Once he decided to get the project under way, Dr. Pullen designed the floor plan himself. "I had the design in my head," he
says. "I knew what I wanted from working and visiting other hospitals." He worked nights for six weeks to get the plan drawn
and then he hired an architect to design a site plan. And he was fortunate to have found a piece of land that fit the floor
plan perfectly. The result, with some fine-tuning, was a center hub containing surgery and treatment areas surrounded by ancillary
services. 
Photos by Al Payne, A.F.
Payne Photographic Inc. and Jessica Castillon.
|
Feline boarding: Each condo is equipped with a patented active ventilation system constructed entirely of PVC, including the
fans, to eliminate all odors in this area. Fresh air enters the condo through ventilation holes in the front door and is actively
exhausted through the condo and then outside with several exchanges per hour. If a condo is soiled, it's cleaned immediately.
A full-time team member exclusively handles all the housekeeping and laundry duties. In order to further prevent odor, no
paper products are used for cleaning, only white towels, blankets, or artificial sheepskins are used. Photo by Stephen M.
Pullen.
|
Matching expectations During the building process, there were times when Dr. Pullen wondered what he had gotten himself into. His project was delayed
for a year because of subcontractors' errors: Fountains were installed in the wrong place, trusses had to be re-engineered,
and so on. He says he was up at 4 a.m. every day for three years, e-mailing his contractor. But thanks to a responsive and
dedicated contractor, developer, and architect, these problems were overcome, resulting in a building that was precisely what
Dr. Pullen wanted. 
A look at the numbers: Animal Medical & Surgical Center. Photo by Stephen M. Pullen.
|
Exam room: The hospital has six exam rooms. The two larger ones are used for large-breed dogs. Each room is equipped with
a networked, wall-mounted computer and video screen, which gives the team access to medical records, radiographs, or video
showing clients the inside of the pet's mouth or ear canal. Exam tables were rounded to eliminate sharp corners. Photo by
Jessica Castillon.
|
|
Featuring Information from:
