Dr. Morency was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and moved with her parents to Lebanon, Tennessee, when she was eight years old. She doesn’t remember a time when animals did not surround her. In fact, her mom has a picture of her crib with the family cocker spaniel, Fancy, lying underneath. While she didn’t live on a farm, throughout her life, she has had a variety of pets with whom she’s had the pleasure of sharing life.

When it came time to pursue career options, Dr. Morency knew there was only one career for her: veterinarian. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a degree in Agriculture/Animal Science and was accepted into the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. During this time between admission and graduation, she met and married her husband. Over the next several years, her family grew from just two to four. She discovered a love of travel and continued to practice veterinary medicine.

Because of this love of travel, she and her family have lived in several different places around the country, but Middle Tennessee has always been her home. They moved back to the Nashville area a few years ago and have enjoyed reconnecting with family. Dr. Morency looks forward to exploring this beautiful area, meeting more people, and helping their pets on her journey.

Samantha is originally from NYC and recently moved to Murfreesboro to enjoy the high humidity summers and to laugh at our snow day policies in the winter. She has been in the veterinary field for over 10 years and became a licensed technician in 2017. Samantha has a dog and two cats that “are her world” and loves new adventures, going to new places and meeting new people.

Stephanie was born and raised in Murfreesboro.  She graduated from Oakland High School then attended Volunteer State for a degree in Veterinary Technology. In 2016, Stephanie obtained her degree and became a Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician. She joined the team at Family Pet Health in 2018 eager to embark on a Fear Free approach to veterinary medicine. 

Stephanie’s favorite part of the job is providing education to pet parents and coworkers. She believes in utilizing Fear Free techniques to strengthen the human-animal bond. Stephanie is a proud mom of 2 children, Elizabeth and JJ. She is happily married to a man that loves cats as much as she does. She enjoys reading, spending quality time with her family and friends, and vacations to the beach.

Dr. Amy Shirley, originally from Tracy City, Tennessee, first came to Murfreesboro as an MTSU student and met her husband Michael while both were studying Animal Science in college. Dr. Shirley went on to graduate with her veterinary degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2005. After graduation, Dr. Shirley moved back to Murfreesboro to practice as a small animal veterinarian including 10 years as an associate doctor and 3 years practicing as a relief doctor in the greater Middle Tennessee area.

Dr. Shirley and her family have lived in the Buchanan area since 2007 and accepted the opportunity to purchase Black Fox Veterinary Hospital in the Murfreesboro/Buchanan community in 2018. Later that year, they renamed the practice Family Pet Health. Since that time, she has worked to provide trusted care and be the family doctor for the pets in the community.

Dr. Shirley set out with a mission to create a positive and collaborative work environment that cares about the wellbeing and mental health of her doctors and team as a top priority. She believes that if she can take care of her team, they will take care of the clients and patients. She also is focused on the emotional well-being as well as the physical well-being of her patients. She was an early adopter of the Fear-Free approach to veterinary medicine which helps diagnose and treat fear, anxiety, and stress in our patients especially when receiving medical attention. Dr. Shirley and her team at Family Pet Health were proud to become only the 3 rd Fear Free Certified veterinary hospital in the state of Tennessee in 2019! Dr. Shirley hopes to continue to build on this foundation to improve the lives of her team and patients. Dr. Shirley loves all species of animals but has a special devotion to the feline patient and small mammals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

Dr. Shirley developed a love for the human-animal bond growing up and was very active in 4-H. She has fond memories of showing sheep and horses. Now she and Michael have 3 children of their own and enjoy seeing them participate in 4-H and finding their own interests and activities. Their family enjoys taking day trips and vacations together such as hiking and camping in their pop-up camper with a goal of visiting all the state parks in Tennessee. She and her family love their local church family at New Vision Baptist Church at Buchanan. Her children say that she enjoys working as a vet and cleaning the house as this is where she spends much of her time!

Dr. Sam grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California and wanted to be a veterinarian for as long as she could remember. She attended MTSU on a full-ride softball scholarship where she received her bachelor’s degrees in Animal Science and General Science. She then attended veterinary school at UC Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in 2020. During veterinary school, Dr. Sam was a part of various clubs, but took a special interest in the Veterinary Emergency Response Team. She taught dart-gun wetlabs, knot-tying wetlabs and organized demonstrations for first responders in large animal extraction techniques. She also developed and tested Rescue Loops for horses with Dr. John Madigan and the International Animal Welfare Training Institute. Other interests of Dr. Sam’s are small animal behavior, geriatric pain management and feline medicine. She became Fear Free Certified in veterinary school and is an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional.

After veterinary school, Dr. Sam completed a 1-year internship at an equine hospital in Southern California. She then decided to pursue her passion in small animal medicine. She was ecstatic to find a clinic that shared her ideals and decided to move back to Murfreesboro with her cat, Koda. Dr. Sam is eager to begin practicing Fear Free Medicine and is excited to begin alleviating fear, anxiety and stress in pets with the Family Pet Health team.

Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Sam enjoys fishing, working out, watching TV and being out in nature. She played in the World Championships with the Puerto Rican National Softball team and is planning to coach softball once she has a family of her own.

Dr. Diana Renee Dupree grew up on a 365-acre family farm in Central Kentucky. From her first memories, she wanted to be a veterinarian. She graduated from Morehead State University with a bachelor’s of science degree before attending Mississippi State University for veterinary medicine. After graduating with her DVM degree, Dr. Dupree entered small animal medicine first as an associate veterinarian and later as a partner/owner with a clinic in Hazard, KY for a number of years. In 2010, Dr. Dupree moved to the Murfreesboro area where she did relief veterinary work and ended up meeting Dr. Shirley at one of those clinics.

Dr. Dupree has been happily married to her husband Robert since 1987. They have two beautiful adult daughters, Kaci, a lawyer in Chattanooga, and Sidney, a college student at Lincoln Memorial University, and are active members at Lighthouse Baptist Church. She has two Australian cattle dogs, a cat, and three Tennessee walking horses at their farm.

Dr. Dupree considers the opportunity to work with the team at Family Pet Health in a Fear Free environment to be a high honor.

Dr. Jennifer Nunnery is grateful and proud to be a part of the Family Pet Health team. A Murfreesboro native, she moved away to attend Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia followed by veterinary school at The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation in 2002, she completed a fellowship at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. Making the switch to small animal medicine, she practiced at Centre Animal Hospital in State College, PA for nearly 11 years before the pull of family (and milder winters) brought her home. When not working, she can often be found hiking with her daughter Allison, husband Mark, and Golden Retriever Lily. Her household also includes three fabulous cats.

Dr. Nunnery is drawn to cats and big dogs, but just about anything with fur will make her smile. She has a special place in her heart for the scared dogs that have gone from “needs muzzle” to “loves visiting” over the years. She especially enjoys surgery and helping senior pets live their best lives.

A native of Franklin, Kelly has been in Murfreesboro for about 8 years. A May graduate from Columbia State Community College, Kelly will sit for her national boards sometime later this year. Outside of the clinic, Kelly loves spending time with her dog Riley and being outdoors or on the water.

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Zoey has called Middle Tennessee home since 2005. A lifelong animal lover, for many years she worked with horses, taught riding lessons, and oversaw horse camps and programs that focused on educating people about horses. In 2016, after a few years at home with her children, Zoey returned to school, this time focused on veterinary health. In 2019 she graduated with honors from Columbia State Community College with a degree in Veterinary Technology and joined Family Pet Health a short time later.

Zoey loves her job and considers herself fortunate to have found a practice like Family Pet Health where she works with an amazing team and has the opportunity to develop great relationships with clients and pets. Her favorite part of the job is seeing the animal-human bond, which is also what she loved about working with horses and people. Understanding the importance of gaining an animal’s trust makes her appreciate the Fear Free approach even more. In her free time Zoey enjoys reading psychological thrillers, watching documentaries about almost anything, kayaking, and spending time with her family, friends and, of course, her pets.

Yousef moved to Tennessee in June of 2006. He then attended Volstate Community College where he graduated from the Pet Assistant Program in 2018. Yousef can be found on his Murfreesboro farm taking care of his variety of livestock or enjoying his days in the great outdoors camping, fishing, and hiking.

Jenna recently moved to Murfreesboro in 2020 from Chicago, IL, where she was born and raised. In 2018, she began school at McHenry County College and went on to receive her veterinary assistant certificate. Her passions outside of work include spending time with her family, reading, spending time outdoors, watching movies, and spoiling her Golden Retriever, Tucker.

Elizabeth is a Riverdale graduate and first met the Shirleys as a student in one of Michael’s Agriculture Science classes in school.  She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee at Martin and worked at the campus’ Animal Diagnostic Laboratory during the semester taking care of their resident sheep and goats.  Elizabeth is currently in her first year of veterinary school at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and will continue to  work at Family Pet Health during breaks to gain more practical application of her coursework, especially when it’s a cute puppy or kitten to learn on!

Savanna has lived in Murfreesboro, TN all of her life and recently graduated from Oakland High School. She is passionate about her love for Jesus, family, and animals! Her hobbies consist of playing her ukulele and singing, wrapping surgery packs, and calming down animals under sedation. She has been serving faithfully at New Vision Buchanan as a worship leader for 3 years.

Halie moved to Murfreesboro after graduating from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo in 2021. Though her degree is in Experience Industry Management, Halie has worked with family pets while working at a doggy daycare and animal shelter since 2015. She has three shelter pets of her own. When not at work, Halie loves spending time with her pets, exploring new music and camping and being outdoors.

Stephen came to Family Pet Health in January of 2019 to help out his brother Michael for a few weeks with marketing and communications projects. Surprising nearly everyone who knew them as kids, the Shirley brothers are still going strong three years later as they explore opportunities to spread the Family Pet Health story to the greater Murfreesboro community and beyond. Stephen would have never predicted that working in a veterinary clinic would be such an enjoyable and invigorating experience but the team at Family Pet Health is what stands out the most in making this the best job he ever had.

When not at Family Pet Health, Stephen can almost always be found at a nearby soccer field working as a referee. Stephen also enjoys long walks with his wife Elizabeth in which they laugh at his dog Maverick trying to pee on every mailbox and chase every cat in their neighborhood.

Katie moved to Murfreesboro from Illinois in 2020 with her husband and youngest daughter Jenna (who also works at Family Pet Health.) She joined Family Pet Health as a CSR in November 2020 and enjoys having the opportunity to help fur babies and their families. Some of her favorite things about being a CSR is being the first person of contact for new clients, scheduling appointments, and keeping the flow of visits running smoothly for our amazing treatment team. When not at work, she loves to read, watch movies, and spend time with her three other daughters and five grandbabies. Exploring our beautiful state is another favorite pastime!

Fun fact: Katie was a certified Jazzercise instructor for 18 years and is passionate about fitness!

Desteney grew up in the Middle Tennessee area and graduated from Cannon County High School in 2016. After working several years as a prison guard, she decided to pursue a career in the veterinary field. She came to Family Pet Health to pursue opportunities for professional growth and experience. One area of particular interest for Desteney is ensuring that her patients have healthy teeth and smiles.

Desteney lives in DeKalb County with her nine animals–five dogs, three cats, and a horse. On her days off, Desteney spends time with her animals–playing with, caring for, and training them.

Tori enjoys spending time with her fiancé, family and friends. She loves to ride horses, play softball, fish and spend time on her family’s farm. She also has three dogs who are her world!

Michael’s favorite part of working at Family Pet Health is hiring great team members who possess a passion for animal care and client education. He believes that if you hire great people, equip them with the tools they need, and then get out of their way, they will take great care of clients and their pets. You never know what you may find Michael working on around the animal hospital. From paying the bills and leading team meetings, to recording training videos and weeding the flower beds, he is a jack-of-all trades. Never afraid to tackle a problem or try new approaches to tasks, Michael encourages feedback from Family Pet Health clients regarding any way that we can make the visit to the vet a more pleasant experience for you or your pet.