Dr. Jeni Knizley

Dr. Knizley is the owner of the Animal Care Center. Born in Mobile, Alabama, Dr. Knizley graduated from  St. Paul’s Episcopal school in 1999. She went on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2005 from Mississippi State. Then, in 2020 Dr. Knizley received her MBA from Auburn University.

Dr. Knizley is a member of AVMA, ALVMA, Shelter Pets Association, and has a passion for shelter medicine.

Dr. Knizley is a small animal veterinarian with a special interest in surgery and is enjoying her newfound interest in exotic medicine.

Outside of her practice, Dr. Knizley enjoys running, water sports, and time with friends and family. She has been married to Stephen Marbut since 2005 and  they have three children, Kate, Zeke, and Gabby.

Dr. Michael A. Zimlich

Dr. Zimlich has worked as a relief vet for Animal Care Center since 2006, ensuring that all of Dr. Knizley’s patients get the best of care when she is not in the office. A native of Mobile, Dr. Zimlich attended Troy University, where he earned a degree in Marine Biology, and Auburn University, where he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Dr. Zimlich has particular interest in feline medicine, veterinary dentistry, and pain management. In addition to his work as a relief vet, Dr. Zimlich is an Emergency Medicine Veterinarian at MedVet Mobile. He also currently serves as the Treasurer of the Mobile Veterinary Medical Association.

When not treating patients, Dr. Zimlich enjoys spending time outside, fishing, gardening, and canning. He loves spending time with his family and taking care of his chickens, four dogs, and many cats.

Tracy
Office Manager
Tracy has been with the ACC since August of 1997. She began working for Dr. Knight as a technician. She later became a groomer and was soon promoted to office manager. With over 20 years of experience working with our clients and patients, Tracy is invaluable to the ACC as a manager and staff member.

Tracy has a 27-year-old son, Zane, who recently graduated from South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He currently lives in Tampa. She lives in Mobile with her husband, Rodney, and their 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 8 chickens. When she’s not at the office, she likes to spend as much time as possible outside and at the beach. At home she enjoys gardening, cooking,  canning, and live music.

Rachel aka Rae
Receptionist
Rachel, known as Rae in the clinic, was born and raised right here in Mobile. She and her husband, as well as their 2 darling sons, have always loved animals. Their pitties, Max and Xena are the sweetest dogs you’ll ever meet. You’ll also find them snuggling on their two cats Ally and Felix. Since joining Animal Care Center in July 2020, Rae and her family have also welcomed Leonard the rescue leopard gecko into their home.

Rae prides herself in providing friendly, knowledgeable, and loving care to your fur family. Not only does she handle phone calls to schedule appointments as well as answering general questions about your pet’s health, Rae helps fill out paperwork and completes clerical office duties. She is known as the app champion, assisting with all of the technological stuff around the clinic. As one of the receptionists, she is the first person you will meet and is always seen laughing and smiling!

Christine
Receptionist
Christine joined the Animal Care Center team in 2021 after nearly 10 years of experience in the veterinary field. She has a passion for animal care, and has 2 dogs and 2 cats of her own. She is originally from Indiana but moved to Alabama as a teenager. She currently lives in Mobile with her fiance Kris and her son Christoper. When she is not at work, she enjoys walking their dogs and exploring nature, participating in mud runs or snuggling with the cats at home watching a good movie or documentary.

Tabitha
Receptionist
Tabitha joined Animal Care Center in June of 2020. As a receptionist, she is excited to get to help with you and your pet’s needs. She has over 10 years of experience in the veterinary field and enjoys getting to utilize that experience to serve all the wonderful clients at Animal Care Center. She is married to Heath and has a son and daughter. Her family shares her passion for animals and together they have 3 dogs and 1 cat. Tabitha is currently pursuing her degree through the University of West Alabama. She is a member of Clearwater Christian Church in West Mobile and enjoys teaching children and teens at her church, mission trips both local and abroad, and the beach.

Rachel
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Rachel Leard is a Licensed Veterinary Technician and has been working in the veterinary field for almost 15 years. Since childhood, Rachel has always worked with animals in some capacity. From volunteering with local shelters and rescue groups by taking care of their animals, fostering, and helping find them new homes, to training and competing with her personal dogs in obedience and agility. Rachel is also a member of Alabama Task Force 1, and is on the K9 Search and Rescue Team with her dog, K9 Zee. She also volunteers with her therapy dog, Jesse, at local hospitals. Rachel also has a kitty named Beamer whose only trick is demanding dinner – but boy is he good at it! All of Rachel’s personal pets have been adopted from local shelters or rescue groups. Rescue rocks!!

Laura
Veterinary Assistant
Laura came to the Animal Care Center after working at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab for five years on a seagrass monitoring project. She loves travelling and cats, and is thrilled when she is able to pet a cat while on a trip, which happens more than you might expect.

When asking her husband, “How do I write a bio? Who even am I?” She decided that his answer of “International Cat Lover of Mystery” is as good and succinct a description as any.

Emma
Veterinary Assistant
Emma started working at the Animal Care Center in July of 2018. Emma was born with a passion to love and care for animals, big and small. She has two dogs and two horses of her own but it doesn’t stop there. Emma has always had a desire to help animals of every kind to be happy, healthy, and loved.  She has devoted her time to become well trained in her field, from feeding and spending time with animals to grooming and much more.

Ciara
Veterinary Assistant
Ciara has been at Animal Care Center for over a year after moving down from Rockhill SC. She loves piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, she is not much into yoga but she does love going out of the river with her boyfriend. Anything today with the water she enjoys, especially marine life.

Her goal is to go to school to become a Vet to further her abilities of taking care of your fur babies.

Kiana

Kennel Assistant

Kiana came to work for the ACC in December of 2019. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, she moved to Mobile a few years ago and graduated from Baker High School. She has lots of experience with animals and has volunteered with Project Purr for 5 years.

Kiana has two cats of her own and loves exotic pets. Besides her animals, she also spends lots of time taking care of her plants – gardening and growing fruits and vegetables is one of her favorite hobbies.