Our Vets:
Dr. Margaret Moncure
Dr. Moncure moved to Fairview with her husband in 2003 after graduation from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine. She worked as a general practitioner, a spay/neuter surgeon, an emergency vet, and a small animal relief veterinarian in the area prior to the opening of Cedar Ridge Animal Hospital in 2012. She particularly enjoys providing neonatal care, dental care, surgery, and angry cat care. When she isn’t at work, Dr. Moncure is busy raising her two children, gardening, fencing, and taking care of her dogs, cats, and whatever other stray has wandered home with her. She has two dogs, Birch and Beetle, who are sweet albeit a little stubborn and all of her cats are behaviorally challenged, and she kind of likes them that way.
Dr. Sarah Hargrove
Dr. Hargrove is a 2006 NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine graduate. After finishing her veterinary degree, she earned a MSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. She originally moved to the mountains to attend Warren Wilson College, and, after Peace Corps in Tanzania, and forced interment in the flatlands for vet school, moved back to the area in 2008.
She has worked as a small animal and exotics vet, both full time and as relief. She is interested in internal medicine, dental health, and working with less common species- both as pets and within wildlife conservation concerns.
In her free time, she practices yoga, rides her bike, and tries to garden (poorly) and works on her family’s small cabin. Being a responsible adult has put a damper on her international traveling, but she loves that at home, she has a mountain biking husband, a daughter, and a dog, both of whom are really stinking cute.
Dr. Susan Wagner
A native of western North Carolina, Susan grew up in Hendersonville. She graduated from Hendersonville High and the University of North Carolina before attending veterinary school with Dr. Moncure at North Carolina State University. Susan practiced small-animal medicine in Raleigh for 14 years before realizing it was time to get back to the mountains. She joined Cedar Ridge Animal Hospital in 2018.
Susan’s family includes husband, Ron, and daughters Elsa and Mimi. They share their home with three adorable cats named Bianca, Peggy Snow and Felicia as well as a shelter mutt named Mackenzie, who bears an unfortunate physical resemblance to a warthog and is terrified of Susan yelling at the TV while watching her beloved Tar Heels play.
Susan loves yoga, hiking, and attending sporting events. She’s been known to get far too attached to her foster kittens.
Dr. Kasandra Garner
Dr. Garner graduated from NCSU CVM in 2003 (with Drs. Moncure and Wagner) and followed her husband to his hometown in northeastern Alabama where she owned a mixed animal practice for 12 years. She also started and managed a 501c3 animal shelter and spay/neuter fund. At the end of 2015, she and her husband decided it was time to move back to western North Carolina so they could be closer to Kasandra’s parents and have more opportunities for their two children, son, Dale, and daughter, Dannan. Dr. Garner worked at a small animal hospital in north Asheville for the next six years until she decided to take a break to spend more time with her family, both human and other species. The fact that she and her daughter had moved their horses from a boarding facility to their home property in Hendersonville factored heavily in this decision. Dr. Garner has had many hobbies over the years, but currently enjoys horseback riding and rock climbing with her daughter, hiking with her dogs, and knitting. Her youngest dog is a Plott hound mix that she is training in K9 Search and Rescue with a local volunteer organization. She also has a Border collie mix, an Australian shepherd mix, and an American Pit Bull mix. Her daughter has a terrier mix. The family also shares their home with two cats, who are allowed on all surfaces because, although Dr. Garner has a strong interest in dog behavior and training, she has never been able to make a cat do anything it didn’t want to.
Our Staff:
Lora, Practice Manager
Lora graduated from Appalachian State University in 2018 with a degree in English and a minor in Media Studies. She has always loved working with animals and has worked various jobs in veterinary clinics since high school. Lora’s goal every day at Cedar Ridge is to extend kindness and compassion in any way possible. In her free time, Lora enjoys traveling, reading, baking, playing video games, and working on her novels and short stories.
Hailey, Client Services
Hailey is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina and went to college at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology. Previously, she has pursued her love of animals by working in animal shelters and at an emergency veterinary clinic. In her free time, Hailey enjoys tending to her garden and especially loves traveling. When she is not exploring the world or cultivating her own, she enjoys spending quality time with her two dogs, Bobo and Storm, and two cats, Tuna and Sashimi.
Ellie, Veterinary Assistant
Ellie was born in Granville, Ohio and graduated from DePauw University with a degree in Anthropology. After graduating, she lived abroad in New Zealand, Morocco, and Portugal. She has always been known by her family and friends as an animal lover. She realized she wanted to work in the veterinary field after volunteering at a shelter in Morocco called Morocco Animal Aid. This is where she adopted her lanky and doofy dogs, Yogi and Tamri. Ellie is taking classes to become a certified Veterinary Technician and hopes to return to Morocco on little trips to help the rest of Yogi and Tamri’s distant relatives. She enjoys hiking with her dogs and partner, running, eating, reading, and cheering on the Indiana Hoosiers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Cleveland Browns.
Leighanne, Registered Veterinary Technician
Leighanne was born and raised in Asheville and has always had a deep love for animals, even bringing home strays as a child (much to the chagrin of the rest of her family). Through high school, her love for animals grew to encompass farm animals as well while being a part of the Future Farmers of America. During this time, she realized her dream of becoming a Veterinary Technician. Since graduating high school, Leighanne has completed her schooling at AB Tech and is now a Registered Veterinary Technician. She lives in Swannanoa with her boyfriend, their two dogs, Stormie and Vinnie, and their two cats, Lemon and Rooster. Every chance she gets, Leighanne makes sure to put time in at the gym to further her other passion of physical fitness.
Parker, Registered Veterinary Technician
Originally from Connecticut, Parker had a special connection to animals from a very young age. Their fondest memories of childhood are summers spent adventuring with the family dog. They grew up to pursue a degree in Veterinary Technology at the University of New Hampshire and graduated as a Registered Veterinary Technician in 2019. Drawn by the abundant beauty in the Blue Ridge Mountains, they moved to Asheville in 2021. In their spare time, Parker enjoys hiking with their 10-year-old pup, Colby, scavenging through thrift stores for a good find, and reading a book on the porch with some coffee.
Kristle, Veterinary Assistant
Kristle is an Asheville native and began working at Cedar Ridge as a Kennel Assistant. Through her compassion for our patients, she developed the desire and skills to become a Veterinary Assistant. When she isn’t at work, Kristle enjoys hiking with her daughter and their two dogs and then closing out the day alongside her two cats and an interesting book.
Lauren, Veterinary Assistant
Lauren has always had a strong love for animals and loved the idea of working in medicine. During her senior year of high school at AC Reynolds, she began working part-time at Cedar Ridge as a Kennel Assistant. Within a few months, Lauren became interested in veterinary medicine and started training with the Cedar Ridge staff to become a Veterinary Assistant. She graduated from high school with honors in 2022 and has since started working full-time at Cedar Ridge. In the future, Lauren is planning to partake in a Veterinary Technician program to take the VTNE and become a certified Veterinary Technician. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, taking care of her plants and animals, and hanging out with her friends and family.
Emily, Veterinary Assistant
Emily, originally hailing from rural Maine, moved to Asheville in 2009, where she worked for Animal Compassion Network for a handful of years before deciding to pursue an interest in veterinary medicine. She attended Antioch College for her undergraduate degree and received her MFA from Columbia College Chicago. She makes photographs and videos, loves pitbulls & greyhounds, and is a retired Blue Ridge Rollergirl. In her spare time she now climbs walls and rocks and rollerskates in skate parks all over WNC with Chicks in Bowls Asheville. She shares her home with a rescue greyhound named Pendleton Pumpernickel (follow him on instagram and facebook!), and one giant man cat named Uncle Grandpa.
Betsy, Veterinary Assistant
Betsy was born in Aurora, Colorado and was raised in Charlotte, NC. The soft spot in her heart for little furry animals led her to begin her work in the veterinary field as a kennel assistant in high school. Betsy loved the veterinary field. She worked her way from kennel assistant to assistant throughout the rest of high school and during summers as she attended UNC-Chapel Hill. She worked in Kentucky, Colorado and finally back to Charlotte as head assistant. Although planning to go to vet school, Betsy felt led to be a full-time wife and mother in 2004. Wanting to put her skills and passions to use but not wanting employment, she began to volunteer for the Animal Compassion Network in 2005. For eight years she managed their veterinary supplies and served as technician for their monthly intake and other events.
Curtis and Betsy were married in 2001. They have 5 blessings: Mary Grace, Luke, Maggie, Katie and Ian. They all live in Asheville with their furry friends ranging from pit bulls to a chihuahua where Betsy spends most days homeschooling, making food and holding down the fort! If she had more free time she would enjoy mountain biking, boating, water skiing, swimming and gardening.