Dr. Cluff joined Our CPC family in August of 2015. Chris was born in Wilmington, Delaware (first state, second smallest). After spending his childhood roaming the woods, catching and caring for salamanders, turtles, snakes and other assorted critters, Chris went to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and then to graduate school at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Immunology in 1988. After graduation, Chris traveled a bit and then took a position as a post-doctoral fellow at Rocky Mountain Labs for almost two years, and during that time met his future bride on the only blind date he ever had.

Chris decided to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian so he could do something he really loved and live wherever he chose. In 1990, Chris married Gail and moved to Clarkston, WA, where Gail could work as a high school teacher across the river in Lewiston, ID and he could go to the Veterinary School at Washington State University in Pullman. Chris graduated with honors in 1995.

Chris began to look for a job as a Veterinarian in the Bitterroot valley when he was hired by Ribi ImmunoChem, Inc, a biotech company in Hamilton that was developing cancer vaccines and drugs for organ transplantation. Chris was the perfect fit for the position as they needed a veterinarian with surgical skills and an immunology background. Chris spent two decades as staff veterinarian and senior scientist for Ribi, which was first purchased by Corixa Corporation and then by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Inc.

In 2015, GSK decided to move all vaccine-related research to Rockville, Maryland, which is a long way from this great place and not somewhere Chris had any desire to relocate to. Fortunately, Hans came to the rescue and asked Chris if he wanted to become a partner and eventual owner at Companion Pet Clinic so that he (Hans) could spend a little more time skiing and fishing. Chris jumped at the offer and is now having the time of his life helping cats and dogs live happy healthy lives.

Emily joined the CPC family in 2018 but has been practicing in Montana since she graduated from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. In 2018 Emily also became Fear Free Certified and is working hard to help every pet enjoy their visit with us by minimizing their stress and anxiety as much as possible through various techniques of distraction, treats, and, if necessary, medicine. She happily sees dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, rodents, reptiles, and even will consult on aquatic animal pets.

When Emily is not at CPC she enjoys knitting, gardening, canning, and spending as much time as possible with her husband and two daughters. Together they enjoy hiking, camping, and traveling around the state for various youth athletic programs.

Nycole is transplant from Pennsylvania. She has been a Credentialed Veterinary Technician since 2013 and started a focus on Canine Physical Rehabilitation since 2015. She earned her certifications of Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner and Certified Canine Manual Therapist through Northeast Seminars/The University of Tennessee. Nycole enjoys spending time outdoors exploring, hiking, hunting and fly fishing by wading. She has 2 dogs and two cats: Murphy the German Shepherd, Finn the Siberian Husky and Flapjack and Vladimir are the cats. Nycole was hired in the Summer of 2019 and is excited to be a part of the Companion Pet Clinic crew.

Lora is a Native Montanan, born in Missoula. She started her work with animals right after high school. She then moved to Portland, Oregon for 10 years, continued her work with animals at a surgical specialty clinic in Portland, which presented her with the opportunity to further her skills. She was able to become certified I Small Animal Radiology and take the National Technician Exam.

The pull of coming back to Montana was always there for Lora, so packing up the family, she moved back to the Bitterroot to be close to her parents and grandparents. She shares her life with her two sons-Connor and Koh, their extended family of dogs Jack, Arthur, Frankie, cat Popcorn and the girls. (her chickens )

Annie grew up in Connecticut and moved to Montana in 2015. She has worked in various veterinary clinics for the past 30 years with a respite in the middle when she managed a private horse stable for 15 years. She lives with her husband Ed and there dog Lucille and cat Big Al.