It’s amazing to think that just 2 short years ago we were a fledgling veterinary hospital taking the plunge into DTLA waters.  Fast forward to July 2015 and you will find a bustling 4 doctor practice in the Historic Core at 333 S Spring St.  It really does feel like home here.  We see our patients and clients walk past our bay windows during their daily constitutionals.  Many stop in for a treat, some jump on the scale for a weight check and others just drop in for a chat and a belly scratch.  In a community where nearly one third of our clientele walk to us, it really feels like we are the neighborhood vet.

Dr Flores and I started out as a house-call practice for DTLA in 2012.  We pounded the pavement always with our black box of equipment in tow.  That box saw many repairs and permutations and we still haven’t been able to actually part with it.  We got to know many of DTLA’s residential buildings very well.  That weird elevator in the Higgin’s Loft.  The security guard who got to know us by name at the Skyline.  That rare time of day when all the parking spots are in the shade  at e11even.  And never passing up an Urth run when visiting the Barker Block.  The streets were our office.

We were the receptionist, the technician and the vet at all times.  Some of you who were house-call clients may remember our very first employee, Lisa.  What a god send she was!  Coming to us direct from restaurant management in Brooklyn, Lisa began answering the phones for us.  Her amazing work ethic and thoughtful client service skills were a welcome addition to our partnership.  Having never worked in an animal hospital before, her veterinary learning curve was a steep but fast one!  She has flourished and so have we - we now have 17 employees!

Dr Flores and I have always been very clear about our mission: to deliver the highest quality veterinary services to the people and pets of downtown Los Angeles with compassion and respect.  I walked into the treatment room the other day and felt like we have really made that mission manifest.  The work room was humming with all the right sounds: beeps from the vital monitor, the compressor on the dental unit, the ding of the x-ray machine.  I took a moment to breathe in the bustling and felt so satisfied.  Later that day I shared my thought with Dr Flores who replied, “Yep, just like it was always supposed to be!”  And while I will always look back with fond nostalgia on the days when my good friend Dr Flores and I hustled around the streets of DTLA, our hospital really does feel like home now.  ….A home where we are grateful and honored to serve you and your pets.

My friend and I at the 2013 DTLAvets Christmas Party

The day of our Grand Opening, July 1, 2013, with Councilman Jose Huizar and esteemed guests