Dr. Sharon Keairnes grew up in Kansas City and decided on a career in veterinary medicine at the age of twelve. She graduated from Stephens College in '95 with a BS in Biology and earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in '99 at the University of Missouri. Directly out of school, she began working as a veterinarian in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She then realized she wanted to come back “home” and has been with Lifetime Animal Center since August 2002. She is a member of the AVMA and the MVMA. Dr. Keairnes, her husband John (Smith), and her three children, Elizabeth and Connor, and Sarah, are happy to be close to family in the Kansas City and Columbia areas. In her spare time, she enjoys canoeing, camping, cars, and family time. She has cats, a dog, chickens, horses, and fish.