Dr. Jaime Presley grew up in South Orange County, where her love for animals was evident to her parents early on. From a very young age (before she even realized what she wanted to be when she “grew up”), her mother encouraged her to become a veterinarian because she could see how she cared for animals. She graduated at the top of her high school class and went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology from Yale University in 2001. She received her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University (ranked 3rd in the country) in 2005. It was in North Carolina, while studying veterinary medicine, that she met and married her husband Brent Presley.
She practiced small animal medicine for several years in North Carolina while her husband completed his PhD. After that, they relocated to Dallas, Texas for him to complete his medical degree and training in pediatric endocrinology. During this time, she continued to work in private practice and also provided veterinary care for several rescue groups in the area—Dachshund Lovers of Texas Rescue, Poodle Rescue of North Texas, Bark n Rest, DFW Pug Rescue, A Different Breed, Bull Terrier Club of Dallas, and Find a Home Rescue, just to name a few.
She and her husband welcomed their first daughter in the Fall of 2009. It was at this point that she began to work part-time providing end of life hospice care and in-home euthanasia services to families in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. In 2012, they welcomed their second daughter into this world. Over the next few years, while simultaneously working part-time in veterinary hospitals, she was able to help over 200 families say goodbye to their beloved pets in their own homes. Although it was an incredibly difficult task, one thing became clear—these families were all so grateful to have been able to say goodbye to their pets at home and not in a clinical setting. It was during this time that Dr. Presley realized how important her role could be, helping families during those final moments.
Although she had lived in Connecticut, North Carolina, and Texas, her heart was always in California and Dr. Presley knew that she ultimately wanted to move back home when her husband completed his medical training. So, when he finally completed his pediatric endocrinology fellowship, Dr. Presley and her family relocated back to Southern California. She and her husband now reside in San Marcos, and they are happy to be raising their family in North San Diego County.
Dr. Presley is also the mother to one four-legged child: a sweet, spunky, and stubborn Doberman named Lucy. When not practicing veterinary medicine, she enjoys spending time with her two little girls, creating various arts & crafts, reading, and being outdoors. When she isn’t busy with the kids, she loves to be in the kitchen, baking everything from brioche to decorated sugar cookies to complex layer cakes decorated with fondant.
Not many veterinarians will do house calls to provide in-home euthanasia services. Of the ones that do, very few provide these services full-time. Dr. Presley founded Tender Paws in 2016 to address this need. Should you find yourself faced with this most difficult decision, know that you can trust Dr. Presley to help you navigate your way through this process. She is always honored when a family trusts her to be part of their pet’s final moments.