Welcome Our New Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Hannah Coenen is originally from the Midwest but has lived on the Front Range of Colorado, in Oregon, the Southwest, and the Southeast. She attended school at CSU in Fort Collins and graduated from veterinary school at Iowa State University in 2022.  

Dr. Coenen has always been passionate about shelter medicine, providing quality care to homeless pets, and increasing access to care in underserved areas. Her goal since beginning veterinary school was to move into the field of shelter medicine. After graduating, she completed a specialty internship in shelter medicine at the University of Florida, where she learned everything from high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter to infectious disease control to shelter management. She participated in many high-volume spay/neuter clinics around the southwest, on various reservations, and in areas like the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.  

With several years of hands-on experience at the City of Albuquerque’s high-volume animal shelter, she developed a deep understanding of veterinary care in a setting with significant need. Her time there provided extensive exposure to a wide range of medical and surgical cases, helping shape her love for surgery and wound management. These skills lend to her passion to help address the pet overpopulation crisis that affects many parts of the country. 

Dr. Coenen is happy to be near Ridgway, in such a beautiful place. She is excited to help Second Chance continue to move forward and expand services for both shelter and community pets, and help decrease barriers to veterinary care.  

She says, "I am so excited to join Second Chance Humane Society! The community and beauty of Ridgway are part of what drew me here. I'm realizing how dedicated and forward-thinking the Second Chance team is, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it. Second Chance is an outstanding organization, and I'm excited to see where we go and the impacts we continue to make in this deserving community.” 

In her free time, she loves long-distance trail running with her two dogs, backpacking, and rock climbing with her partner. She also enjoys gardening, growing mushrooms, and watching her backyard chickens do weird things.

Learn more about Second Chance’s community veterinary services here.

2024 Marked Our 30th Anniversary as an Organization!

We used this milestone as an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and to look ahead at what’s next.