Our Doctors
W.H. Gholston, D.V.M.
Veterinarian
Dr. William H. Gholston opened Whitmire Animal Hospital in 2018. A native of Alpharetta, Dr. Gholston grew up on a small family farm, and spent his time doing farm work and looking after the animals, including Tennessee walking horses and Simmental cattle. At a young age, Dr. Gholston knew he wanted to go into veterinary medicine while working alongside his father, also a small animal vet. Dr. Gholston completed his undergraduate studies in Animal Sciences at Berry College and The University of Georgia. He received his Doctorate from The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, he joined the team of doctors at Alpharetta Animal Hospital in July 2011. Dr. Gholston enjoys practicing the highest quality of veterinary medicine, and has a special interest in orthopedic cases and surgery. But his favorite part of being a veterinarian is the great relationships that have developed over the years with his clients and their pets in Alpharetta and the surrounding area. Dr. Gholston now resides in Dawsonville, Georgia. While not at the clinic, he is an avid outdoor enthusiast. He enjoys being in the mountains and spending his day off with his wife and three dogs – his bird dog, Blake, a 5 year old English Setter, his long-time buddy, Doc, an 13 year old Australian Shepherd and the newest family member, Tate, their 1 year old Labrador Retriever. His home life hobbies include grilling, sports and spending time with family. And on any given weekend, you can find him hiking in the North Georgia Mountains, fishing at the lake, or in Athens cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs.
Dr. Sara Louise Carpenter, D.V.M.
veterinarian
Dr. Sara Louise Carpenter joined Whitmire Animal Hospital in December 2019. An Atlanta native, Sara Louise attended the Westminster Schools and then matriculated at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. She double majored in Business and Spanish with an English minor. Following graduation, Dr. Carpenter taught high school Spanish at Wesleyan School in Norcross. It was there, under the mentorship of Dr. William G. Gholston, that she decided to pursue a childhood dream of veterinary medicine. Dr. Carpenter spent two years at Berry College fulfilling her post-baccalaureate requirements, then graduated from Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. Following an internship in Texas at a mixed animal practice, she has been practicing small animal medicine in the metro Atlanta area since 2013. Dr. Carpenter enjoys the variety that veterinary medicine brings, and she especially enjoys the relationships with both her patients and their humans. Dr. Carpenter’s pets include Finn, her extroverted Labrador Retriever, as well as two cats: Scout, her introverted tabby, and Ralphie, her orange tabby who was appropriately named after the protagonist in A Christmas Story. In her spare time, Dr. Carpenter enjoys the outdoors in the mountains of western North Carolina, boating, reading a good novel, and running.
Dr. Brandon Bassett, D.V.M.
veterinarian
Dr. Bassett received his veterinary degree from Oklahoma State University in 2015. At OSU, he was the recipient of the Gentle Doctor Award, voted on by his veterinary school peers. Raised in Oklahoma, he has also lived and worked in Virginia, where he completed his Bachelor's Degree in Biology at George Mason University; Brazil, where he served a church mission for two years; and central Florida, where he has practiced as a veterinarian. Dr. Bassett and his wife, Megan, have their hands full with three kids, and two wonderful pets! One goofy and fun Golden Retriever named Oakley, and a three-legged black cat, Boca. A priority in his work with animals is strengthening the human-animal bond. He has a great passion for educating pet owners on how to best care for their furry family members. He is also professionally interested in diagnostic imaging, soft tissue surgery, ophthalmology, and client communication. His hobbies are time with family, especially at Florida beaches, disc golf, and ultimate frisbee!
Dr. Drew Keller, D.V.M.
veterinarian
Dr. Keller graduated from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. He has been practicing in Alpharetta, GA for the past 27 years, and has recently decided to join the Whitmire team. Dr. Keller is local to Cumming, Georgia. He is most interested in companion animal internal medicine and soft tissue surgery. Dr. Keller has two daughters, Megan (24), and Brittany (21). He also has two small dogs, Boden and Evie both rescues. In his spare time, Dr. Keller enjoys golfing and spending time on the lake.
Our Team
Kristina Gholston
Practice Manager
Kristina Gholston serves as Practice Manager, and joined her husband, Dr. Will Gholston, in the opening of Whitmire Animal Hospital in June 2018. Kristina completed her BBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia in 2011. Kristina brings with her previous work experience from the Advertising, Real Estate, Accounting and Hospitality industries, along with a focus on project management, communications, and social and public relations.
Kristina was born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia. She now resides in Dawsonville, Georgia with her husband, two children, Shep and Palmer, two dogs, Blake and Tate and cat, Abe. Kristina’s home life hobbies include running, gardening and enjoying time outside with her family. Kristina and Will are avid Georgia football fans, and love spending time with family and friends.
Kelli
Kelli is our reception team lead here at Whitmire. She has been a veterinary receptionist since 2009 and with Whitmire Animal Hospital since June of 2020. She loves working with animals and getting to know their humans. Kelli is a military wife and has lived and worked at clinics in Jacksonville and Tampa Florida, Beaufort, South Carolina and Alexandria, Virginia. She has two dogs, a long-haired chihuahua named Bella Jean and a chihuahua mix named Chopper and 3 fish. Fun fact: Kelli was a flight attendant for 4 years. Favorite dog breeds: chihuahuas, miniature schnauzers and english cockers, italian greyhounds
Allie
Allie is one of the receptionists here at Whitmire Animal Hospital. She was the first receptionist added to the Whitmire family and has been here since January of 2020. Prior to that Allie worked with the 4-H club and enjoys working with children just as much as she enjoys working with animals. She loves getting to know our clients and their fur babies and is seriously one of the nicest and most compassionate people you will ever meet. Allie and her husband raise chickens for eggs, one of their chickens they received was sick and blind. Allie nursed her back to health and named her Helen Keller! Allie also has a German Shepherd named Gus, a red tabby named Lily and 9 chickens. Favorite dog breeds: German Shepherds, Cavalier king charles spaniels, mastiffs, and mutts. Favorite cats: Orange Tabby
Hannah
Hannah is one of our receptionists. She has been with Whitmire since October of 2022. Prior to working here she worked at the shelter where she was a kennel assistant. Hannah said that she loves working here because everyone is so nice and welcoming and of course getting to work with animals! Hannah enjoys interior design also. She has 2 dogs, Bella a boxer/hound mix and Jenney a husky mix and a yellow bellied turtle named Henry. Favorite Breeds: Pitbulls, Hounds and Dachshunds
Leila
Leila has been with Whitmire since November of 2022. She is in her second year at UNG getting her degree in education and plans to become a middle school teacher upon graduation. Her favorite thing about working here is getting to see all the different breeds of dogs and cats that come in and getting to know their families. Leila has 3 dogs, two beagles named Bo and Ruby and the newest addition Indie an aussie doodle. Favorite Dog Breed: Goldendoodles
Bianca
Bianca has been part of the Whitmire team since 2022. This is her first job in the veterinary industry. She loves gardening and baking and looks forward to learning about her new career field and getting to know all of the clients and fur babies. Bianca has 7 sheep, a chihuahua named Lilly and a lab named Luna. Favorite dog breed: Chihuahua
Lucy
Lucy has been part of the Whitmire team since 2023 and in the veterinary field since 2022. Lucy is our resident cat person and loves any cat. She has 2 cats, Bandit and Thunk and a dog Max. She likes to surf and longboard and has done it for 11 years. Favorite dog breeds: Bernese Mountain dogs, Aussies and Dachshunds
New Staff
Bio Coming soon
Victoria
Victoria is our jack of all trades. She is currently a receptionist but will be transitioning over to technician soon. She has been in the industry since 2018 where she started as a kennel assistant and has been with Whitmire since May of 2022. Her favorite thing about working at Whitmire has to be the people. “I have great co-workers and our clients are amazing.” Victoria enjoys baking, camping and riding four wheelers. She has 2 dogs, Willow and Remi, Lab/Beagle mixes and 2 cats Teeter and Rip. Favorite dog breeds: German Shepherd, Labs, Goldens, Weimaraner Favorite cat breeds: Maine Coon and Ragdolls
Madison M.
Madison M. has been in the veterinary industry since 2015 working as a kennel tech and manager and with Whitmire since September of 2020 as a veterinary technician. She loves getting to experience all the different varieties of patients and cases and that she learns something new everyday. Madison is also a fraternal twin! She has a lab/pitbull mix named Willow and a Beauceron named Finn. Favorite dog breeds: cavalier king charles spaniels and pitbulls Favorite cat breeds: Persians and orange tabby cats
Madison M.
Madison M. has been in the veterinary industry since 2015 working as a kennel tech and manager and with Whitmire since September of 2020 as a veterinary technician. She loves getting to experience all the different varieties of patients and cases and that she learns something new everyday. Madison is also a fraternal twin! She has a lab/pitbull mix named Willow and a Beauceron named Finn. Favorite dog breeds: cavalier king charles spaniels and pitbulls Favorite cat breeds: Persians and orange tabby cats
Amber
Amber has been with Whitmire since November of 2022 and a veterinary assistant/technician since May of 2022. Amber’s favorite thing about working here is being able to help animals and learning new things. Amber has 4 French bulldogs, Blue, Mae Mae, Bunny and Stormy and a Belgian Malinois named Thor. Favorite Dog Breeds: French Bulldogs, Pugs and Boston Terriers. Favorite Cat Breed: Orange Tabby
Dalynna
Dalynna has worked with animals since 2015 where she started as a kennel assistant, caring for animals while in boarding. In 2018, she became a veterinary technician and started with Whitmire in February of 2022. Dalynna loves doing surgeries on our patients and educating pet parents about how to properly care for their babies. She has 3 dogs and 3 cats, Bandit an American Staffordshire Terrier, Callie Mae a Beagle mix, Sara Bear a Lab/Beagle mix, and DoodleBug, Beetle and Butters her cats. Favorite Dog Breeds: American Staffordshire Terriers, Greyhounds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, French Bulldogs, and of course, Purebred Mutts.
Alexis
Alexis has been a veterinary assistant since 2020 and started with Whitmire in August of 2022. Alexis loves assisting during surgery and caring for the animals while they recover. In her free time she enjoys hiking in North Georgia. Favorite dog breed: Great Dane Favorite cat: Maine Coon
Bailey W.
Bailey W. is one of our veterinary assistants. She began her career in the field with us in April of 2022. She loves being able to interact and help our patients everyday while being with the best staff. Bailey played collegiate soccer and is majoring in biology at UNG and hoping to later attend vet school. She has a boxer mix named Reuben and a Pitbull mix named Archie. Favorite dog breed: English Cream Retriever
Courtney
Bio coming soon
Sydney
Sydney is one of our veterinary assistants/technicians. She has been with Whitmire since January of 2023 and in the field since 2020. She is the captain of her rowing team at UNG. Sydney has 7 horses, 3 dogs, 8 cats, 3 fish and 2 guinea pigs! Definitely the most pets of anyone at the clinic. Favorite dog breed: Great Danes Favorite cat breed: Abyssinian and Maine Coon