CCVS Staff

Education
                        Purdue University, B.S. 1979                          
              The Ohio State University, M.S. 1981             
        The Ohio State University, D.V.M. 1985        

Professional Membership Affiliation
Ohio Veterinary Medical Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
American Association of Equine Practitioners

South Carolina Veterinary Medical Association

Dr. David Pitkin started Cross County Veterinary Service as a large animal ambulatory practice, in the spring of 1991. Over the years the practice has evolved into a full service small animal practice. He continues to make farm calls to see local horses and cows.  

When not at work, Dr. Pitkin enjoys cycling, running, studying military history and enjoying time with his rescue dogs Jaxon and Cidre, his two rescue cats Bobb and Gary, his daughter, son, granddaughter and grandson. If you ever attend a local high school football or basketball game you might see him in a black and white striped shirt. For the past 44 years, Dr. Pitkin has been an OHSAA licensed football and basketball official. 

Education     
The Pennsylvania State University B.S. 2010         
The Ohio State University D.V.M. 2014

Professional Membership Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
Ohio Veterinary Medical Association 

Dr. Handler was born and raised in New Jersey. She entered the veterinary field as a fourteen-year-old volunteer at a local clinic. She attended Penn State University for undergraduate and is a die-hard Nittany Lions fan. After graduating, she attended The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, obtaining her DVM in 2014. After a brief stint back in New Jersey, Dr. Handler returned to Ohio, and she currently resides in Delaware with her husband, two dogs, and three cats.

Dr. Handler has a special interest in dentistry, behavior, and surgery, as well as client education; you can see her handiwork on our Facebook page. In her free time, Dr. Handler enjoys reading, crocheting, and trying to make her naked cat Instagram famous (@honorableruthbaderskinsburg).

Education

The University of Rhode Island B.S. 2016

The Ohio State University D.V.M. 2020

 Professional Membership Association 

American Veterinary Medical Association 

Ohio Veterinary Medical Association 

Dr. Karishma Nayak grew up in Queens, New York where she has had a love for animals, ever since visiting her father's family farm in India when she was a child. 

She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in animal science. She then obtained her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University in 2020. She thoroughly enjoys working as a mixed animal practitioner where every day brings something new and a little different.

Karishma's special interests include small animal surgery and behavior medicine. She lives in Dublin with her husband Raghu and two border collie mixed breed pups, Sasha and Harvey. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, trying new foods and most recently - horseback riding lessons. 

Samantha was born in Cincinnati but raised in Delaware. She enjoys spending time with her family, bonfires, video games, meteor showers, helping others and traveling. Her greatest joy in life is her daughter, London and her most proud accomplishment is her marriage!

Sam is a big football fan. She loves the Buckeyes & the Bengals, but appreciates any good game! When Sam started at CCVS, her family only had one cat. Her furry family members now include a total of 3 rescue cats Zazzles, Ziggy, & Herman and 2 rescue dogs Zippy & Zelda! Sam has stated that her family is at "maximum capacity" with animals, but she also said that 3 rescues ago! 

Marth was born in El Paso, Texas. She worked as a Certified Surgical Technician at a level 1 trauma center for about 3 years. Her military spouse moved them to Okinawa, Japan, where she pursued her

passion to work with animals at the Okinawa Veterinary Treatment Facility. 

Martha has always had a profound love for animals. After raising her two children to school age, Martha earned her Associates of

Applied Science degree and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2021.

Martha loves the outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and does not turn down a good adventure. Her family currently has two English bulldogs: Athena and Atreus, three chinchillas: Adonis,

Amara, and Bianca, and two cats: Drago and Balboa.

Mandy was born in Columbus and graduated from Lancaster High School. She moved to Delaware in 2013 with her husband and their children.  She believes she should live on a beach so her house looks as such, Including her Saltwater aquarium and her freshwater coffee table tank.

In her spare time, Mandy is a huge Columbus Blue jackets fan with partial season tickets and a in home CBJ Fan Pub.  

Mandy has had many animals over the years. She has a White German Shepherd mix named Leo (Yes after the CBJ national anthem singer). 

Abby grew up and currently lives in Plain City, OH. She graduated from Columbus State Community College in 2023. 

Abby loves watching OSU and Cincinnati Bengals football with her dad and two older brothers. She spends most of her time hammocking while listening to a variety of music, weather permitting of course.  She rode and worked with horses for many years and loves all farm animals. Goats and horses are her favorite! 

Abby has a Great Dane named Bruno, so naturally has a soft spot for the breed. Bru's favorite snacks are ice cubes, requiring an ice tax while anyone is at the fridge! 

Erica was born and raised here in Delaware Ohio. She graduated from Rutherford B. Hayes High School in 2018. She has been a client here at Cross County for as long as she can remember and is so excited to now be a part of the team! 

She has two of her own fur babies. Bo who is a lab/hound mix, and Ellie who is a German shepherd mix. Erica is admittedly a huge fan of “dog mom” apparel! She lives with her fiancé here in Delaware and in their free time they love to take their dogs on walks at different parks in the area! She is an avid scrabble player and loves to play other board games as well. She has a love for house plants and is overall a very genuinely happy person! 

 Jones was a stray cat that wandered to our practice in May 2007, so small that at first glance he looked like a kitten. After examined he was determined to be around 2 years old! He weighed a mere five pounds, but he has happily put on some weight in his tenure at CCVS.

Over a decade ago he developed injection site sarcoma, having to have one of his back legs removed. This doesn't slow him down one bit! Just ask Dr. Richardson how fast Jones can show up when the lunch meat comes out.

Jones' favorite pastime is following his truest love, Martha, around the office. His love for her can only be outmatched by his love for churu's! Our Jones loves his treats just as much as Optic! 

 Mr. Stubbs, a former barn kitty, came to live with us in April 2013. He required a tail amputation and experienced some nerve damage that required his bladder to be manually evacuated for a period of time. While it resolved within a few weeks, Mr. Stubbs quickly adapted to the indoor live and has been with us since! 

Mr. Stubbs can be found at the front desk seeking out attention from our clients, harassing our front desk staff, and laying on the printer causing paper jams. He also loves all sweet drinks, having caused a number of Starbucks casualties! 

 Optic is a 2 year old domestic shorthair who came to live with us after we spayed her. Originally a barn kitty, Optic won over the hearts of our staff and joined our CCVS family. She has a special connection with her "momma", Dr. Nayak. 

Staying mostly behind the scenes, Optic spends her days hangin with her bff Jones, while trying to complete her life goal of eating ALL the Churu's and spray cheese CCVS has to offer!

Pebbles/Una/Meredith Grey was found outside of a local daycare center and was brought to our office by one of our clients. Missing one eye and being the sweetest 5 week old baby we'd ever seen , our multi-name kitten wiggled her way in to our hearts and made CCVS her home! 

She loves chasing toys, running sideways and hiding behind the door in room 3 during play time! What she loves more than anything else is cuddles! Her purr is so loud that she has been lovingly referred to as Motorola, since her motor is always running.

This crazy girl is being introduced slowly to our other clinic cats and will make her debut when she is a little older. In the mean time if you want to meet her, just ask one of the ladies at the front desk. 

 Raymond was a domestic shorthair who came to live with us in his later years. Known for his raspy meow and loving attitude, he quickly became a CCVS favorite! His sweet nature earned him his middle name of Wallace, named after our Wally who passed in May of 2019. The two kitties shared so many qualities, it made our hearts so happy! 

Ray passed after discovering a tumor preventing him from being able to breathe properly. He was surrounded by those who loved him most during his final moments and is missed every single day. 

Lizzy was a sweet 18 year old cat when she came to live with us in August 2017. The shyest of our clinic cats, she spent her time behind the scenes. Her favorite pastime was sleeping in her heated bed. Our sweet Lizzy crossed the rainbow bridge in late October, 2020. She was surrounded by our entire staff in her final moments and is missed each and every day.  

   Wally, the basket kitty, came to our clinic in April 2014. He was super sweet & affectionate, and in his younger days was known to jump up into our arms! ​You could find him fighting Mr. Stubbs for attention at the front desk, while possibly munching on your hair!  Wally passed in the end of May 2019. He was deeply loved by not only our staff, but each and every client that met him. 

Misty was a 12 year old domestic white & tiger cat who came to us in September 2014.  She was talkative and loved to eat! She was a shy girl, but developed close bonds with her people. Misty preferred to be behind the scenes at the clinic.

Our sweet Misty crossed the rainbow bridge in November 2017. She was a loving, sassy girl during her tenure at Cross County and is missed by us all.