Our Team in Reno, NV

Shelby E. Baker, DVM is a small animal veterinarian and owner of Damonte Ranch Animal Hospital. In her younger years, Dr. Baker grew up on the East Coast in Rockville, Maryland, a suburb outside of Washington, D.C., and her parents still live there today in the same house where she grew up. Dr. Baker has always been a die-hard animal lover, with a strong interest in the sciences and medicine. She decided at a very early age during nursery school that the only thing she ever wanted to be in life was a veterinarian. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, class of 1994, then attended the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine where she graduated in the class of 2000.

While attending veterinary school, Dr. Baker cultivated her love of skiing and became a PSIA level 2 certified ski instructor at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia. After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Baker looked for new adventures and decided to explore West Coast living. She took a position as an associate veterinarian at a small animal practice in Northwest Reno, as well as a job continuing teaching skiing at Alpine Meadows at beautiful lake Tahoe. It was there she met a fellow ski instructor, who later became her husband. Now, Dr. Baker is the proud mother of two wonderful children, as well as two awesome Golden Retrievers, one adorable cat, and one charismatic bearded dragon, all while working with passion and dedication as the owner of Damonte Ranch Animal Hospital, founded in June 2011.

Dr. Baker loves EVERYTHING about working at Damonte Ranch Animal Hospital! She has a fabulous clientele that puts their trust in her to provide the very best care for their beloved family members each and every day. At the hospital, every single day is incredibly busy, challenging, exciting, and no two days are ever the same. Dr. Baker wakes up every morning looking forward to making her patients and clients her top priority.

Ever since veterinary school, Dr. Baker has had some pretty amazing pets! Chloe, a Heinz 57 mystery shelter adoptee, and Peekaboo, a one-eyed calico cat, were her first two faithful companions she acquired in her first year of veterinary school. They each lived to be in excess of 15 years of age! Then there was her wonderful dog Madeline, whom she adopted when she was brought into the ER by a good Samaritan on a night when Dr. Baker happened to be doing relief work. And, of course, who could forget her wonderful Labrador, Sugar. Dr. Baker adopted Sugar from a terminally ill client who thought their dog would not  be a good candidate for adoption, due to her having diabetes, but she became a valued part of the family.

Currently, Dr. Baker's family is blessed with their loyal, cool, calm, and collected English Cream Golden Retriever, Trevor--who is balanced out by their ridiculously silly, part-beaver English Cream Golden Retriever, Biscuit! And last but not least, is Dr. Baker's tripod kitty, Snuggles, who is always there at the foot of her bed, faithfully keeping her company while she writes charts late at night. Dr. Baker believes pets help to shape who we are, and it is a scientific fact that pets make us smile more each day, making our lives happier, less stressful, and more enriched. Dr. Baker's four-legged clan is a true testimony to that fact!

Dr. Baker is a diehard believer in the philosophy of life that one should always work hard and play hard. When she is not giving 100% to her clients, patients, and her family, you can find her behind her Mastercraft wakeboard boat, wakeboarding for hours, trying to learn some new trick (because wherever she is with her skills is never good enough), or possibly doing Yoga--“I am my best self on my mat!”  Unless, of course, it is the middle of winter, and under those circumstances, she is likely skiing the bumps or in the trees singing Disney tunes super loud for all to enjoy!