About Us

Dr. Louis Budik established Transit Valley Animal Hospital in 1986. Originally a mixed practice, treating both large and small breed animals, Transit Valley quickly began to grow and become part of the local community. Whether it was caring for a sick dog or traveling out into the community to help treat a horse, Dr. Budik was always helping an animal in need. In the early 1990s, Dr. Budik decided to expand the facility and switched his focus to the treatment of companion animals.
Transit Valley Animal Hospital has continued to grow and more than double in staff since opening. There are currently three veterinarians on staff who perform surgery and see office appointments daily. Additionally, we offer a variety of other services, including dental care, ultrasound, radiology, and veterinary acupuncture.

In March 2018, Transit Valley Animal Hospital welcomed Dr. Jennifer Sutton as an owner. We are looking forward to our continued growth as a veterinary hospital, which prides itself on keeping our patients healthy and our clients happy through the partnership of Dr. Louis Budik and Dr. Jennifer Sutton.

​We are currently accepting new clients! Please give us a call and we’d be happy to answer any of your questions or help schedule your first appointment with us.

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Our Veterinarians

Dr. Louis Budik, DVM
​Veterinarian

Dr. Louis Budik received his Bachelor's of Science from Cornell University before continuing on to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Upon receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1981, he moved to Florida, where he practiced for two years. After this time, he decided to return to the Buffalo area and worked at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic for three years.
In 1985, he left the Emergency Clinic to open his own practice. Transit Valley Animal Hospital was established over 25 years ago, and continues to welcome new clients to become part of our family.
Dr. Budik is an avid fisherman and enjoys spending his free time relaxing on the lake. He has two dogs, a German Shorthair Pointer named Squeak and an English Springer Spaniel named Luke, and one cat named Munchie.
Dr. Budik previously worked as a veterinarian for New York State Racing and Wagering Board and continues to work as a testing technician for the United States Equestrian Federation.

Dr. Jennifer Sutton, DVM
Veterinarian

Dr. Jennifer Sutton completed her veterinary degree at Kansas State University in 2011. She started working at Transit Valley Animal Hospital in 2014. Her veterinary interests include Internal Medicine, Dentistry, Pain Management, Physical Rehabilitation, and Alternative Medicine. Dr. Sutton became a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist from the Chi Institute in 2012. Dr. Sutton also enjoys working with the United States Equestrian Federation, where she has been a testing veterinarian since 2011. She is an active member of multiple veterinary organizations, such as the AVAM, AAHA, and AATCVM*. 
Dr. Sutton was born and raised in Clarence, NY. She has a daughter named Maddy. Dr. Sutton has two dogs that she adopted from the SPCA named Willow and Aspen and one cat named Bubba. Dr. Sutton enjoys watching movies and is an avid wine and food enthusiast. She loves to travel and spend time outdoors doing activities, such as kayaking, hiking or playing sports, and working out.
Dr. Sutton looks forward to spending her future at her TVAH home.

​* American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, American Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Nicole Ratajczyk, DVM
​Veterinarian

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Our Staff

Matthew Dates
​Veterinary Technician

Matt received his Veterinary Technician degree from Medialle College and has been working at Transit Valley Animal Hospital since 2013. He lives in Amherst, NY and has three cats. Matt enjoys snow boarding and playing video games in his spare time.

Sarah Pacheco
Veterinary Technician​

Sarah grew up in Amsterdam, New York and graduated from Fredonia with her Bachelor's of Science in Biology in 2007. She continued her education to become a veterinary technician at SUNY Canton and graduating in 2011. Sarah has been working at Transit Valley Animal Hospital since 2012. She has three pets: a chocolate Labrador named Champ, a Chihuahua named named Cricket, and a Siamese cat named Goose.

Sandy Stabler
​Veterinary Technician

Sandy started working at Transit Valley Animal Hospital as a veterinary assistant in 2012. In 2014 she received her Veterinary Technician degree from Medaille College, and has continued to work at Transit Valley as a Veterinary Technician since then. Sandy has five dogs and three cats at home. She enjoys reading, pet sitting, traveling, and visiting her children in her free time. She has three grown children, two sons and one daughter.

Joshua Brown
Veterinary Technician

Brittany Wisniewska
​Veterinary Assistant

Brittany has been working at Transit Valley Animal Hospital for over a year and in the veterinary field for over four years. She is engaged to be married in the fall of 2017 and together they have a two year old little girl named Avery. She has three fur babies, a sever year old Pitbull, a six year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and a one-eyed orange kitty! She also enjoys fosterling for the SPCA and traveling in her free time.

Alexi Ruggerio
​Veterinary Assistant

Alexi started working at Transit Valley Animal Hospital in January 2016. She is also currently in her first year at Medaille College where she is working towards earning her Bachelor's for Veterinary Technician. Alexi has two dogs and one cat. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Sheila Schmitt
Receptionist

She has been with Transit Valley Animal Hospital since 2010. She loves her job, due to the close interactions with our clients and their pets. She is one of the people you hear on the phone and is the first person you see when you walk through our door. Sheila does her best to make your experience with us a very positive one. She is a proud mother of two great boys, and a proud mother of two dogs and three cats! She works her hardest to help our clients and their pets every day.

Linnea Koeppel
​Receptionist

Linnea has been at Transit Valley Animal Hospital for 23 years. During that time she has enjoyed greeting clients, assisting with their pet-related questions, and being part of the lives of their pets as they progress through their lives. She feels she has a long term bond with the families, indeed serving generations during the years. Linnea has lived and worked in Clarence, NY her entire life. She has two children of whom she is very proud. Her son, Matthew, is in the Army and her daughter, Jessica, is a senior at Clarence High School. She has three cats, one dog, and one horse. When not at work, Linnea enjoys spending time with her family, listening to classic rock, following the Sabres, gardening, bird watching, vacationing in the Adirondacks, and horseback riding. She looks forward to many more productive years at Transit Valley Animal Hospital.

Jennifer Wahl
Receptionist

Because of her love for animals, Jen became an employee at Transit Valley Animal Hospital in 2015, something she has always wanted to do. She loves spending time with her family and two dogs. She also enjoys fishing, camping, and gardening.

Shirley Wagner
​Bookkeeper 

Shirley is entering her 10th year of working with Transit Valley Animal Hospital as the bookkeeper and is very happy with the work atmosphere. She has a rescue dog and cat at home and has been a mentor for the Niagara County 4-H miniature horse program for over 25 years. Shirley is also a volunteer photographer for the SPCA of Erie County, taking photos of adoptable animals and putting them on the SPCA website to help make it possible to find suitable homes for them.