Meet Our Team

Founder, Managing Veterinarian

Dr. Walter Gandy is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army who faithfully served tours as an officer in both Kosovo and Iraq. After his service, he followed his dream of animal medical care by graduating from one of the nation’s premier Veterinary colleges at Louisiana State University. Walter has many family ties to Pensacola and has spent much time here in the Pensacola area over several decades.

In his spare time, he enjoys jet skiing, traveling, kayaking, and spending time with his lovely wife, Lesley. Together, they have 4 grown children, 6 grandchildren, 3 cats, and 1 dog, Cole, who is often featured on our website.

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Melanie Schroeder grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and began her veterinary career as a veterinary assistant while attending LSU. Dr. Schroeder received her B.S. in dairy science from Louisiana State University in 2009 and attended the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, where she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. Since then, she has worked in both general and emergency small animal practices in Louisiana. In January 2023, she was finally able to convince her husband, Logan, to move to her happy place, the beach! Together, she and her husband have a Chihuahua named Nuke, a Llewellin Setter named Zeke, and a fluffy white cat named Huey. Dr. Schroeder enjoys going to the beach, cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors when away from work.

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Sarah Kennedy hails from Lillian, Alabama, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Pre-Professional Biology from the University of West Florida. She went on to fulfill her dream of earning a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University—War Eagle! Dr. Kennedy has a passion for surgery, a special interest in senior animal care, and is Fear Free certified. Outside of veterinary medicine, she enjoys pottery, training for half marathons, and spending quality time with her senior rescue dog, Steve.

Practice Manager

Kate was born and raised in Gulf Breeze, FL. After graduating from Gulf Breeze High School, she soon moved to Pensacola. She worked as an Assistant Manager at Zaxby’s for four years and as a General Manager for 1 year before deciding to switch occupations. She started working at Coastal Sunrise Animal Hospital in the summer of 2018 as a receptionist. Since then, she has transitioned from a veterinary technician to office manager and now practice manager. Her interests are spending time with family and her two pets, Niko and Garbanzo.

Certified Veterinary Technician

Madelyne was born in Minnesota and completed her AAS in Veterinary Technology at Rochester Community and Technical College in 2019. She worked in Arizona for 3 years before moving to Pensacola to work at Coastal Sunrise. In 2020, Madelyne took and passed her Veterinary Technician National Exam to become certified.

Madelyne grew up on a farm that raised beef cattle with dogs and farm cats roaming freely. Currently, she has 2 dogs, Ada Mae and Eva, and 2 cats, Ziva and McGee. McGee is a sweet boy who frequently accompanies her to work and has become an adopted pet to many of the staff.

Veterinary Technician

Adriela was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Pensacola when she was only a year old. A dedicated worker, Adriela previously worked in the restaurant industry before pursuing her true calling: caring for animals! As our youngest vet tech/assistant, she has been at Coastal Sunrise for almost 3 years now. She is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish, and is a great help for our Spanish-speaking clients. Adriela has a toddler at home that she chases around when she’s not at work and takes care of her spicy kitty Gamora!

Veterinary Technician

Jessica was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She moved to Pensacola in 2010 to attend the University of West Florida. After graduating from UWF in 2016 with a B.S. in Marine Biology, she traveled through Europe for 3 months. She is currently in school to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. She grew up with cats, a Rottweiler named Maddy, fish, a rabbit, a snake, and hamsters. She currently has 2 cats, that she refers to as her “children.” Her hobbies include traveling, going to the beach, and reading.

Veterinary Technician

Katelyn was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After completing her ninth-grade year of high school, she moved to Navarre, Florida. She has graduated from Pensacola State College with an Associate of Arts in pre-medical. And as of August 2023, she graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences. Now her dreams are to pursue a career as a veterinarian. In her free time, she likes to hike, dive, watch movies, and play with her dog. She has a Boxer named Trooper after the Stormtroopers from Star Wars.

Customer Services Representative

Melody grew up indulging in the three R’s: Riding, Rescuing, and Recess. Before animal rescue became as common as it is nowadays, she would drag home all kinds of creatures in need. Her mom just quietly shook her head and resigned herself when young Melody would proclaim, “I’m going to find him a new home” (which she would). She joined us at Coastal Sunrise Animal Hospital in September of 2019 as a veterinary Technician, after spending time working at North Bay Animal Hospital in Panama City, Florida, weathering Hurricane Michael and the aftermath. After working as a veterinary technician, she made the decision to transition to a receptionist, which was a natural move for Melody, although she did spend some time as a receiving clerk as well as a licensed nail tech in her past. She has since traded horses for “hogs” and on any given lovely Sunday, you will find Melody rockin’ down the road on one of her motorcycles with boyfriend Thor cruising right alongside. Mom of 1, Grandma of 5, she still has plenty of time and heart for her two boxers, Harlee and Piper.

Veterinary Technician

Tracie was born and raised in Pensacola. She has 4 children, a husband, and a lot of animals. Tracie became a veterinary technician in 2016. After working for Airport Animal Hospital for 3 years, she decided to try out her grooming skills at Cain’s Doghouse. After 3 years of grooming, she realized she really missed being a Vet Tech, so she joined Coastal Sunrise Animal Hospital’s team. Her interests include going to the beach, being with her family, and taking care of her 26 animals.

Veterinary Technician

Victoria was born in Michigan and joined the military in 2012. After serving 5 years in the Navy as a Corpsman (Medic), she got out and received her bachelor’s in Health Science from the University of West Florida. She started working with us in October of 2020 as a veterinary technician. She is now applying to veterinary schools, in hopes of becoming a veterinarian one day. She has a daughter, 3 dogs, and 2 cats. She enjoys the beach, rescuing animals, traveling, and hiking.

Pet Stylist

Val Mullins started her career in the animal industry in 1984, going to work for Dr. James Scott at Arctic Animal Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska, where she was employed as a kennel technician. Finding that she had an affinity for working with animals, she continued in the veterinary industry and went to work in 1987 for Dr. Michael T. McCreight in Seminole, Oklahoma, at the Seminole Veterinary Hospital. It was while working for Dr. McCreight that she began what was to be a long grooming career, which started out working with the animals that were difficult or had been refused at regular grooming facilities. Upon meeting her husband, she moved to Pensacola, and in 2004, she worked as a professional pet groomer. With nearly 30 years of pet grooming experience and a background knowledgeable in veterinary services and care.