Ashburn Farm Animal Hospital

Christine Tara Hickey-Patel
Senior Receptionist

Chrstine

Christine joined the AFAH team as a Receptionist in March, 2004. Since then, Christine’s natural ability to offer compassionate and professional service led to her promotion as Senior Receptionist.

It only takes a moment with Christine to know she is not a Northern Virginia native; the Long Island accent is a sure give away. A true New Yorker at heart, she graduated in the 1992 class of Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville, a suburb of Long Island. From there she attended the Nassau Community College in Hempstead, New York for two years, earning her Associates Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Christine decided that she wanted to become a court reporter and spent the next two years in college to earn her certification from Stenotopia, a court reporting institute. She also attended the Long Island Business Institute for additional coursework.

Definitely an extrovert, Christine found that court reporting wasn’t the job for her. She realized during her first deposition that she had to sit and remain silent for hours. Anyone who knows Christine, on any level, knows this not possible. She is a natural conversationalist, engaging easily in her thoughts as well as her emotions. She needed to find her true calling – one where she could interact with people and incorporate her other passion – her love of animals. This is how Christine found AFAH. Finally, the perfect fit!

Christine shares her home with three animals. Madison (AKA Maddie) is a gorgeous Boxer/Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix. Maddie’s looks can be intimidating at first, but one look into those brown eyes and you’ll know that she is just a mush! George, her cat, is probably the craziest, most intense cat you’ll ever meet. His eyes are always on the move, ready to pounce on the first thing that catches his attention. (Don’t tell Christine, but we think he may have a cat-nip problem.) And then there is Sambuca, the rabbit. He may be related to the Energizer Bunny – he just keeps on tickin’! Now 8 years old, Sambuca has proven to have found the bunny fountain of youth.