Meet Our Veterinary Team

Dr. Nicole Stanclift

Dr. Nicole Stanclift was born in Redlands, California, and spent her school-aged years in Lake Arrowhead. Dr. Nicole enjoyed growing up close to nature and shared her family home with many pets over the years. She attended California State University San Bernardino, where she earned her Bachelors of Science in pre-medical biology and participated in the honors program. After college, she volunteered with wildlife in Costa Rica and worked as a veterinary assistant at her local veterinary hospital. Dr. Nicole attended veterinary school at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and spent all four years of her degree there. She rotated through large and small animal clinics and gravitated toward her courses in clinical communication and peer helping. Upon completing her degree, she and her husband moved back to Southern California to enjoy some sorely missed sunshine.

Dr. Nicole worked as a small animal general practitioner for many years while also working as a mobile palliative care and home euthanasia veterinarian in San Diego county. Dr. Nicole found that her work in mobile end-of-life care was very rewarding, and the families she helped were so grateful for the service that she began working full time in the field. In 2019 Dr. Nicole had to say goodbye to her own beloved pet (Murphy) and experienced firsthand how relieving it was to be in the comfort of home when saying goodbye. After having her second child, the pull to be closer to family became overwhelming, and Dr. Nicole and her family decided to move back to the area they had always considered “home.” Dr. Nicole knew she had to continue her calling to serve families in their homes and support them through the process of end-of-life care. Dr. Nicole is honored and humbled to now offer her services to families in the Inland Empire.

Dr. Fabiola Ramirez

Dr. Ramirez was born in Los Angeles and has lived in the Inland Empire for the past 20 years. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. She overcame the challenges of getting into veterinary school by working hard to gain experience in the field at a young age. In high school, she enjoyed volunteering at her local animal shelter. She completed her undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Science) in Animal Science from Cal Poly Pomona while she worked as a veterinary assistant. She then got her veterinary degree (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. She has been practicing small animal medicine since 2013. She enjoys working with pets and their parents, helping them navigate the benefits and challenges the Human-Animal bond can bring. She has completed a certificate of training from the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy for Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarians (CPEV). She still practices small animal medicine at Calimesa Veterinary Clinic once weekly.

In her free time, Dr. Ramirez enjoys spending time with her family (her daughter and husband), her two dogs, Lily and Twix, and her cat, Coco. She also enjoys traveling, baking, and trying new foods.

Today, Dr. Ramirez is honored to join Serene Passages to help families through one of the most difficult times of owning a pet and is committed to providing them with a compassionate end-of-life care experience.

Dr. Scott Creswell

Dr. Scott Creswell was born in Lake Arrowhead, California, where he currently resides. He had an active childhood full of sports and many days spent outdoors exploring the woodlands of Lake Arrowhead, where he still enjoys roaming with his family. He also spent most of his childhood summers working at his father’s veterinary hospital. This exposed him at an early age to the world of veterinary medicine and to the wide spectrum of circumstances that comes with caring for beloved pets. As a young adult he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and started his own journey to becoming a veterinarian.

Dr. Scott attended California State University of San Bernardino, where he earned his Bachelors of Science in pre-medical Biology. After he received his undergraduate degree, Dr. Scott attended veterinary school at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Upon completion of his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, he accepted a position as a small animal practitioner at his father’s hospital in Rialto, California, where he has practiced for over 8 years.

Being a person who has always had pets in his home, as a son of a veterinarian, and a veterinarian himself, Dr. Scott has experienced end of life care in many different roles and settings. It wasn’t until he and his wife had to unexpectedly say goodbye to their first pet (Chloie), that changed his perspective on end of life care. Dr. Scott, alongside his wife and two other dogs, was able to relieve Chloie’s suffering peacefully in their home. The relief and comfort Dr. Scott felt those sorrowful moments resulted in a newfound appreciation for home euthanasias. Since that experience, Dr.Scott has made home euthanasias a possibility for cherished pets of his closest family and friends. Now he is honored and humbled to be able to support and serve other families in their homes with end of life care for their cherished pets.

Don LaBella

Don was born, grew up, and attended college in upstate New York where he met his spouse. Together they lived in New York City, Boston, Cleveland and Princeton, New Jersey before moving to the west coast in 1998. After living in Seattle and Ashland, Oregon they moved to Palm Springs in 2021. Don and Glenn now spend time between their home in the Coachella Valley and cabin in Idyllwild.

In December of 2021 Don met Dr. Nicole when Cora, their 15 year old Schnauzer mix was at her end of life. He felt such a connection to Dr. Nicole when she performed Cora’s euthanizing that he came out of retirement to work with her. He is now the Office Manager for Serene Passages. He finds that the time he spends helping a pet owner make one of the most difficult decisions of their life is very rewarding. And since he was in the same situation recently he feels he can easily relate to what these owners are going through.

It goes without saying that Don has been an animal lover all his life. Before Cora, he and Glenn owned a Schipperke and several cats (all rescues) and have just recently adopted a 3 year old rescue. Benjamin (seen in the photo with Don) has boundless energy and keeps everyone in the family in good shape especially on walks in Idyllwild.

He would like to assure owners who are going through the grieving process after losing a beloved pet that in time they will heal and be ready to bring another animal into their lives as he has.

Joy Fields

Joy’s lifelong love for animals began with Suzie, a spirited toy poodle who was her constant companion for 15 years. Growing up in Santa Maria, CA, their bond sparked a passion for pet care and advocacy that would shape her future.

Though her academic journey led Joy to Long Beach, where she earned an associate degree in multimedia, her heart always remained with animals. She found ways to merge her creative skills with her true calling, dedicating her career to nonprofit work with the Humane Society, service dog training programs, and local rescues. Whether volunteering at shelters or lending her expertise to animal welfare organizations, Joy’s mission has always been to improve the lives of pets in need.

Over the years, she developed a special devotion to senior pets, shaped by her experience as a pet sitter and caregiver. Her understanding of the challenges and joys of caring for aging animals became deeply personal with her miniature schnauzer, Kingsley. Despite his struggles with seizures and kidney disease, Kingsley lived to be 16, a testament to the love and devotion Joy poured into his care. Saying goodbye to him at home was a profound experience—one that reaffirmed her belief in the importance of peaceful, compassionate end-of-life care. Now, as a Pet Loss Care Coordinator at Serene Passages, Joy is honored to walk alongside families as they navigate one of the most tender and difficult moments of pet ownership. With warmth and empathy, she strives to make the euthanasia process less overwhelming, offering support and comfort to grieving pet parents.

Outside of her work, Joy finds enjoyment in creative hobbies, from reading fantasy novels and building Lego sets to pin trading. She currently resides between Redlands and Wildomar, CA, with her two Cornish Rex cats, Pepper and Keeley, who keep her entertained with their playful antics.