Our Mission
To promote progress and enhance the lives of people and animals by using the practice of veterinary medicine. We will strive to exceed your expectations by providing friendly service, practicing with strong ethics and character, and utilizing current knowledge and experience to problem solve. Our valued staff is committed to earning your trust and keeping it for a lifetime by working together as a team with a spirit of optimism, creativity, compassion, and resourcefulness.
Dr. William “BJ” Jones
Dr. William “BJ” Jones obtained his veterinary degree from the University of Madison- Wisconsin in 1997. Prior to earning his veterinary degree, BJ attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he obtained his Bachelors of Science in Meat and Animal Science. He also graduated from the University of Minnesota with his Masters of Science degree in Dairy Cattle Breeding and Statistics.
Dr. Jones specializes in advanced reproductive technology and dairy herd management. These include reproductive ultrasound, fetal sexing, embryo transfer, dairy records analysis and management.
Dr. Jones lives with his wife and family in rural Darlington where they breed and raise Polled Herefords. BJ also enjoys sports, youth hockey, showing Polled Herefords, and spending time with his family.
Dr. Jones is a member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, Wisconsin Veterinary Medicine Association, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Hereford Association, Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association and the Wisconsin Hereford Association where he is the state advisor to the Wisconsin Junior Hereford Association.
Dr. Garrett Blumer
Dr. Garrett Blumer graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison, WI in 2015. He joined Center Hill Veterinary Clinic in 2017. Garrett grew up in nearby Monroe, WI on a dairy farm. His parents remain on the family dairy and utilize robotic milkers. Dr. Blumer has a special interest in dairy herd health. He is highly skilled with his ultrasound and has current knowledge of the latest reproductive techniques available. Garrett is a skilled surgeon and internal medicine diagnostician.
Garrett holds memberships in the American Veterinary Medical Association, Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, Southwestern Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.
In his spare time, Garrett enjoys hiking, bicycling, downhill skiing and being with family.
Dr. Cheryl Loken
Dr. Cheryl Loken graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison in 1992. She joined Center Hill Veterinary Clinic in 1996 as a part time small animal veterinarian. Her favorite things about being a veterinarian are getting to have long-term relationships with pets and their owners, working with geriatric cats, and soft-tissue surgeries.
Cheryl grew up on a dairy farm just north of Darlington. Her husband, Rick is also a Darlington native. They have two adult children, who are also in the area. Cheryl has one cat named Harmony (which doesn’t like other cats, so needs to be in a one-cat household). She also has a Golden Retriever granddog named Bella.
Cheryl has a passion for short-term veterinary missions and has joined with Christian Veterinary Missions (CVM) for several trips to Honduras and Nicaragua. At home, Cheryl is involved with her local church’s youth group and is on one of the worship music teams.
When not at work, Cheryl enjoys kayaking, hiking, biking, camping, and cross-country skiing. When the weather is nasty, reading, watching movies, and doing crafts is always a good second choice. She loves being from a big family and doing all these things with them.
Dr. Meegan Ritchie
Dr. Meegan Ritchie graduated from University of Wisconsin Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. She joined the Center Hill Veterinary Clinic family in the spring of 2002. Growing up on a dairy and horse farm in southwest Wisconsin cultivated her desire to become a large animal practitioner. Her passion for horses began at age three thanks to a chubby Shetland pony. She continues to indulge in the wonderful addiction both at work and play. She enjoys the day-to-day challenges of equine and bovine ambulatory service. Such a diverse working environment has led to special interests in neonatal care, internal medicine, and soft tissue surgery. One of the best parts of her job are the relationships she develops while helping people help their four legged friends.
Dr. Meegan lives in Darlington with her supportive husband Lucas. He has been very understanding about late night phone calls, offensive laundry and unusual requests for assistance. They share their home with a dog named Porter and two cats, Ryder and Louie. In her free time, Dr. Ritchie enjoys the thrill of barrel racing and the challenges of three-day eventing.
Dr. Ritchie is a member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, and serves on the Wisconsin Equine Practitioners Foundation Board.
Dr. Shay Vaassen
Dr. Shay Vaassen graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine in 2023. She joined the Center Hill Veterinary Clinic team in May of 2023 following graduation. Prior to veterinary medical school, Dr. Shay attended Iowa State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science graduating Summa Cum Laude in the Honors Program in 2019.
Dr. Vaassen grew up in Lafayette County and participated in 4-H, showing fair animals, and livestock judged through FFA. Her passion for animal health began at a young age, showing stubborn ponies in lead line and eventually Quarter Horses in Western Pleasure. You could find her in the barn playing with the cats or in the pasture petting the horses. Dr. Shay has an appreciation for animals of all sizes, with a special interest in equine medicine.
Dr. Shay lives in Shullsburg, WI with her husband, Brady Vaassen, and their three cats, Norman, Mallory and Schaefer. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and traveling with Brady, trying new foods, downhill skiing, and gardening. She loves spending time with family and riding horses with her mom.
Dr. Vaassen is excited to have joined the outstanding Center Hill Veterinary Clinic community of doctors, staff and clients, as a large animal practitioner.
Michelle Reuter, CVT
Michelle is a Certified Veterinary Technician at Center Hill Veterinary Clinic and started at the clinic in August of 2002. She attended college at Madison Area Technical College where she received her Associates degree in Animal Science. She is a member of the Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Association and the North American veterinary Technician Association.
Michelle grew up splitting her time between the nearby city of Mineral Point and on the farm by Arthur. She enjoys the peace and quiet of country living. Michelle owns an ambitious Weimaraner named Riggs.
Michelle’s hobbies include volleyball, four wheeling, reading, and being outside with Riggs. Michelle enjoys the everyday challenges of her career. She has also expanded her duties at Center Hill Veterinary Clinic over the years to include multiple different areas of the business.
Deb Krahenbuhl
Deb Krahenbuhl was born and raised in Lafayette County. She grew up on a dairy farm where her family also raised Black Angus cattle and crops. She worked for Lafayette County at Memorial Hospital and the finance department at the county courthouse. She retired from Lafayette County in May 2019 after 40 years of service. She joined the Center Hill Veterinary team in March of 2020 where she works part-time doing bookkeeping tasks. Deb’s attention to detail, timeliness, and big smile make her a perfect fit at Center Hill!
Deb is married to Sheldon Krahenbuhl and they have 3 grown children, Bryan (Jada), Elisa (Jeff) Mathys, Kara (Jacob) Scott. The adore their grandchildren Blake, Mason, Maya McNett, Brynlee and Emberly Krahenbuhl, Ensley Mathys, and Kase Scott.
In her free time Deb and Sheldon enjoy their Polaris Ranger spending most weekends and warm summer evenings traveling around Lafayette, Iowa, and Grant County. Deb is the Co-Coordinator for the Cheese Country Trail and treasurer for the Tri County ATV Club. She also enjoys walking, reading, and television.
Hailey Raymond
Hailey is found at the front desk, answering phone calls, working on the computer, and assisting clients with their needs. She graduated from UW-Platteville with a major in Dairy Science and a minor in Agriculture Business in spring of 2022. Hailey grew up in New Glarus, WI. She grew up being active in 4-H and FFA holding many leadership positions along with having the passion to show cattle and goats. In between shows, she would milk on a local dairy farm, outside of Belleville and help on her aunt’s 250 head dairy goat farm, outside of Fennimore. In college, Hailey was involved in many different clubs and organizations, including Pioneer Dairy Club, Agricultural Business Club, Collegiate Farm Bureau, and Ceres Women’s Fraternity. In the fall of 2021, Hailey used her diverse skill set to be voted on to the 2022 Pioneer Dairy Classic Sale Committee. The Pioneer Dairy Classic is a sale solely run by UW-Platteville’s students.
Hailey now lives in Benton with her fiance, Tyler and their two sons. They have two very ambitious dogs, and two cats. Hailey enjoys spending her spare time down at the cabin with her fiance and family, showing cattle, duck hunting, and spending time with her friends.
Her favorite part of working for Center Hill Veterinary Clinic is connecting with all the different animals every day and the family atmosphere that Center Hill’s staff brings to the table.
Holstein (RIP 2007-2025)
Holstein was the clinic cat. He made it to be 17 years old. Holstein came to the clinic when he was just a kitten. He was a stray that was living on Dr. Ritchie’s street. One morning Dr. Ritchie came out and thought she had chased all of the kittens out from underneath her vet truck. She did not know one had sneaked back under her truck. He was very smart and climbed up on her spare tire. When she arrived at the clinic, Holstein climbed out from underneath and soon was a permanent resident of Center Hill Veterinary Clinic.
Holstein enjoyed his naps in the window with the sun beating down upon him. He also was a big fan of catnip, which we needed to keep locked up or he would eat it all. He had a large appetite, which has created clinic challenges with respect to dog and cat food storage. Holstein had many fans; our clients enjoy seeing him and frequently ask his whereabouts when he is not out front.
May Holstein rest in peace. He will never be forgotten.