Dr. Porter was born in the small western Kansas town of Quinter, where her parents farmed and raised Registered Hereford cattle. Her family relocated to a farm near Concordia, Kansas in 1988, where they continued to raise Hereford cattle. Besides cattle, her family’s farm also had horses, dogs, cats, various poultry, and pigs. Dr. Porter graduated from Concordia High School in 1997.

Dr. Porter received her Bachelor of Veterinary Science in Agriculture from Kansas State University in 2001, and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. After graduation, she and her husband Bryce moved to the Waterville, KS area, where she worked at a mixed animal practice for 15 years.

In 2018, Dr. Porter decided to open Blue River Veterinary Clinic, P.A., a small animal exclusive clinic in Waterville. She is excited to continue to serve clients and their pets in Marshall County and surrounding areas. Dr. Porter is especially interested in surgery and preventative medicine.

Dr. Porter and Bryce have two daughters that are attending college at Kansas State University. Over the years the Porter family have acquired 4 dogs, 8 cats, and 3 horses as part of their family.

Dr. Porter is an active member of the Waterville United Methodist Church, where she served as the Administrative Board Chair for several years and is on multiple committees. She is also the director of the WUMC Bell Choir and is a member of the WUMC Chancel Choir. She has been a community leader of the local 4-H club for many years, but will step back since her daughters have aged out of 4-H. However, she will continue to help with the horse and dog projects within the club as well as at a county level. Dr. Porter is also actively involved and President of Waterville Community Connections, a community action/chamber group for Waterville.

Dr. Porter enjoys being involved in her community and finding ways to make Waterville an even better place to live. She looks forward to taking care of the pets in her community for years to come.

Jen is a Registered Veterinary Technician with more than 25 years of experience in veterinary medicine. Her career has included working in small animal and equine hospitals, as well as in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry.

Through the years, she has had the privilege of caring for countless animals and learning from so many wonderful people along the way.

Her love for animals has always extended beyond her professional life. For many years, Jen volunteered with animal rescues, helping in whatever way she could—from fostering animals and giving them a safe place to land, to transporting them to their new homes or making sure they could get to important medical appointments. These experiences have been incredibly rewarding and have reinforced her belief that every animal deserves compassion, patience, and a chance at a loving home.

Originally raised in the Kansas City area, Jen moved to this area with her husband and their two sons, and they have since welcomed the addition of a grandson! This has brought a whole new level of joy! They also have 2 dogs and 2 cats that reside among them.

Outside of veterinary medicine, Jen enjoys being outdoors, spending time in nature, fishing, and—most of all—making memories with her family and friends. She appreciates the simple things in life and feels incredibly fortunate for the people and animals who have been part of her journey.

Jen is excited to begin this new chapter and is grateful for the opportunity to bring her experience, passion and heart for animals to the team. She looks forward to getting to know her new colleagues and the families she will have the privilege of serving.

Leah joined Blue River Veterinary Clinic in 2025 after moving to Waterville with her husband, who accepted a position as pastor of the United Methodist Church of Waterville and Blue Rapids in the summer of 2024. Originally from the Kansas City metro area, Leah has a background in early childhood education and has worked with children in some capacity since she was 16. When Dr. Porter asked if she could “help out” in the clinic office, Leah made the unexpected transition from working with children to working with animals—and quickly discovered that the two have more in common than you might think!

Since joining the clinic, Leah has enjoyed learning more about veterinary medicine, getting to know the pets and families who visit Blue River Veterinary Clinic, and becoming more connected to the Waterville community. She especially enjoys the relationships she has built with clients and their pets and loves being part of a team that cares for both.

Outside of the clinic, Leah is a wife, mom to three sons and three daughters, and proud Mimi to six grandchildren. Being a Mimi is one of her favorite roles! She also teaches children’s Sunday school at the Methodist Church and helps her husband with the church’s youth group. Leah has a heart for pouring into the next generation and serving her community, and she is grateful for the opportunity to do both through her work at Blue River Veterinary Clinic.

Sarah is the groomer and veterinary assistant. As a kid, she always dreamed of working with animals. She lived in Michigan for most of her life, and started her journey of working with animals when she joined 4-H. She showed goats and horses and learned so much from the experience.

She graduated from Wayland Union High School in 2011. During her time in high school, she took veterinary technician classes, where her passion for grooming dogs began to grow, along with her interest in veterinary medicine.

Sarah moved to Kansas in 2021 to be closer to her fiancé, Mike. They now have a small family with a little girl, two horses, two dogs, and a cat. Sarah also has a son in Michigan who visits Kansas during the spring and summer.

Sarah has come to love living in Kansas. When she started grooming, she was slowly welcomed into the community, and she loves every minute of what she does. Sarah looks forward to many more years of helping pets look their best, caring for them like family, and getting to know and serve the wonderful community around her.