“With compassion and commitment we directly affect the quality of life of our patient, thus supporting the quality of life of our clients.”
Dr. John Pisciotta is one of the nation’s leading experts on exotic pets, a category that includes everything from baby turtles to boa constrictors. At RHVH, more than 50 percent of his patients are exotics, many referrals from other veterinarians, bird clubs, and breeders. Fascinated with exotic pets since his childhood on Long Island, he grew up with a vast variety of them, including snakes, turtles, tortoises, frogs, lizards, birds, ferrets, guinea pigs, mice, rabbits, and other pocket pets. This fascination with animals led to his first job, conducting tours for a local park.
After completing his undergraduate education at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) and graduate studies at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), he served an internship at the renowned Animal Medical Center in Manhattan and became an active member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians. Having shared quarters with so many different species of animals throughout his life, Dr. Pisciotta feels very comfortable handling, examining, and discussing the proper care of all exotic pets. A major interest of his is educating people about the needs of these very special pets. Because preventative medicine is so important with exotic and other pets, he helps his clients learn as much as possible about their basic care, nutrition, and husbandry. Dr. Pisciotta lives in Croton-on-Hudson with his wife Stephanie, their four children, and an assortment of cats, dogs, birds, and exotic fish.
“We want our clients to experience the joy of the human-companion animal bond. It is our goal to provide the best possible veterinary care to our patients at all times and to make our clients an active part of the treatment team.”
In 1977, Dr. Gary Yarnell graduated from the distinguished New York State School of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), one of the nation’s most competitive; he was one of the school’s youngest ever graduates. Driven by his passion for the field, he was able to complete his undergraduate studies at Cornell in two-and-a-half years with a Bachelor of Science degree, and was then immediately accepted to its Veterinary College. As the culmination of his lifelong dream, Dr. Yarnell purchased what is now the Rye Harrison Veterinary Hospital from Dr. Howard Harmon in 1980. At the time, the practice consisted of one part-time and one full-time veterinarian, with a support staff of four. Building a reputation as a skilled and caring doctor, Dr. Yarnell was available to his patients and their owners 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since its very first year, the practice under Dr. Yarnell’s leadership experienced a rapid and sustained growth. Today it employs six veterinarians and a support staff of 28 individuals in a modern, state-of-the-art facility.
Ever since a standard poodle joined his family when he was a young boy growing up on Long Island, Dr. Yarnell had dreamed of becoming a vet. While he excelled academically, he also worked hard during summers and school vacations to acquire real hands-on work experience with animals, including cleaning cages at the local veterinary hospital, mucking out stalls and assisting equine vets at a horse farm, and even walking a pet goat through Central Park as part of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation’s Zoo Mobile. Dr. Yarnell and his wife Laurie, a journalist, have lived in Rye since 1981. They have two children - Nikki, an actor/singer and licensed massage therapist (nikkiyarnell.com and massagebynikkiyarnell.com) and Adam, a Brown University graduate who is serving in the Peace Corps in Panama. Fortunately, Gracie, their yellow Lab, and Chloe, their equally adorable rescue dog from Tennessee, keep their nest from ever feeling empty.
Dr. Blair Green grew up in Manhattan and received her Bachelor’s Degree from Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY) with a major in Biology and a minor in Ancient Societies. She then attended veterinary school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she worked as a volunteer in the wildlife clinic caring for sick and injured wild animals and spent her clinical year focusing on cats, dogs, and exotic species. After graduating in 2008, Dr. Green worked as an associate veterinarian at a small animal hospital in New Jersey for two years. She then completed an internship in avian and exotic medicine and surgery at Maryland’s VCA Veterinary Referral Associates, where she received specialized training in birds, reptiles, and small exotic mammals. With an interest in avian/exotics, dentistry, and pathology, Dr. Green joined the practice in 2011. She lives in White Plains with her rabbits Belle and Bert and her cat Polyxena, and enjoys reading, cooking, and walking through New York.
Dr. Susan Sperling grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Il. She earned her Bachelor's degree in 2010 from Amherst College and graduated with a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program Certificate from Bryn Mawr College in 2013. Dr. Sperling went on to earn her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018. She then completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Red Bank, New Jersey. Dr. Sperling is Fear Free Level Elite Certified, and her areas of professional interest include surgery, internal medicine, behavior and theriogenology.
Dr. Sperling says the best part of working in the veterinary field is creating a strong foundation to prevent behavioral and health problems in puppies and kittens and helping owners make informed decisions to improve their pet's well-being.
Dr. Sperling currently shares a home with her two Miniature American Shepherds, Parker and Lucy, who she competes in obedience and agility. In her free time, she enjoys reading and hiking.
Dr. James Moyer is an Associate Veterinarian at Rye Harrison Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Moyer earned his undergraduate degree at Saint Michael’s College in 2015 and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. Dr. Moyer completed an internship at Oradell Animal Hospital in 2020 and continued to work there in the Internal Medicine department before transitioning to Rye Harrison. Dr. Moyer’s areas of professional interest include cardiology and neurology.
Dr. Moyer has been in veterinary medicine for a long time, since both his grandfather was and his father is a veterinarian. Dr. Moyer began working in the veterinary field in 2008 as an assistant at his father’s practice. Inspired by his family, Dr. Moyer has loved animals since a young age and always knew he wanted to work in the veterinary field to interact with and help clients and their pets. Dr. Moyer was born and raised in Briarcliff Manor, NY and still resides in Westchester County with his wife, Danielle, their two children, Jimmy and Kennedy, and their orange, long haired Tabby named Annie. In his free time, Dr. Moyer enjoys spending time with his family, being outdoors, hiking, and fly fishing.
Courtney graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Psychology and minor in Marine Studies. After following a dream to Hawaii to work with dolphins, she moved back to the Northeast and began working with companion animals through animal shelters and the veterinary field. She has been with RHVH since 2011 working as a veterinary team member before her new role as hospital manager. She shares her home with her husband and their pit bull rescue Brisby.
Dr. Valerie Livingston was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida. She received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in 2007, where she majored in biology and minored in chemistry. She then attended veterinary school at Kansas State University, graduating with a DVM in 2012. After veterinary school, she completed a small animal rotating internship in medicine and surgery at Cornell University. Since finishing her internship in 2013, Dr. Livingston worked primarily in emergency medicine before joining Rye Harrison Veterinary Hospital in 2018. She is looking forward to transitioning to general practice and having the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with her patients and the people who love them.
Dr. Livingston recently moved to Harrison, NY with her husband Spencer, who is also a veterinarian, and a menagerie of pets, including dogs, cats, and fish. In her free time, Dr. Livingston enjoys hiking with her dogs, weightlifting, and reading.
Located off of Exit 19 on I-95 (New England Thruway) between Theodore Fremd Ave and Maple Ave.
Phone: 914-921-2000
If you are experiencing an emergency after hours, please call us at (914) 921-2000 and you will be directed to the veterinarian on call.
