Dr. Dawn Senter was born and raised in Vienna, VA, a town about 20 minutes south of Washington, D.C. She knew from a very early age that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She was always that kid that was bringing home the sick bird for her mother to fix. Dr. Senter did her undergraduate work at Virginia Tech. She started out as an Animal and Poultry Science major, but after her first year or college, she decided to change her major. She graduated in December 2000 with a B.S. in Wildlife Sciences and then again in May 2001 with a B.S. in Fisheries Management. Dr. Senter spent the next two years finishing up her prerequisites (Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physics) so she could apply to vet school.

Dr. Senter went to Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, IA. After 4 long years in the Midwest, she decided it was much too cold for her there and moved her family to Arizona. She started her career with Banfield, The Pet Hospital, but quickly realized it wasn't going to be a good fit for her. Dr. Senter always knew that she wanted to own her own veterinary hospital where she could practice the type of medicine she was taught in vet school, so in January 2009, she started looking for a practice to purchase. Main Street Animal Hospital was for sale and she began negotiations to purchase it! In June 2009, Dawn and Lou Senter became practice owners. They decided they wanted Main Street Animal Hospital to have a fresh start with the new ownership, so they changed the name to Central Mesa Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Senter's family consists of mostly 4-legged and furry monsters. She shares her home with Lou, her husband, Debo, Loki, and Archie, the Doberman Pinschers, Otto, Monroe, Tate and One-Eyed Willy, the cats, and Clover, Red Eyes and Yellow Eyes, the Box Turtles. Suggestions for "real" names for Red and Yellow Eyes are always welcome.