve lived in Florida for the last 15 years, I spent most of my childhood and young adult years in Colorado. I enjoy Florida’s beaches, but I also miss Colorado’s four distinct seasons. As a kid, I loved nothing more than bundling up in the cold, drinking hot cocoa, and venturing out to see the holiday lights at the zoo. Growing up, I had cats and dogs, but I was especially fond of reptiles and other less traditional pets, who have so much more personality than people assume. I had pet tarantulas—one lived well past 20 years—iguanas, scorpions, and bullfrogs.
Seeing animals suffer broke my heart as a child, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to become a veterinarian so that instead of feeling helpless, I could do something to help animals in pain. I completed my undergraduate studies in microbiology at Colorado State University and attended the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, where I received my veterinary degree.
I’ve worked in many areas of the veterinary field, including emergency medicine, acupuncture, surgery, and cancer research, which has helped me learn a variety of skills and practice creative problem-solving.
Over the years, I have lost all kinds of pets, from cats and dogs to exotic animals. Some people assume it is less painful to lose an exotic pet, but saying goodbye to a beloved companion is never easy, regardless of the species. Coming into and out of this world are some of the few things every living being will experience, and I am honored to be able to provide different types of pets with a peaceful and dignified transition, free from suffering.
Outside of my work, I love reading and playing open-world video games, and I’ve recently discovered adult Lego sets, which I spend hours completing with my daughter.
About Dr. Jordan Taheri
My first pet as a little boy was a long-haired guinea pig named Bogie. We had hamsters in the past, but this was our first pet that was all mine, and I loved him. So when Bogie got sick and soon passed, I was devastated. I did not agree with my friends’ suggestions to “just get another,” because there was no other Bogie, and he was gone. It was really at this point that I realized I was meant to be a veterinarian.
Years later in 2010, I proudly graduated from University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Having worked all over the country, I now find myself back where I grew up, in Broward County. The place that has always been home to me. I’ll never forget the memories that Bogie and I shared, and what he meant to me. In joining Lap of Love, I am truly humbled and honored to have the opportunity to help people and their loved ones in their greatest time of need. We can never replace our beloved furry friends, but we can give them the loving gifts of comfortable end of life care and a peaceful passing.
About Dr. Marlana Brown
Growing up in Florida, my family always had at least one pet - from dogs, to cats, to birds, to hamsters, we always had a furry family member. Somehow, at the young age of 4, I already knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, and I even have a childhood drawing my mom saved hanging up in my home to prove it! Of course, my love of veterinary medicine started out as me wanting to cuddle cute animals all day long but, as I matured, it soon progressed to the desire to help pets live long, happy, healthy lives with their human best friends.
As a proud graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, I have discovered there are many facets to this field of veterinary medicine. While general practice and emergency medicine were a big part of the first stages of my journey, I have discovered a level of honor and peace in hospice and end of life care that I never knew existed until I experienced it over and over again with my own clients and patients.
I’ve endured several family pet losses as a child, but after suffering the loss of my first personal dog, Laila, in 2016, I gained a deeper understanding of the immense and delicate nature of timely, compassionate euthanasia. Laila provided me with 10 years of incredible friendship, and the wisdom I gained from her loss has offered me the ability to help countless families make that final decision for their loved one.
I currently have seven pets: two dogs and five cats. These little ones are my kids; they are family. The human animal bond is unlike any other, and my goal is to nurture and respect that bond during one of the most difficult, yet noble decisions we could ever make for those we love.
About Dr. Megan Cires
I was born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida and had a close bond with animals from the time I was a small child. I had a very special cat named Barney who was so sweet and docile that I could dress him up and push him around in my toy baby stroller. Around the time I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian and would shadow our family veterinarian learning how to look at samples under the microscope which fueled my love of science. I also grew up singing and performing and my family always said I would one day be “the singing veterinarian” – and I did!
I received a full scholarship to study music at the University of Florida. After graduation, I started a career in banking and human resources while I considered furthering my music studies; however, I felt a nagging regret over not pursuing my childhood dream of veterinary medicine. So, I left the banking industry and began working as a veterinary assistant while completing science pre-requisite courses at the University of South Florida, eventually working my way up to veterinary technician. I returned to the University of Florida for veterinary school in 2010. I still sing and perform in community theatre musicals and as a chorister with the Palm Beach Opera.
After graduating in 2014, I worked in many areas of veterinary medicine including: private practice, shelter medicine, and non-profit community medicine and high volume spay/neuter. I felt drawn to the veterinary hospice specialty in part due to a personal experience I had with the first dog my ex-husband and I shared together when we were in undergrad at UF. Apollo was the sweetest black lab/pitbull puppy with a white chest and toes. Tragically, he fell very ill at only one year old and at the time, being college kids, we did not have the financial resources to hospitalize him for treatment and we were given a very poor prognosis even with aggressive treatment. Knowing in my heart that the ultimate act of love was to end his suffering, I went to our local animal shelter for euthanasia. Unfortunately, Apollo and I had a very traumatic experience, and I vowed that day that if I ever became a veterinarian, I would never allow a person or their pet to feel how we felt that day. I feel honored to join Lap of Love so that I may honor Apollo’s memory every day by gently and lovingly ending beloved pets’ suffering and helping their families with the grief process.
About Dr. Kirsten Love
While I’ve lived in Florida for the last 15 years, I spent most of my childhood and young adult years in Colorado. I enjoy Florida’s beaches, but I also miss Colorado’s four distinct seasons. As a kid, I loved nothing more than bundling up in the cold, drinking hot cocoa, and venturing out to see the holiday lights at the zoo. Growing up, I had cats and dogs, but I was especially fond of reptiles and other less traditional pets, who have so much more personality than people assume. I had pet tarantulas—one lived well past 20 years—iguanas, scorpions, and bullfrogs.
Seeing animals suffer broke my heart as a child, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to become a veterinarian so that instead of feeling helpless, I could do something to help animals in pain. I completed my undergraduate studies in microbiology at Colorado State University and attended the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, where I received my veterinary degree.
I’ve worked in many areas of the veterinary field, including emergency medicine, acupuncture, surgery, and cancer research, which has helped me learn a variety of skills and practice creative problem-solving.
Over the years, I have lost all kinds of pets, from cats and dogs to exotic animals. Some people assume it is less painful to lose an exotic pet, but saying goodbye to a beloved companion is never easy, regardless of the species. Coming into and out of this world are some of the few things every living being will experience, and I am honored to be able to provide different types of pets with a peaceful and dignified transition, free from suffering.
Outside of my work, I love reading and playing open-world video games, and I’ve recently discovered adult Lego sets, which I spend hours completing with my daughter.