Open House

Thank you to everyone who joined us in our Open House celebration! We had so much fun showing everyone what all the fuss has been about this past year. We hope you're all as proud of it as we are.




We had a great turn-out, around 400 people.










A puppy for Dr. Ray!


















































Our door prizes came from many places, but a special thanks go to our mall partners: Thrifty Foods, for providing the bags, and Whatcom Wine and Spirits for providing the wine.


Design By Desire catering provided the food; Marcel and his servers took such good care of us and their food, well, it was simply spectacular, wasn't it?,

Welcome!

There are so many things we're proud of in our new facility. Let me show you a few highlights, starting with:

...our bright and sunny waiting area, complete with children's play area and coffee bar.



















...our state-of-the-art surgical suite, seen here from the prep-room pass-through. This window communicates directly between the room where all the supplies are sterilized and the surgery itself.






















...our ENORMOUS treatment room















...tempered-glass, stainless-steel, escape-proof dog runs, complete with in-floor heating

















... and cat condos with sleeping perches, and removable dividers in case two cats prefer to share a double room.

















We've still got a few finishing touches to put in place, but we're loving it so far. We look forward to sharing it with you!

WE'RE OPEN!

After a hectic week of moving, we're proud to announce that Ellwood Park Animal Hospital is officially open at our new location! Please drop by for a tour - we'd love to show you around!

I thought of posting photos of the actual move, but well, by the time we were settled enough to traipse around snapping memories, everyone just wanted to forget it. Here's one shot of the final week. Our builders did an amazing job, finishing up as quickly as they did.

If You Ever Wondered if The Matrix is Real...

... I think we found that big cord that plugs into the back of the neck. Ask Ray about his Morpheus outfit.

Relax... Forget the Spoon

Here is The One, standing in front of our Intensive Care/Surgical Recovery area. Flanking the empty cage area are the doctor's charting desks. Will it all come together in time?

Free your mind.

Anything is possible.

Patient Sun-Room

Human hospitals all have "sun-rooms" for ambulatory patients to sit with visitors; here's our version. The artificial turf allows dogs to feel like their romping on the lawn, and allows us to keep it clean. A fence and bench will be installed so owners can relax and visit and ... we're looking for a fire hydrant.

COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

16 DAYS until the big move. Will we be ready? Doesn't much matter. On the last weekend of September, Ellwood Park Animal Hospital packs up and moves across town. Lots to do between now and then, but it's looking good.

















Our treatment table has arrived, and it's enormous.














We're still awaiting our surgery lights, but the closed-circulation ventilation is installed. To better control sterility, our operating room has its own heating/ventilation/air conditioning system, separate from the rest of the hospital. Four vents aim down around the OR table, in a "curtain" so no air flows directly over the patient.


And here's the pharmacy, where we'll do our drugs.

Wait.

That doesn't sound right.

The Smell of Fresh Paint...

... is intoxicating, because it means we're one step closer!! And, it certainly beats the rich fertile aroma of the Sumas flats on "honey-wagon" day.

But I digress.




Take a look at our new colours!

Same Name, Fresh New Look

Our signage has been approved.




Here are the PDF mock-ups of what it will look like.

What do you think?

And... Then It Rained

Remember all that beautiful, fresh, exciting dry-wall in the last post? Remember that deluge of rain we had on Tuesday, you know, the only rain we've had all summer? Did I mention that we've got skylights in our reception area?










Yes, it seems someone didn't check the Farmer's Almanac before they left ALL TWELVE of our roof penetrations unsealed over the long weekend.





Here's the glass-half-full interpretation: for awhile, our staff room had a pool...











I hope there's another copy of these plans somewhere....

Picking Up Speed

Things are taking shape quickly now. Here, we're looking at the exam rooms. You can see the framed-up children's play area in the corner.




Below is our treatment room. The two windows you see on the left provide a view into the small-dog ward; the two on the right, into the large-dog ward. Dr. Ray is standing in the door to our cat ward. Every ward is clearly visible from the treatment room, allowing us to monitor patients at all times.






A slightly different view of the treatment room, this perspective features the location of our Intensive Care cages, where critical cases will be housed, as well as animals recovering from anesthesia. Once they've stabilized, they'll be transferred to the wards.

A Skeleton Takes Shape

It's starting to come together. We're working on getting our sign up on the brick frontage.








And YES, we are still Ellwood Park Animal Hospital, now located at....
















Here's the view from what will be our spacious surgical suite, complete with pass-through prep room.








I'm standing on the far right side of the clinic, in the retail area, looking towards the waiting room, where Dr. Ray and Cheryl look at flooring samples.



A few more views... I know, I know, right now it's just more 2x4s in different
arrangements.









Trust me, soon it'll look so cool you'll be as excited as we are! (Well, maybe not quite...)

We Have A Floor!

Things are going to start moving quickly now. I'm at a writers retreat on Salt Spring Island until Sunday, so I can't post a photo, but trust me, that swath of concrete is a sweet, sweet - and hard-won - sight. Ask Cheryl or Dr. Ray.

Stay tuned, readers.

Quiz!

Question: Why is this a better image?



Answer: Because Dr. Ray's car is in the foreground.

Question: What is the car's name?

Answer: Precious 2.0

Question: Is this for real?

Answer: Um... have you met Dr. Ray??

An upgraded visual tour...

Now that the scaffolding is down it's a little easier to visualize the finished product. The New Improved Ellwood Park Animal Hospital will encompass all three units, as seen in this photo. Upon entry through the main doors in the central brick portion, you will immediately be greeted -- by Margaret, yay! -- at the reception desk. After she checks you in, you'll proceed to the waiting area, on the left in the photo. This waiting area is partially divided, to provide visual separation for those pets with, ahem, space issues. Two examination rooms will open onto the waiting area. To the right of reception will be a third, larger consultation room for appointments requiring more time or privacy. Notice the secondary door on the right-hand side, allowing these clients the option of greater privacy when leaving, as well.

No more Drive-Thru Animal Hospital

One of the things we're most excited about at the new place is the increased number of parking spaces.

The parking directly in front of the building will be angle-in, making it easier to get in and out. It will also make it tougher to drive through our front window. Some of you will remember the three? four? more? times it happened to us in our current location before the posts went in. Good times. (Drive, reverse. Gas, brake. Left, right. It's a lot to remember.)



There's a spot for a bench right in front of our main window. Won't that be pretty? (Ah, c'mon, use your imagination...)


Here's Dr. Ray looking out through the front window.



Here's what he's looking at.(Imagine a pretty bench instead of the scrap lumber...)

Little bit by little bit...

... the exterior is taking shape. The brick facing is lovely, isn't it?

Floor Plan

For those of you who enjoy deciphering floor plans, take a look. The back wall running along the top of the drawing corresponds to the east side of the building, which backs directly onto the neighbouring townhouse community. The patch of grass on the top left is, you guessed it, our outdoor exercise area.



The reception area runs along the front - notice the beautiful, large curved desk - and the main waiting area will be on the left, near the examination rooms. It's got a divider, in case dog people and cat people want to sit apart. There's even a secondary waiting area on the right side, for those pets need a bit more space. The surgical suite is at the top right, patient wards and radiology along the back, isolation ward nearest the back door and the treatment room in the centre of it all.