Meet our skilled veterinarians

Dr. Grace Strake, DVM

OWNER AND FOUNDER
Dr. Strake has built a reputation as one of the south shore's leading veterinary surgeons. Educated at the Freie University of Berlin, Germany, she completed the ECFVG internship program at Tufts University Foster School of Veterinary Medicine in 1995.
Dr. Strake practices small animal medicine and surgery and has completed extensive training in Ultrasonography. She has been scanning regularly for the past 20 years. Her surgical experience includes all routine procedures and many non-routine soft tissue surgeries including bladder and intestinal surgery, soft palate resection and laparoscopic surgery. She is also skilled in using the surgical laser on many soft tissue surgeries.
Dr. Strake has a special interest in Oncology and offers many Chemotherapy treatment options. Beyond our canine and feline patients she also sees all pocket pets, ferrets and birds.
Dr. Strake is an AVID sports fan and is also a professional Violinist! She lives in Scituate with her husband, their golden Hooper and lab Wally as well as their 4 cats.
Dr. Liz Czaplicki, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN & CO-OWNER
Dr. Liz graduated from Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2004 following a degree in Biology from the University of Vermont. After completing Vet school she took an internship in equine medicine and surgery at Rochester Equine Clinic prior to joining Black Pond Veterinary Services. She switched to small animal medicine and joined the SCAH team in 2008.
Dr. Liz was certified in equine acupuncture at the Chi Institute while at Black Pond. She is an active member of the AVMA and was a chairperson for the membership committee of the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Liz takes a vested interested in all her patients and enjoys small animal medicine especially Ultrasonography.
Dr. Liz lives in Hingham with her Husband and their two sons Ian and Andrew. They also have a very energetic yellow lab named Hazel and a calico cat named Clover.
Dr. Sophie Johnstone, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN & CO-OWNER
Dr. Johnstone completed her undergraduate at Cornell University in 2009 and then went on to the Royal College of Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. She moved back to the USA after completing Vet school and joined the SCAH team in 2013.
Dr. Johnstone lives in HIngham with her Husband Callum, their three children and their Springer Spaniel Pip (pictured).
In her spare time, Dr. Johnstone most enjoys hiking and swimming in the summer with her family, friends, and of course Pip.
Pip is also a volunteer as Therapy Dog and visits local hospitals on a weekly basis.
Dr. Lori Harvey, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. Harvey is a 1993 graduate of the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and has many years experience in small animal and exotic medicine. She takes a special interest in Avian medicine and loves working with small mammals and reptiles. Dr. Harvey is a skilled soft tissue surgeon and takes great pride in her dentistry skills.
Dr. Harvey currently resides in Kingston with her husband Doug and their daughter Michelle. They share their home with a Shih-Tzu named Paris and their cat Sienna..
Dr. Harvey is a competitive swimmer and cyclist and has been competing in races for several years..
Dr. Abigail Sholtys, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. Abby graduated from the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine in 2018. She is originally from Ithaca, New York, where she also completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University. Dr. Abby loves all areas of the veterinary field but has a special interest in internal medicine and dermatology.
Dr. Abby lives outside of Boston with her husband, Jeff, who is also a veterinarian, and their son Graham. They have a pitbull, Ollie, and two cats, Charlie and Jackson.
Dr. Sarah Strake, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. Sarah graduated from Tufts school of veterinary medicine. She is originally from Long Island, New York. Dr. Sarah is interested in many areas of the veterinary field particularly internal medicine.
Dr. Sarah lives on the South Shore with her family and their 2 golden retrievers and 2 cats.
In her spare time, Dr. Sarah enjoys hiking, reading, and exploring New England.
Dr. Priscilla Pettit, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. Pettit completed her undergraduate education at Colorado College in 1989 and her veterinary education at Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. On graduation, she practiced small animal and exotic medicine, caring for pets of all kind as well as for wildlife. Now focused exclusively on small animal medicine, she joins South Coastal on returning to Boston after 13 years in Denver, Colorado. Mom to two boys, she also cares for her English yellow lab, Potato and her two cats, Mr Nacho Cheese Sauce and Fish.
Dr. Marie Petropoulos, VMD

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. Marie Petropoulos received her bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2013 before completing her veterinary degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2017. She was born and raised in Stoughton.
After graduation, Dr. Petropoulos initially worked in a mixed animal practice with dogs, cats, exotics, ruminants, and horses until 2018 when she transitioned exclusively to small animal medicine. She is passionate about preventative care and has a particular interest in surgery. She currently lives in Abington with her husky mix, Anna, and her two cats.
Dr. Julie Richer, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. Julie Richer completed her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont in 2017 and received her veterinary degree from the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine in 2022, one town over from her hometown of Whitinsville, MA. Throughout her veterinary education, Dr. Julie developed a love for all areas of small animal and exotic medicine. She will be happy to see your cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, and all other small mammals!
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Julie enjoys running (she hopes to run the Boston Marathon one day), reading (Agatha Christie is one of her favorite authors), volunteering at her church, and spending time with her friends, family, and pets.
Dr. Bennett King, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. King grew up on the South Shore. She first entered the veterinary world by shadowing our own Dr. Grace Strake at South Coastal! She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Colgate University in 2015. Afterwards, she spent one year researching canine mammary cancer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with her veterinary degree in 2020.
Dr. King completed a small animal rotating internship followed by a year as an emergency veterinarian before transitioning to South Coastal. Her special interests include critical care and cytology. She lives outside of Boston and enjoys pottery and traveling.
Dr. Kim Fortier Leidl, DVM

ASSOCIATE VETERINARIAN
Dr. Kim Fortier Leidl is originally from Connecticut. She grew up riding horses and became interested in veterinary medicine at an early age. Kim majored in English at Boston College and earned a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Michigan in 2010. She then spent two years in research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Although she enjoyed research, Kim missed working with animals. She applied to veterinary school and graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016.
Kim spent her first year out of veterinary school working at a 24-hour small animal hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, where she practiced surgery, general and emergency medicine. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary practice but is particularly interested in preventive medicine, internal medicine, dentistry, and One Health.
Kim then moved to the Boston area with her husband, Matt and was very excited to join the team at South Coastal Animal Health in June 2017. Kim and Matt also have twin boys!
Dr. Vera Dyment, DVM

Dr. Vera Dyment is our newest veterinarian to join the SCAH team in 2025. She is a local south shore resident and Hingham native. She completed her undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2010 and received her veterinary degree in 2014 from Ross University on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.
After graduation, she completed a small animal medical and surgical internship followed by two specialty internships in medical oncology. Her special interest in veterinary medicine is medical oncology, but also enjoys the variation in urgent care and educating clients on preventative medicine.
Dr. Dyment lives in Hingham with her partner, Jim, their son Noah, two "coconut retrievers" from St. Kitts, Leena and Koda, and their spicy tuxedo cat, Binx.
In her spare time, Dr. Dyment enjoys working out at her local CrossFit gym, spending time with her family, playing ice hockey and skiing in NH.
Dr. Shay Doherty, DVM

Dr. Shay Doherty earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2022 and received her veterinary degree from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2026. She is interested in preventive medicine, soft tissue surgery, and end-of-life care.

Originally from the South Shore, Dr. Doherty is excited to be returning to the area and currently resides in Scituate, Massachusetts.

Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Doherty enjoys baking, yoga, and exploring nature trails. She is also a former sailing instructor and still loves spending time on the water whenever she can.
Dr. Marion Pattillo, DVM

Associate Veterinarian