Our Veterinary Team
Our Veterinary Team
Meet the Veterinarians & Veterinary Team of Cumberland Animal Clinic! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!
Get to know our veterinary team!
We are solely dedicated to your pet’s care! We look forward to getting to know you, and we hope you’ll take the time to scroll down and get to know us.
Our Veterinarian Team
Lourdes M. Benito
DVM
Dr. Benito joined Cumberland Animal Clinic as a fulltime associate in 2006. Dr. Benito was born and raised in Woodside (Queens), New York. Though she was very afraid of dogs as a little girl, she was intrigued by them. By the time she was 11 years old, she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She started volunteering in a small animal hospital when she was in high school and was thrilled to get a paid position at age 16 as a switchboard operator at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan. Dr. Benito attended Rutgers University, Cook College in New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduating with a B.S. in Animal Science. After graduation, she worked for 2 years as a Laboratory Animal Technician at The Rockefeller University in New York City. Dr. Benito received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1991 from The Ohio State University and worked in a small animal practice in Columbus, Ohio for 15 years. In June 2006, she and her “Native Mainer” husband, Dennis, moved to Cumberland with their three children, Christina, Alexander, and Benjamin. Dr. Benito enjoys various facets of veterinary medicine, especially guiding pet owners in the care of their pets from puppy and kittenhood through adolescence and into their golden senior years. She loves working at Cumberland Animal Clinic and feels lucky to work with an excellent group of doctors and staff. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, yoga, traveling, and spending time enjoying the outdoors with her family. She presently lives in Cumberland with her family and their pets, Kate (Pointer), Tweety (Blue Parakeet), and Dobby the house cat.
Mark House
DVM, ACVS
Dr. Mark House is a board-certified surgeon available to our clients for complex orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries as well as endoscopic procedures. He earned his DVM degree at the Ontario Veterinary College in 2004. As he endeavored to become a veterinary surgeon at a young age, he sought further training to one day become a specialist. From 2004-2005, Dr. House attended The Ohio State University Teaching Hospital to complete a one-year general internship program. Then he moved to Long Island, NY where he completed a one-year internship program at Long Island Veterinary Specialists (LIVS). LIVS is a very busy private hospital that offered further training. Dr. House remained at LIVS for three more years, where he focused solely on small animal surgery. Upon completion of the residency program, Dr. House prepared for his board examinations, and in 2010 he became a board-certified small animal surgeon under the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. When not performing surgery, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children in the great Maine outdoors.
Lily Coppinger
DVM
Dr. Lily Coppinger is joining us at Cumberland Animal Clinic in July 2023. Dr. Coppinger grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Umass Amherst with a B.S. in Biology in 2019. She then attended vet school at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated with her DVM in May 2023. During her time at Tufts, she gained experience working in a small animal clinic, doing research in small animal nutrition, and spent a month externing at a safari park where she worked with exotic and endangered species. Dr. Coppinger is interested in many areas of veterinary medicine and has a soft spot for senior pets and chronic illness management. As much as she loves working with animals, she really enjoys getting to know her patients’ families and collaborating with them to provide the best care for their pet. She has always loved Maine, specifically Portland, and is very excited to move to the area. She currently has one cat, Gelato, who she adopted in vet school (and is, in her unbiased opinion, the best cat ever).
Our Veterinary Staff
Anja
LVT
Anja graduated with an associate degree in Veterinary Technology from Becker College in May 2019. Anja joined the Cumberland Animal Clinic team in October 2019 as a veterinary assistant and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in April 2022. She is committed to the veterinary care of animals and assisting pet owners to care for their beloved pets. Anja enjoys exploring all aspects of veterinary medicine, and she will be expanding her skills by becoming a Nutrition Advocate at CAC. After an extensive training program, she will be serving as a nutritional liaison to our doctors. Anja will be consulting with our clients to discuss their pets’ nutritional needs based on their individual health concerns. Although she loves all animals, Anja is a true “cat lady” at heart. Anja lives with her boyfriend and two cats, Taz and Luna. When she isn’t juggling her two mischievous kitties, she enjoys being on the ocean and exploring all the hidden treasures of Maine.
Christine
LVT
Christine joined Cumberland Animal Clinic in 1995 as a full-time receptionist and trained as a veterinary assistant shortly after. She holds a BA in Biology with a minor in Biochemistry from the University of Southern Maine. Christine achieved her veterinary technician license in 2001 and worked at CAC from 2001-2009. Christine went on to pursue a nursing degree and graduated in 2013 from CMMC College of Nursing and Health Professions. In 2014, became a Registered Nurse. When she is not caring for humans as an RN, she works part-time at CAC as an LVT. Christine resides in North Yarmouth with her family and pets.
Emily
LVT
Emily came to Cumberland Animal Clinic in 2014. Emily is a licensed veterinary technician and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire in 1998. Later, she received an Associate Degree in Animal Health technology from Pierce College in 2006. Emily has worked with zoo animals as well as small animals. She currently resides in Westbrook with her husband, Michael, and their son, Owen. Emily also shares her home with Mittsu the three-legged cat and the Bixby the Shepherd mix.
Janna
LVT Lead Technician
Janna received her veterinary technician license in 1993 and soon began working at Cumberland Animal Clinic. She is a graduate of South Portland High School and attended the University of Maine, where she graduated with a degree in Animal Science. She resides in North Yarmouth with her daughter, Haley, and her three dogs. She is a fur mom to Axle, a Rottweiler, Sal, a Bullmastiff, and Tino, a French Bulldog.
Nicole
LVT, Practice Manager
Nicole joined Cumberland Animal Clinic in 2012 and became the Practice Manager in 2021. She has a degree in Business Management from National College in Lexington, KY, and a Veterinary Technology degree from Penn Foster College. Nicole and her husband live in Gray with their cat, Mohawk, their dogs Lee and Ginger, and their menagerie of chickens. Nicole is an amateur beekeeper who enjoys snowshoeing, hiking, camping, and competing in dock diving with her dog, Lee.
Hannah
Veterinary Assistant
Hannah initially came to the Cumberland Animal Clinic in 2017 as a Kennel Assistant and rejoined the team in April 2022. She graduated from Greely High School and is currently studying Veterinary Technology at York County Community College. She will be obtaining her Associates Degree and small business management certificate in the spring semester of 2023. Hannah is working towards her goal of becoming a Licensed Veterinary Technician and is eager to obtain new skills along the way. CAC is what ultimately jumpstarted her passion for working with animals. When she is not at the clinic or working hard towards her schooling, Hannah enjoys staying active and going on new adventures with friends and family!
Avalon
Veterinary Assistant
Avalon is originally from Vermont. She has always loved animals and grew up with various dogs and cats. In 2014, she started her professional life working with animals as a dog trainer in central Vermont. Her care and compassion led to working for several years as a residential counselor for teen girls impacted by trauma. Then, in October 2020, after being a client at West Mountain Animal Hospital for several years, Avalon was presented with the opportunity of working as a Veterinary Assistant at that veterinary clinic in southern Vermont. In May of 2021, Avalon moved from Vermont to Maine and immediately accepted a position as a Veterinary Assistant in Arundel. Avalon wanted to continue on a path of growth and knowledge and started working at Cumberland Animal Clinic in June 2022. Avalon enjoys the behavioral aspects of veterinary medicine. She loves assisting owners by offering tips and tricks to help them with their new puppy or older dog. She lives with her fiancé, her Border Collie, Basil, two cats named Bernard and Claire, four snakes (Relm, Atlas, Naga and Mango), and Aurora, the bearded dragon. When she is not at CAC, you can find her with any of them, reading, adventuring, or curled up watching a good movie.
Haley
Veterinary Assistant
Haley came to the Cumberland Animal Clinic at the end of 2020. She graduated from Greely High School in 2021 where she played lacrosse and volleyball. She went on and spent the fall of 2021 at the University of Tampa. After a semester in Tampa, she decided to move back home and started at the University of New England, where she is studying Applied Exercise Science with the hopes of moving onto UNE’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. In the future, she is aiming to become a Sports & Orthopedic Physical Therapist. She lives with her mom, Janna, and three dogs: Tino, a French Bulldog, Axle, a Rottweiler, and Sal, a Bullmastiff. When she’s not in class or at CAC, you can find her scooping ice cream at Toots Ice Cream.
Sara
Client Service Representative
Sara joined the CAC Team in 2022. Sara is from Falmouth, Maine. She lives there with her boyfriend, Hayden, two dogs, Brownie and Penny, and two cats, Milo, and Salem. In her free time, you can find them going for walks around the neighborhood or settling down together to watch a movie. Growing up, she always had a love for animals and knew she wanted to work in an environment around them. She is now able to do just that and enjoys her time meeting all the animals that come to visit CAC!
Shasta
Veterinary Assistant
Shasta joined the CAC team in 2022. Shasta has been working as a veterinary assistant for 6 years. She has also spent 5 years working at a doggy daycare and previously owned a dog treat business that catered to dogs with food allergies. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, hiking, camping, baking, going to the beach, making art, and spending time with friends and family. She lives with her beloved Boston terrier, Punky Bruiser, GreyBear the Pitbull, and 2 cats, Colonel Mustard and Trixie.
Dani
Client Service Representative
Dani grew up in southern Maine on a small farm with horses, goats, chickens, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. She played sports each season in school and especially loved showing her horses on the weekends. During high school, she completed her CNA certificate and Fire Fighter 1 &2 courses. After graduating high school, Dani attended the University of Maine at Farmington where she studied Art and New Media and apprenticed with a local tattoo artist. Before coming to CAC in April of 2022, Dani worked as a traveling electrical designer. In her free time, you’ll find her hiking, gardening, traveling, riding horses or her motorcycle, or creating art. Dani is currently studying to be a Vet Technician through Penn Foster College.