Meet Our Team!

Dr. Jesse Sondel, DVM, Owner

Born and raised in Madison, Dr. Sondel is a 2003 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. While he takes great pride in the care he provides his patients, his favorite part about being a veterinarian is the relationships he has developed with his clients over the years.

Honored with several Best of Madison awards, Dr. Sondel’s veterinary clinic draws pet owners from across the Midwest for his reproductive expertise. Dr. Sondel, wife Emilie, and children, Jordan, and Evan, live with their Boston Terrier “Gary” and enjoy spending their free time as a family, biking, playing hockey, and enjoying the great outdoors.

Emilie, Co-owner

Emilie became a child & family psychotherapist in 2005 after receiving her master’s in counseling psychology and understands working in the veterinary field is stressful and demanding, she focuses on ways to promote a positive and healthy environment for both staff and clients.

In addition to her work at SFVC, Emilie works with Dr. Sondel to promote a healthy community through volunteering, donating, and sponsorship of various community groups and events serving animals and children. In her down time, Emilie enjoys spending time with Dr. Sondel and their children, Jordan and Evan, as well as their dog, Gary. She also loves anything to do with water, playing games, traveling, and being outside.

Dr. Elana Frankenthal
DVM & Medical Director

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dr. Elana Frankenthal obtained her undergraduate and Master of Business Administration degrees in Denver, Colorado before realizing that life was too short to live with regrets and decided it was worth pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinary. This decision landed her back in Wisconsin where she graduated with high honors from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 2017.

Continuing education is important to Dr. Frankenthal, who takes advantage of the many opportunities available to keep up to date on the latest medical advances. Specifically interested in internal medicine and dermatology, Dr. Frankenthal will take the time to listen to your concerns and discuss options with you so that you can come up with a plan together. Dr. Frankenthal lives with her husband Max and their children. Their furry companions include Silas (English Springer Spaniel), Arthur (10 lb. terrier mix), and Aspen (Domestic Short Hair). In her spare time, Dr. Frankenthal enjoys spending time outside with her family (hiking, boating, or swimming), taking fitness classes, and cooking.

Dr. Chelsea Mohney, DVM

A native of Southwest Michigan, Dr. Mohney received a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Michigan State University. She is a 2018 graduate of St. George’s University and spent the last year of her veterinary training at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. It was then that she fell in love with the Madison area and is happy to call it her home. Dr. Mohney enjoys treating all breeds and is interested in helping her patients achieve and maintain excellent health so that they enjoy an optimal relationship with their families. She has special interests in soft tissue surgery, dentistry, and dermatology.

Growing up on a blueberry farm, Dr. Mohney spent much of her childhood raising chickens, caring for various barnyard animals and riding her quarter horse, Glory. She now shares her residence with her playful cat Panda whom she rescued from a shelter while in Grenada.

In her free time, Dr. Mohney enjoys traveling, hiking, going to her family’s house on Lake Michigan, eating sushi, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Kara Wallisch, DVM

Dr. Wallisch grew up in Green Bay, WI and moved down to Madison to attend school at the UW. She graduated in 2015 from the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to working at Sondel Family Vet, she worked in general practice and shelter medicine, where she broadened her skills in surgery, medicine, and disease management. Along with surgery, she enjoys ultrasound and diagnostic imaging, and received additional training in performing echocardiograms.

At home, Dr. Wallisch lives with her husband, two young sons, and a black Labrador named Lilah. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, water activities on the lake, and family movie nights.

Dr. Hannah Mortensen, DVM

Raised in Madison, Dr. Hannah Mortensen (Dr. Mort) attended UW-River Falls for her Animal Science degree. She then returned to her hometown to finish out school at UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in 2019. Before starting at Sondel Family Vet, Dr. Mort was an associate at a small clinic just outside of the Madison area.

While she enjoys working with multiple species and breeds, hunting dogs have a place close to her heart. She owns two Large Munsterlanders, Dieter and Saiga, with her partner, Isaac. Keeping these animals healthy and able to do the things they love with their owner is one of the best parts of work as a vet.

You can find Dr. Mort, when not at work, working in her garden, outside, spending time with her pups and Isaac, reading, and crafting.

Sara, Practice Manager

Sara has been part of the Sondel team since 2017, joining us with several years of experience in the doggy daycare and boarding industries, as well as a bachelors degree in psychology and communication from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Sara enjoys spending time with friends and family, being outdoors, and live music. Her beloved fur family includes a tuxedo cat, “Malik”, and a chihuahua mix, “Bubbles”.

Brian, Lead CVT/Hospital Manager

Brian received his certified veterinary technician degree from MATC in 2005. He has 5 years of emergency experience, over 5 years of CAT scan and ultrasound experience, multiple years of working with a laparoscopic surgeon, and has volunteered at the Milwaukee zoo in surgeries on a tiger and a lion. He also has additional ultrasound training to perform abdominal and echocardiograms. Brian has a son, Jameson, and daughter, Lyla. Other members of his family include his fiancé, Ashley, and her daughter, Isabella, as well as two dogs and a hedgehog. Aside from keeping up with everyone at home, Brian also enjoys fishing, hunting, coaching soccer, ATV’s, remodeling his house, and working on his cars.

Lora, CVT

Lora has been a Certified Veterinary Technician since graduating the veterinary technician progam at Madison College in 2006, where soon after, she began her long-lasting career with Dr. Sondel. Growing up in Sun Prairie, she remembers always wanting to be a vet tech, and you could often find her at Pet Express (the local Main Street pet store) with the owner Frank, who did wildlife rehab and really fueled her love for animals. Lora went on to work as an assistant in high school and college at the veterinary clinic in town. As with most veterinary professionals, she now has quite the menagerie of pets at home including Sampson the three-legged English Mastiff, Ellie the deaf Pit Bull mix, Stanley the French Bulldog, and three interesting, curly kitties; Olive, Philip, and Brimley. Lora enjoys traveling and hiking around the world, knitting, exploring local farmer’s markets, and going to breweries and wineries with her husband. She’s mother to a cute-as-a button little girl, Izzy, and an equally as adorably-cute baby boy, Duncan. Lora’s favorite thing about working at SFVC is seeking out snuggle or affection opportunities with patients, as well as animal dental care and helping to make sure owners understand how to best care for their pets!.

Amy, CVT

Amy has been around animals all her life, starting by growing up on a dairy farm. Her first job was at her hometown veterinary clinic when she was 16, so it felt natural for her to become a CVT and in 2003, she received her license. Amy, her husband, and their two young children live on a small farm in Monticello raising all kinds of animals – including goats, chickens, pigs, horses, and dogs! In her spare time, Amy and her family show their animals at various events.

Sarah, CVT

Sarah is a Certified Veterinary Technician who graduated from Minnesota School of Business – Plymouth in 2010. She worked for a small veterinary clinic in Minnesota before moving to Madison in 2013, where she laid roots with her family. She started volunteering shortly after at Dane County Humane Society in Medical Services. Sarah enjoys her work as a CVT here at Sondel Family Veterinary Clinic, helping all our patients feel better!

Sarah’s pet family includes two grey short hair cats, Luke and Logan, whom she adopted from the humane society in Minnesota. They keep her very busy along with her young daughter Kailey. She enjoys spending time exploring new parks around Madison and reading.

Amanda, Client Care Specialist

Amanda comes to us with over 6 years of experience working at various veterinary clinics across Wisconsin and Illinois. She earned her career diploma as a Certified Veterinary Assistant from Ashworth College in 2018. Amanda enjoys being a part of the SFVC team; building and creating a trusting relationship with our clients and being that familiar, reassuring voice when you call in are very important to her.

She is a lover of all animals but is very particular to our feline friends as she has 5 cats sharing her home along with her husband Andrew and son Taven. She is always up for learning new techniques and information in animal sciences. Some of her hobbies include crafting, seeing live shows/concerts, traveling, hiking, playing board games and reading a good book.

Katrina, Client Care Specialist

Katrina has been a Client Care Specialist at Sondel Family Veterinary Clinic since July of 2022. With experience in grooming salons, doggy daycares, and volunteering at the Dane County Humane Society at a young age, Katrina has always been involved with animals. Katrina loves learning and sees each day at the clinic as an opportunity to gain knowledge.

Some of Katrina’s favorite veterinary topics include nutrition, grooming, and training. Katrina loves learning about new breeds and enjoys seeing the variety that comes to SFVC. At home, Katrina is a proud dog owner of Olive, a 6-year-old Portuguese Water Dog, and Isaac, a 4-year-old Standard Poodle. In her free time, Katrina enjoys teaching her dogs new tricks, throwing a ball for Isaac, or snuggling in for a movie night at home.

Lindsey, Client Care Specialist & Veterinary Assistant

Growing up Lindsey always had a fondness for animals, and could be found at the barn most weekends as a child. After high school she got a degree in graphic design from MATC and worked in high end fashion for several years before switching gears, and deciding to go back to school to become a CVT. Lindsey and her partner James, share their home with two dogs; Pippin and Erza, four cats; Link, Renji, Obito, and Poe, in addition to the occasional foster pet (or two.) In her off hours, Lindsey can usually be found studying, riding her horse, doing some sort of DIY project, or gardening.

Allyson, Veterinary Assistant

Allyson is originally from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and has been working with animals since the age of 15. Growing up she was very interested in animals of all sizes, developing a passion that turned into a desire to attend vet school. Allyson earned her degree in Animal Science in the spring of 2023, and we are so lucky to have her here at SFVC while she takes a gap year to explore her interests in reproductive care. Allyson has a Golden Retriever of her own named Ernie, as well as her parent’s Springer Spaniel Pippi whom she grew up with. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and doing anything outdoors.

Mel, Veterinary Assistant

Mel has been an animal lover for as long as she can remember. A couple years after receiving her BA in graphic design, she decided it wasn’t the right fit. Switching gears, she now is happily working as one of our vet assistants. She currently has 2 kitty sons, Peter and Charlie. In her free time, she likes to take walks, play video games, and hang with friends. Her favorite breed is all of them, because it’s too hard to choose. She looks forward to learning more about dogs and cats everyday!

Rachel, Veterinary Assistant

Rachel grew up in Pardeeville, WI and moved to Sun Prairie after college. She graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health: Epidemiology and a minor in Global Studies. After working in pet boarding and grooming for 2 years, she realized that animal care was her true passion. She has always been dedicated to improving the lives for animals and loves spending as much time as possible with them, no matter the species.

In her free time, she enjoys spending every second with her Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler Mix, Juno. Whether it is exploring the woods, meeting new fur friends at the dog park, or swimming in the lake, if they are together, she is always having a good time.

Kira, Client Care Specialist

Kira is originally from Oregon, Wisconsin where she grew up around many different types of animals, from cats and dogs to horses and ducks. She aways had a passion for her furry friends. Kira is now a current student at MATC pursuing her interest in both the veterinary field and IT. Before joining our Sondel team, Kira worked in the restaurant industry honing her customer service skills and joking around with her fellow Wisconsinites. Kira enjoys kayaking in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. But what she enjoys most is spending her free time with her black and white cat, Tyr and her senior toy poodle, Cedar going on walks through the woods, watching scary movies and cooking together.

Paige, Client Care Specialist

Born and raised in Madison, Paige received her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and Environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Paige joined the Sondel team to explore her interest in the Veterinary field. Her love for animals, particularly large breed dogs, comes from her childhood pets. Growing up with Mastiffs, it was only natural to Paige for her first dog to be a Bullmastiff. Paige enjoys going for long walks with her dog Loki, and cuddle sessions with her cat Midnight. In her free time, you can catch Paige having fun under the sun, playing volleyball, soccer and crushing everyone on Clash Royale.

Lauren R., Certified Veterinary Technician

Lauren is a Certified Veterinary Technician who graduated from Madison College in 2021 and joined the SFVC family in March of 2023. Animals have always been a part of her life from growing up on a small hobby farm to her first job as a calf manager to entering the field of Vet Med as a Vet Tech Assistant in 2018. She loves every aspect of her job as a CVT from cuddling patients during their wellness exams to helping them feel better in times of need. Outside of work, Lauren loves spending time with her husband, Jake, and stepson, Jeffy. She currently only has one pet, Pumpkin, a 13-year-old, female, orange DLH kitty cat from her childhood.

Stacy, Veterinary Assistant

Stacy is originally from Grafton, Wisconsin and is a recent graduate of UW Madison, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. Stacy has been working with animals since she was 17, including multiple summers spent working in Wildlife Rehabilitation, which gave her an appreciation and love for all animals and reaffirmed her desire to go to vet school. In her free time she loves to run, read, and spoil her orange tabby cat, Garbanzo, and her family’s Mini Aussie, Penny.