Meet our team!

Veterinarian, Medical Director

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

After a moment of consideration, the baton–twirling nine-year-old girl decided, “I think I’ll be a veterinarian or a lawyer”. After a couple of days of further consideration, she told her Mom, “I think I’ll be a veterinarian. I’m not a very good liar….” Thus, the crossroads of her life was approached and her path was determined.

And determined she was! Skipping by all of the patronizing, “Wouldn’t you like to be a teacher” and the nay-saying, “It’s harder to get into vet school than medical school” commentary, she found herself at the door of Arizona State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

Over the years, she’d raised a few cats, gerbils, and desert tortoises; rescued some geckos and ground squirrels; worked with several thousand rodents and rabbits, and even a few baboons! It was sealed from when she was 15, when she got her first job at Broadway Animal Hospital, that this was the profession for her. It sang to her heart. Through all of the veterinary assistant positions from Tucson to New York, she followed that music as it nurtured her desire to heal the bodies of animals and the hearts and minds of their owners.

Veterinary school was just a way for her to realize that conviction. Here, she learned not just to pass the next test. Here, she learned for life.

After veterinary school, she and her best cat friend, Coy, moved to Yuma. The experience was good, but too far from home. She moved back to Tucson after 2 years. She grew her skills as a doctor, dentist, surgeon, grief counselor, and family support assistant as she worked on her favorite hobby daily.

Love from another port also fell into her world upon returning to Tucson when she reconnected with her high school friend, Tom. The boy she had so admired in high school had grown up to be “tall, yet kind”. After a 4 year romance, he proposed marriage 50 feet underwater in the Bahamas! (How could she say no to a diamond on a reef and an expectant young man holding a dive slate that said “Please”?)

Together, she and Tom had adventures in Italy and scuba diving in the Caribbean. They took up home brewing, producing a world-class Christmas Ale; discovered Cowboy Action Shooting, dressing up like old West cowboys; and watched Star Trek-Next Gen endlessly. They got married amid candles, brooms, kilts, and broken glasses in 1997 (embracing multi-cultural wedding traditions that had personal meaning to them). After a couple of years, Dr. Bohnke and her husband decided to embark on one of “Life’s Greatest Adventures”: having a child! Celyn, their son, has also grown up to be “tall-yet kind”. He is the light of his parent’s eyes and promises to be one of the future’s great lawyers.

Family has always been one of the most important forces in Dr. Bohnke’s life. Her Mom and Dad always told her that “you can do anything you put your mind to.” So she did! Her husband and his family have been ever supportive. Her beloved family pets have always helped her find peace. Her family of patients and their people have given her a chance to fulfill her purpose in life — to help and heal.

Dr. Bohnke invites you and your pets to become a part of her Cimarron Animal Hospital family— growing together – here for each other.

• Graduated from Colorado State University, 1991
• Low Stress Handling University Graduate
• Member of the American, Arizona, and Southern Arizona Veterinary Medical Associations.
• Member of the American Animal Hospital Association.
• Member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners with additional Cat-Friendly Certification.
• Fear Free Practitioner Certification.

DVM

Dr. Elisa Marusich, an Arizona native and UA Alumni has been practicing for over 15 years in the Tucson area. She graduated cum laude from St. George’s University, Grenada, with a Doctorate degree in Veterinary Medicine and has specialized training in traditional Chinese medicine from the world-renowned Chi Institute, with certification in Mixed Animal Acupuncture.

Dr. M was inspired to become a veterinarian as her interest in science and medicine developed in college. She has always had great compassion for all living things and figured veterinary medicine was the perfect niche for her. Over time her interests evolved to include companion animal behavior. This then led her to devote herself to practicing fear-free medicine. Most recently, she has been driven to find a more integrative approach to treating our companions for such things as pain and internal conditions that are not always effectively managed with standard Western medicine and treatments. So, she has become a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and is now studying Chinese herbal therapy and food therapy practices to expand her knowledge and offerings in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.
When not hard at work, she enjoys spending time training with her two dogs using Positive Reinforcement principles. She also trains with her five cats, mostly party tricks, since they are social butterflies. The rest of her time is spent attempting to keep a permaculture garden with her Sonoran desert tortoise and Red Eared Pond Slider turtle.

Practice Manager/Certified Vet Tech – Employed since 2008

Leeanne received her Veterinary Assistant Associate’s degree with honors from Pima Medical Institute in November of 2008. She received her Veterinary Technician License in September 2018. She has now become our, Hospital Manager. Every day, she revitalizes her enthusiasm for the profession as she learns new things and new ways to help sick pets. Leeanne’s outgoing, bubbly personality and infectious smile brighten everyone’s day, while her attention to detail keeps patients well-managed and clients happy! Leeanne has also been a professional dog trainer, so we have her expertise for clients who need help with pet behavioral issues. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and hang out with her kitties Walter and Frankie. If you need someone to brighten your day, swing by for a giggle and smile from Leeanne!

Lead Technician/Certified Veterinary Technician – employed since 2023

Mariah was born and raised Tucson native. Even from a young age, she knew she wanted to work with animals. She received her Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology from Pima Medical Institute (PMI) in 2017, going on to become a Certified Veterinary Technician in 2018. Over the span of several years, she gained vast experience in this field, from working in small animal hospitals to caring for and rehabilitating Southern Arizona wildlife and also teaching as an instructor at PMI. Ultimately, a wonderful opportunity presented itself: to return to small animal care, which led her to Cimarron Animal Hospital. Plus, she missed being able to cuddle and kiss my patients (snakes, hawks, and javelinas are not the best for this).

If you don’t catch Mariah loving on your pets, in her free time she enjoys bird watching and gardening! She has one very precious dog, Lambeau, three cats that rule the house, Kiko, Shiva, and Mussolini, and a desert tortoise named Jalapeño.

Client Service Liaison – Employed since 2020

Miranda is a new addition to Cimarron’s Reception Team, and we are so happy to have her! Miranda and her husband have 2 kitties, Eggs Benedict and Olive Oyl (perfect names, right?!), and are hoping to expand their fur family with a dog one day eventually. We really lucked out when we added Miranda to our staff; she is not only a pleasure on the phone, but she has also completed her Vet Tech Assistant program through Pima Community College, making herself a great resource on both sides of the medical team! When she is not working, you can find Miranda doing one of the many hobbies she loves; hiking, crocheting, at a car meet/show, or playing Animal Crossing. She is as funny as she is a hard worker, and we hope to have Miranda as a part of our crew for a long time!

Certified Veterinary Technician

Claire is a Tucson native, and growing up she always had an interest in medicine—she found her niche in the veterinary world. She is a graduate of Cedar Valley College’s veterinary technical program and received her CVT license in 2019. She started her career in vetmed in 2015, starting at the front desk here at Cimarron. In 2020, she left Cimarron to spread her wings and see what she could learn at a different clinic but ultimately came back in 2023. She loves that there is always something new to learn in vetting and that there is always cutting-edge technology to help improve the lives of her patients and their parents. When she is not at the clinic she can usually be found working in her garden or crocheting and binge-watching the latest true crime documentary on Netflix. She and her husband share their home with their golden retriever Winnie, and their gaggle of cats: Jeremy, Finn, Dax, and Rhett.