"We always had dogs growing up; I learned from an early age that my dog truly was my best friend. We had Airdales when I was young and the biggest most protective one, Mr. Capps was my best bud. We also had one that hated for all of us (me and my two sisters) to be swimming in the pool. She would run around the pool barking at us - especially when we were in the deep end. I learned very early on what the human-animal bond could be and that I always wanted that in my life."

Wanting to learn more about that bond, Elise Atkinson earned her BA in biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder, then continued on to the Institute of Animal Technology at Bel-Rea to earn her CVT in 1996.

Fresh out of school, Elise hit the big screen, working for Alameda East Veterinary Hospital (AEVH), home of Animal Planet’s ER Vets. During her three years as surgery supervisor, Elise was "on-set," and she can still be seen on re-runs of the show.

After her taste of stardom, Elise worked at Colorado’s only nonprofit animal hospital, Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital from 2000–2005, when she joined AAHA as a practice accreditation coordinator. In addition, Elise also contributed as a staff writer for PetsMatter, Trends and several other member publications.

She’s lived in Colorado for the past 22 years where she’s enjoyed reading, writing, running, travel and snowboarding. But, she’s decided to trade in the snowboard for a surf board, as she and her husband along with their four-legged kids, cattle dog mixes, Destin and Derby, move out to Florida for a new adventure.