The Tender Heart Veterinary Care Staff

No one loves your pets more than you do, but we come pretty close! Our mission at Tender Heart Veterinary Care is to provide your pet with quality medical care in a compassionate environment. Our doctors and staff excel at both traditional and state-of-the-art veterinary care. You can trust that your best friend will will get the very best care.


"Ultimately the best vet care the Gardner area has to offer! The staff at Tender Heart is both professional and courteous and their services are reasonably priced. More importantly, they truly love and care about us! Thank you Dr. Wood and staff for taking such great care of us, you're the best!"
~ "Tazz" & "Booga" Langelier and family ~
  • Monday: 8:00am-7:00pm
  • Tuesday: 8:00am-5:00pm
  • Wednesday: 8:00am-7:00pm
  • Thursday: 8:00am-5:00pm
  • Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm
  • Saturday: 8:00am-12:00pm
  • Sunday: Closed

  • Jen Wood, DVM

    Veterinarian / Owner
    Dr. Jen is a graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. She received her clinical training at the University of Illinois, Champagne/Urbana. She opened Tender Heart in 2005, originally from this area she returned to provide a hospital environment that is compassionate for both the pet and the client. She has had advanced training in laser surgery and dentistry. She also enjoys managing difficult medical cases. In her free time she takes care of her small farm, where she enjoys her 6 dogs, 2 cats and 3 horses. As a hobby she has successfully shown her Morgan horses in both driving and riding competitions.
    Education:
    Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

  • Virginia Foresman

    Virginia has been an animal lover all her life. As a child, she would bring home every stray that needed help in finding a loving home. As a young girl, Virginia apprenticed at a Morgan Horse Farm where she learned breeding and training of horses and also the breeding and care of Standard Poodles. She and her husband Jon, built a home and barn where they taught children horsemanship and also raised German Shepherds for search and rescue. Virginia also worked as the head receptionist at Abbot Animal Hospital for six years. “Even though I have only worked at Tender Heart for six months, I can honestly say that this is the best job I have ever had. We not only give the best care for pets, we also care about our pets' owners.” Virginia and her husband Jon share there home with their two dogs Remy, an Australian Shepherd and Sisu a Border Collie mix, whom they rescued!

  • Karen Hager

    Karen, pictured with her dogs "Maggie" and "Rudy", has worked with animals for over twenty-five years. As a young child, she would bring butterflies, frogs and birds to a local veterinarian because they needed care, and she remembers that the doctor always took the time to help these little ones. Remembering his compassion as she grew older, Karen began working for the same veterinarian as a kennel assistant. She eventually became a technician in his clinic, working there for 16 years. After leaving this clinic, Karen took a position as Manager/Medical Advisor at a local animal shelter where she worked for 9 years, caring for animals as they awaited adoption. Now back in the veterinary field, she is enjoying what she views as a rewarding career.

  • Jennifer Lang, Practice Manager

    Jennifer pictured here with her 2 Australian Shepherds, Darcy and Dante brings a passion for business management and a strong love of animals. Leading the Tender Heart team provides a steady environment of learning and growth. Jennifer hopes to enhance her contribution to THVC, by obtaining her certification in Practice Management. In her free time Jennifer loves spending time with her 2 dogs, 6 cats and Horse named Regius.
    Years in Practice:
    Jan 01, 2008
    Interests:
    Practice Manager
    Email:

  • Bonnie Simula

    Bonnie joined the Tender Heart staff in August 2010. She has been working as a veterinary technician since 1997. She has had an immense love of animals that dates back to her first childhood cat "Morris". Her professional areas of interest include compassionate nursing care, calming/low stress handling of anxious/upset pets, phlebotomy, anesthetic monitoring and surgical recovery. On her days off Bonnie enjoys antiquing, cooking, trips to the ocean and Parker River Wildlife Refuge for bird watching. She lives in Phillipston with her husband, two Doberman Pinschers,  Brinks and Lucius, her funny pound dog Archie and several cats.

    Years in Practice:
    Jan 01, 2010
    Interests:
    Veterinary Assistant

  • Colleen Provencial

    Colleen can’t remember a time when she didn’t have an animal in her care. She was very lucky to have apprenticed with a terrific Corriedale sheep breeder/farmer at a very young age. Her first love has always been livestock and she went on to eventually own two horses of her own which allowed her to ride and train for many years. After a long career in retail management Colleen joined the tender heart team bringing with her years of customer service experience. Colleen currently resides in Gardner with her husband, son and two rescue dogs Maggie and Mia.

    Years in Practice:
    Jan 01, 2012
    Interests:
    CSR

  • Dr. Caitlin Normington

       Dr. Normington has been a licensed DVM since 2008. She has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Leominster MA, she joined our team in 2015 and has proven to be a great asset to our team!
    Years in Practice:
    Aug 06, 2015

  • Beth Selanis

    Years in Practice:
    Aug 06, 2015

  • Amanda Sesito, C.V.T

    Years in Practice:
    Aug 06, 2015