Doctors
Dr. Carpenter
Dr. Carpenter, a Colorado native, grew up in Lakewood and Arvada. He graduated from Arvada West High School in 1980. Dr. Carpenter attended Colorado State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1984 and his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. He began clinical practice in Westminster, Colorado, after graduation. In 1990, he opened Arvada West Veterinary Hospital, where the practice continues to grow.
He has always had a deep caring for animals and currently shares his house with 4 ½ dogs (Moose is only home half of the time). In his spare time, although he has very little of it, he enjoys traveling, enjoying animals in their natural habitat and relaxing in Northern Wisconsin.
Dr. Schafer
Dr. Traci Schafer was born in Oregon and has lived in Colorado most of her life. She has been with Arvada West Veterinary Hospital since September 2002. She attended Colorado State University and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in management and marketing in 1991. Dr. Schafer earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1998. With interests in medicine and surgery, she completed a small animal rotating internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, followed by a surgery internship at All Care Animal Referral Hospital in southern California.
Dr. Schafer enjoys water sports, reading and spending time with her friends and family as well as her new German Shepherd puppy, Riggs.
Dr. Portmann
Originally from Texas, Ashley traveled to Colorado Springs after high school, to attend Colorado College. She graduated in 2005 with a BA in Biology, and headed west to live, work, and play in the Pacific Northwest. Her love for animals and science continued, and she soon found herself in Knoxville, attending the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She received her DVM in 2010 and moved to Arvada with her husband Marc, who is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Golden.
After years of heckling from family and friends, Ashley is finally back in “the Promised Land” of Colorado, she could not be happier. In her free time she enjoys yoga, biking, hiking, climbing, skiing, tennis and almost any other outdoor activity. She and her fiancé take advantage of the beautiful Colorado mountains to hike and backcountry ski with their 2 dogs, Sassy and Gretchen. In addition to the dogs, they also have 3 spoiled cats: Felix, Chloe and Walter. Veterinary medicine has been Ashley’s passion since the early age of three, and she cannot wait to get to know the wonderful pets and people of Colorado.
