Bayside Animal Hospital: Meet Our Staff

Veterinary medicine has always been a large part of  Dr. Murphy’s life. From the time he was a small child, he spent many hours working alongside his father, Vance Murphy D.V.M., at Clear Lake City Veterinary Clinic. After graduating from Texas A & M in 1995 with his D.V.M., Dr. Murphy had the opportunity to work with his father as a colleague. Dr. Murphy has worked hard to create a caring, friendly, state-of-the-art facility. His special interests in the veterinary field include dentistry & orthopedics. Dr. Murphy enjoys martial arts and is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He is also an avid wind surfer and enjoys kettle bells. Dr. Murphy, his wife, Trisha, their children reside in Clear Lake Shores.

Dr. Shepherd graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas A & M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996. He has been an integral part of Bayside Animal Hospital since its inception in 2005. After working in a mixed animal practice for years, he returned to the Bay Area. He and his wife, Mary, have two young daughters, a cat and a chocolate Lab, LuLu. In his spare time he enjoys saltwater fishing and spending time with his family. His special interests in the Veterinary field include cytology and orthopedics.

 Dr. Jonathon Given joined Bayside Animal Hospital in 2014. He is originally from Galveston, TX. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2004 with a bachelors degree in Animal Science, he then went on to earn his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2008. After graduation, Dr. Given returned to his hometown of Galveston and served that community from 2008 until December of 2012. He is a member of AVMA, TVMA and the Galveston County VMA. He also sits as an adviser on the Galveston County Health District’s Animal Advisory Committee. His profession interests include radiology, cytology, and surgery. He lives in League City with his wife Annamary and daughter Emma, along with his 4 legged family members, Buddy, a Siamese rescue, and Cassie, a tortoise-shell kitty. His hobbies include reading, tending to his garden, and cheering on his favorite football teams, the Houston Texans and Texas A&M Aggies.

Dr. Rhiannon Thornburg joined Bayside Animal Hospital in April of 2016. She was born in London, England and moved to Galveston, Texas when she was very young. Dr. Thornburg had a love for animals growing up and raised many animals included cats, dogs, and horses.  She started working in small animal veterinary clinics in high school and throughout her undergraduate work at Texas A&M, where she received her bachelors in Biomedical Science in 1988.  She continued her education at Texas A&M, graduating with her DVM in 1993. After graduation, she returned to Galveston and practiced small animal medicine from 1994-2008. Dr. Thornburg relocated to the League City area in July of 2008 where she worked at Marina Bay Animal Hospital until April of 2016.  She has a special interest in endocrinology and other difficult cases. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, traveling and scuba diving.

Dr. Denise Wardall joined Bayside Animal Hospital in March 2019. She was born in Houston, Texas, but moved to Scotland at an early age and lived there for the next 25 years. She graduated with a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 1989. After working in Scotland for 5 years, she and her husband moved to Texas. She has worked as a small animal veterinarian in the Clear Lake area since 2002, and lives in League City with her husband Ian and two cats, one a Maine Coon, the other a refugee from Saudi Arabia. Her two daughters live in the Austin area. Her special interests include feline medicine (she really loves cats!) and dermatology. Outside of work, she loves hiking, cooking, knitting and spending time with family and friends.