Dr. John Clappier is the practice owner of Hudson Road Animal Hospital. He graduated from the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 after receiving an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences. Dr. John, as the team knows him, literally grew up at Hudson Road Animal Hospital; his dad was one of the original owners and Dr. John is happy to carry on the family legacy.

Dr. John lives in Woodbury with his wife, Kellie, and their 2 children, Lucy and Benjamin. Lucy is a curly-haired, adventuresome little girl; she keeps her mom and dad on their toes most of the time. Ben is happy little guy who loves to be funny and has the best facial expressions in the world.

As for the furry family, the Clappiers have two dogs and three cats. All the cats were rescued from different situations. Forest Whitaker is the eldest cat but the most acrobatic of the bunch. Theodore, or Teddy for short, was found in a garage. He is a tiny orange and white cat with a pushed in face. The youngest cat is Lennie, a orange Persian with a personality all his own.

For the dogs, Nana is the oldest. She is a brindle standard poodle who keeps everyone including the backyard squirrels on high alert. The newest addition to the family is an apricot colored standard poodle named "Artoo." He is named after R2D2 from "Star Wars." He keeps his furry sister busy with all his chewing and rough play, but he loves love from the family.

Having five pets and two children keeps life fun and interesting. Their family is complete with a large freshwater aquarium housing several tropical fish.

In his free time, Dr. John enjoys running, basketball, video games, cooking, and website design. He participates in 5k races around the metro area and some day plans to run in a marathon.

Dr. John's favorite part of Veterinary Medicine is the investigation. He likes working through cases and solving pets' problems. He looks forward to working with you and your pet, and helping solve whatever problem ails them.

Born in Winona, Dr. Beck completed her undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin (River Falls) in 1996. She graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. She joined Hudson Road Animal Hospital shortly after graduation. After growing up with dogs and horses, becoming a veterinarian was all Dr. Beck ever really considered doing as a career.

Dr. Beck has been the advisor for exploring posts, leader of adventure camps for the Humane Society for Companion Animals, and was featured on the PBS show "SciGirls" with one of our young clients. She enjoys educating Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other young people about "The Benefits of Pet Ownership" and "Being a Veterinarian." She is also certified to do Dog Bite Prevention Programs for school aged kids.

What she enjoys most about veterinary medicine is being able to make a difference in not only the animal's quality of life, but the owner's as well. She has a special interest in hospice and end of life care as well as complementary medicine. Dr. Beck became certified in Veterinary Acupuncture in 2006. She is excited to start doing therapy dog work at hospitals and nursing homes throughout the Twin Cities with her golden retriever, as they are currently working on their certification.

Dr. Beck enjoys running, hiking, tending their small vineyard and spending time with her family. She resides in rural River Falls with her husband, son, and golden retriever.

From a very early age, Dr. Zierath dedicated her time to learning everything she could about animals and the natural world around her. Family would often find her searching ponds for frogs and turtles, and when those could not be brought home, they listened to her recite the newest animal facts she picked up from books and nature documentaries. It therefore came as no surprise when she announced her intentions to go to veterinary school.

Dr. Zierath graduated with her BS in biomedical biology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, followed by earning her DVM from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019. After graduation, Dr. Zierath practiced in Glenwood City, Wisconsin and then went on to practice small animal medicine in Red Wing, Minnesota for two years. With the desire to work closer to her hometown of Afton, Dr. Zierath joined the HRAH team in July of 2022.

Dr. Zierath fills her free time with fishing on the river, spending time with family, and going to hockey and baseball with her partner and their two sons. Together they own two black labs Thunder and Penny, a hound mix named Carl, and four cats named Rage, Cookie Dough, Tripp, and Oreo Cuddlepants.

Dr. Colleen Kutzler is the newest veterinarian to join the Hudson Road Animal Hospital team. She graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022 and then worked in central Minnesota as a mixed animal veterinarian for 3 years. Though Dr. Colleen loved working on large animals (horses, cows, sheep, goats), she found her passion with dogs and cats. 

Dr. Colleen was raised in Oregon and knew from a young age she was meant to be a veterinarian. She grew up surrounded by veterinary medicine as her mother, Dr. Michelle Kutzler, is also a veterinarian. She was raised on a small hobby farm with horses, llamas/alpacas and a lot of dogs! Her family has bred and owned miniature dachshunds for 16 years. She graduated from Oregon State University with her Honors Baccalaureate in Animal Science in 2018 then moved to Minnesota for veterinary school. 

Dr. Colleen lives in St Paul with her fiance Alex and a few critters. They have two miniature dachshunds that keep them busy, Ruby (16) and Raven (10). The Weens are both settling into their golden years but still enjoy walks, “hunting” squirrels and lounging in the sunshine. They have one cat, Artemis (2), who enjoys chasing her humans around the house, playing with anything she can get her paws on and biting cardboard. Dr. Colleen also has a llama (Robbin - 21) and alpaca (Norman - 16) that live with her parents and grandparents on the family farm near Rochester, MN. 

When not at the clinic, Dr. Colleen likes to stay active. She enjoys playing on a league volleyball team with her fiance and friends in Apple Valley, going on hikes and being outdoors. But her true happy place is with all three animals on her lap, a nice cozy blanket and one of her many go-to TV shows on. Her and her fiance tie the knot in September 2026.