An Oklahoma native, Dr. Burton grew up on a 100-acre, horse racing farm just south of Tulsa. In 2005, she graduated high school as Valedictorian & attended Oklahoma State University for undergrad, playing for OSU’s collegiate horse Polo Team. At the age of 18, she was historically accepted into OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine as one of the youngest people to ever be admitted in to Veterinary College. Throughout vet school, she was an active member of the graduate fraternity of Omega Tau Sigma, and participated in community service activities centered on volunteering and remodeling local animal shelters and humane societies.
After receiving her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2010, she pursued a Shelter Medicine & Surgery Internship at OSU. During this internship, she worked as a Shelter Veterinarian at the City of Tulsa Animal Welfare, becoming an expert in animal husbandry, infectious disease control, population medicine, and animal cruelty & forensic investigations. She also was involved with teaching Junior Surgery Programs at both Oklahoma State University and the University of Florida.
It was during this internship that Dr. Burton recognized the severe national pet overpopulation and euthanasia crisis, and the desperate need for action. To help reduce unnecessary euthanasia and control animal overpopulation, Dr. Burton became a Shelter Medicine & Surgery Resident for Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. There, she traveled with her team of veterinary students throughout the state of Mississippi teaching and performing high volume sterilization procedures for local animal shelters from 2011-2014.
Dr. Burton also has a passion for business, marketing, and economics. During the course of her 3-year Residency at Mississippi State University, she was accepted into the College of Business and simultaneously achieved her MBA.
After completion of her Residency, Dr. Burton relocated to the DC-Maryland-Virginia area to pursue opportunities in animal rescue. Now, she has partnered once again with animal shelters in Mississippi to help end the euthanasia crisis of adoptable puppies and kittens by founding the Northern Virginia based rescue transport organization: Wolf Trap Animal Rescue.
In order to facilitate transport, fostering, and other rescue efforts, Dr. Burton co-founded the Wolf Trap Animal Rescue with the help of coworker and friend, Jesse Marsh. The Wolf Trap Animal Rescue works to connect a collective, passionate team of animal rescue activists and volunteers with the mission to rescue, transport, and find homes for puppies and kittens at risk of disease and unnecessary euthanasia.