Meet the Team

Dr. Anne Luther was only five years old when she first started riding horses. A few years later, she adopted her first dog. Her passion for the health and well-being of animals hasn’t wavered since those earliest days spent with her beloved companions—Dr. Luther always knew that a career spent bettering the lives of pets would suit her perfectly! Now, she owns and operates her very own state-of-the-art veterinary hospital: Sarasota Animal Medical Center.

Dr. Luther was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. She attended veterinary school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, graduating in 1985, and remained in the area for a few years to work at a mixed-animal practice. Next, Dr. Luther decided to specialize in small-animal medicine and surgery and moved to Philadelphia, where she served as the primary surgeon at a busy 24-hour hospital.

A few years later, Dr. Luther relocated to Hampton, New Hampshire with her family and purchased a large multi-doctor animal hospital. She would help pets and their owners there for the next 10 years before moving to the Reno, Nevada area and opening two separate businesses: a full-service practice in Reno and an acupuncture clinic in Lake Tahoe. Five years later, in 2008, Dr. Luther sold her businesses and moved to Florida to be closer to her elderly parents and purchased what would become Sarasota Animal Medical Center. Dr. Luther has been tending to the needs of the area’s pets ever since!

Medically, Dr. Luther enjoys diagnostic ultrasounds and echocardiography. She completed advanced training and certification in both at the Sound Institute in Texas, the only program of its kind in the country. She’s also passionate about alternative medical therapies, such as Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. Most of all, she loves the satisfaction she gets from making a lasting difference in the lives of not only pets, but their entire families.

Dr. Luther has enjoyed many hobbies over the years, including alpine skiing, water skiing, horseback riding, and photography. She lives in Sarasota with her husband, Mike. They have a popular rock band, Black Thorn Rose.  Dr. Luther plays keyboards and is the  lead vocalist and Mike plays bass guitar. She has three grown children and a pair of wonderful grandchildren.

Dr. Sarena von der Heyde grew up in rural Zimbabwe helping her mother and grandmother practice traditional healthcare for humans and animals alike. By the age of four, young Dr. von der Heyde had decided what she would do for the rest of her life: help as many animals as she possibly could by serving as a veterinarian. Her dream hasn’t wavered—now, she’s proud to help the pets and animals of Sarasota as a member of the Sarasota Animal Medical Center team!

Dr. von der Heyde earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia, then took on an extensive surgery and ambulatory internship at a prestigious equine clinic in Ocala, Florida. She worked as an equine practitioner for the next five years in Sarasota, then went on to combine equine care, emergency work, and holistic medicine into her methods of practice for the next 10 years.

Dr. von der Heyde has also completed advanced training in veterinary traditional Chinese medicine at the Chi Institute, and has studied many aspects of holistic medicine including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, food therapy, Tui Na, Bowen therapy, healing touch, homeopathic care, homotoxicology, tension release, and Western herbal medicine. For her, being able to connect these integrative approaches with her childhood experience in traditional herbal medicine is extremely rewarding! Dr. von der Heyde couldn’t be happier to help the pets and animal owners of the Sarasota area experience the wonderful healing effects of her whole-body approach to animal care.

Dr. Laurie Greene grew up as a “military brat”, moving from base to base throughout her father’s Air Force career. The constant in her life during all these exciting globe-trotting moves were the family pets. She and her sisters would dress the dogs and cats up, make up songs for them, and cuddle them through each new change of duty station. It was not long before Dr. Greene’s career path was set on veterinary medicine.

Dr. Greene attended The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine where she focused on dog and cat medicine. After graduation, she headed west to California where she enjoyed caring for a wide variety of pets as well as learning windsurfing and snow skiing, hiking the foothills of the Santa Ana mountains, exploring the nearby deserts, and off-roading in Baja California. She was privileged to see Halley’s Comet pass while camping in the desert!

Eventually, the east coast called and Dr. Greene moved first to Connecticut, then eventually to New York City. She enjoyed many years of practice in NY, where she was introduced to Chinese herbal therapies, Acupuncture and Reiki healing. While in NY, Dr. Greene did her training in Chinese medicine and is now a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist.

Although Dr. Greene loved the vitality and excitement of NYC, after a few too many miserable winters and stepping off curbs into deep puddles of icy slush, Dr. Greene decided that Florida was a much better idea. She loves the gorgeous beaches of Sarasota and the lively arts scene the area enjoys. She is a great fan of opera and classical music, and was delighted to discover that both of these thrive in Sarasota.

Dr. Greene enjoys utilizing western and alternative medicine to provide the best possible health care for the dogs and cats that she loves to work with. She is delighted to be part of the family at Sarasota Animal Medical Center.

Dr. Jose Navarro is a dedicated and compassionate veterinarian with over two decades of experience in the field. After graduating with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Venezuela in 2002, he relocated to the United States in 2016 and has since called New York City home until August 2023 when he moved to Sarasota. With a strong passion for animal welfare and a commitment to providing exceptional care, Dr. Navarro has built a reputation as a skilled and knowledgeable professional in his field. He is excited to connect with fellow professionals to provide superior care for the patients at Sarasota Animal Medical Center. 

Helen Fitzgerald was born in Brazil and her education focused on academics, working with animals and agriculture. Helen graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2006 from the Catholic University of
Dom Bosco, in Campo Grande - Mato Grosso do Sul. She is a licensed veterinarian in Brazil and the US. Helen moved to the US in 2017 and became a permanent resident in 2021. Helen lives with her husband, Eric Fitzgerald, a retired army officer and business owner. They have two dogs, Eli a yellow Labrador, and Ozzy, a miniature dachshund.