CONTACT: Greg Waldbaum, CEO, Firehouse Animal Health Centers, 303-962-4885; Jed Rogers, Chief Medical Officer, Firehouse Animal Health Centers, 303-962-4884; Amy Lemon, Vice President Marketing, 303-962-4882;
Firehouse Animal Health Centers to open new Littleton pet hospital in May
Littleton facility is first new construction in Firehouse master plan
to create a regional group of animal hospitals
Littleton -- Firehouse Animal Health Centers went to the dogs when canines helped a group of business people break ground on a $2 million pet health center in Littleton as part of a major metro-area expansion.
The new facility at 12255 W. Bowles Ave., is the first in a series of pet health centers that Denver-based Firehouse Animal Health Centers plans to build as part of its master plan to create a regional group of animal hospitals.
The Denver-based company, headed by Greg Waldbaum, chief executive officer, and Dr. Jed Rogers, chief medical officer, plans to open six to eight Firehouse Animal Health Centers in Colorado within five years.
At 6,000 square feet, the Littleton facility will be Firehouse's biggest facility to date and will include landscaped open space for walking dogs.
"We're excited to bring the Firehouse model to Ken Caryl," said Waldbaum. "We expect to open our doors at Firehouse Ken Caryl in May 2007 and from the moment a client walks into facility, they will immediately know they're not in a typical clinic but a high-end setting where they can relax comfortably while waiting for their pets."
The new Ken Caryl facility replaces the former Willowbrook Animal Hospital which Firehouse acquired in July 2005 and operates as Firehouse Animal Health Center Ken Caryl. That facility will remain open during construction.
The building was designed by Rhadius Design, and will be built by CMC Construction, both Denver-based companies.
Among creature comforts for humans, the new facility will have a 42-inch plasma TV, high-speed wireless Internet access and complimentary beverages and snacks for adults, children and pets, even collapsible drinking bowls for pets to ensure they don't share germs.
"Firehouse services also take veterinary medicine to a new level," said Rogers, noting that a Certified Veterinary Technician greets each client and inputs pet patient information and other key details into a paperless records system.
Digital dental exams using state-of-the-art equipment that was initially designed for people are completed in a dedicated dental suite to ensure sanitary, comfortable anesthetizing of pet patients for teeth cleanings and extractions, said Rogers.
"The facility also has a high-tech surgical suite and we're introducing fully-digital radiography," said Rogers. "Our extended services include following up with clients who have been referred to specialists to ensure they're receiving the quality of care they expect and the detailed information they require."
Firehouse also has a Client Rewards Program in which clients receive $5 for every $250 spent during each visit. This reward will be deducted from client's bills or donated to the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance. Seventy percent of clients choose to donate their share to animal charities. Other rewards benefits include discounts on future products and services both in an outside the hospital.