Meet the Team

Dr. Sarah Behrens

Veterinarian/Owner & Medical Director

Dr. Sarah Behrens is a 2012 graduate of Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her interest in animals began as a child growing up on a farm in Kansas. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Kansas State University, she worked as a zookeeper for 6 years. After earning her doctorate of veterinary medicine, she practiced in Cheyenne, WY for 2 years. Dr. Behrens completed her veterinary acupuncture certification at Colorado State University in 2014. She has been practicing integrative medicine since moving to Reno in 2014. She combines a conventional approach to diagnostics and treatment with holistic therapies to achieve results. This is helpful in many cases including intervertebral disk disease, osteoarthritis, orthopedic injuries, kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, and many more disease processes. Dr. Behrens will continue to explore new ways of treating these conditions. She became the practice owner in December 2022 along with her business partner, Kristina.
In her free time, Dr. Behrens enjoys running, hiking, yoga, and reading. Her family includes her fur babies include a Beagle/Dachshund mix, Riley (also Dr. Behrens’ running partner) and a German Shepherd mix named Ranger.

Kristina Larson

Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)/Owner & Practice Manager

Kristina grew up in Los Angeles, CA. She moved to Reno in 2009 and was married to her husband Ray in 2010. She has two sons, Evan born September 2012 and Riley born June 2017. Her fur babies include a Husky/Rottweiler mix named Mystique, and a kitty named Phoenix. She graduated from the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology with an Associates of Applied Science degree in September 2005. Kristina enjoys learning, reading, relaxing and spending time with her family. She joined the Advanced Pet Care team in June 2015. She took on the practice management role in August of 2017 to help grow the clinic. The next step on her journey lead her to purchasing the practice, with Dr. Behrens, in December 2022. Her goals are to continue to grow as an owner, practice manager, and veterinary technician, and help keep Advanced Pet Care a place of quality, compassionate care.

Dr. Alexis Hazelwood

Veterinarian

Dr. Alexis Hazelwood was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, then spent most of her childhood growing up in Western Washington. She attended Washington State University in Pullman, WA and earned her Bachelor's of Science in Animal Sciences. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in 2020. Dr. Hazelwood enjoys volunteering with the local animal shelter including fostering kittens and also volunteered at the therapeutic horseback riding center during her college time; she is hoping to get the chance to do so again.

Her family includes her husband, Tanner, two dogs: Wailani a black Labrador Retriever and Tiva a Shepherd mix, one (perfect) cat: Agnes, and one rat: Giles. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, horseback riding, and spending time with her family and pets.

Dr. Hazelwood has a passion for preventative medicine, feline medicine, and senior/geriatric pet care. One of her main goals is to create lasting, trusting relationships with her clients and their pets. She believes the human-animal bond is one of the most beautiful things and is honored to share this with our community.

Dr. Joseph Lopez - Joining the team August 2025!

Veterinarian

Dr. Joe Lopez grew up in southern Florida and started his path in veterinary medicine during high school working in the kennel of a local animal hospital. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 2008 and obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Tennessee in 2012. During veterinary school, he completed externships working with elephants in Thailand and with wildlife in South Africa. His first job as a veterinarian was at a busy hospital in Las Vegas where he met his future wife. They married in 2016 and moved to Reno. Dr. Lopez enjoys creating lifelong bonds with animals and their pet parents. His special interests include internal medicine and ultrasonography. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, camping, and playing video games and board games. His family includes his wife, Kimber, two rescue dogs, Koopa and Finan, a tegu named Ozzy, and a Kenyan sand boa named Severus. Dr. Lopez loves to travel, and he has visited countries in Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Client Care

Patient Care

Grooming