Treatment Room The treatment room is located behind the exam rooms at the new Boothbay Animal Hospital. An enthusiastic Lucy Cressey led one of the tours during the open house on Friday, Jan. 25. Approximately 100 "parents and patients" attended the event. (Photo Lisa Kristoff)

The new Boothbay Animal Hospital held its grand opening on Friday, January 25 much to the delight of the 100-plus parents and patients that attended.

It should be noted that this delight in no way compares to the staff's sheer happiness that was hard to overlook.

Lucy Cressey, who has been at the office for over 20 years, returned from vacation to the new office and said, "It's like waking up into a beautiful dream; really, I'm in heaven!"

"Dr. Dean (Domeyer) put years of thought into the design of this building and it shows. The flow, the working areas we have are perfect."

The needs of the office were exceeding the space of the old building 10 years ago; Domeyer began serious planning of the new digs five years ago.

He cites accessibility, eliminating stairs, more parking and better flow as primary considerations.

"We all knew what worked well at our Wiscasset office, Coastal Veterinary Care, and I involved the entire staff in the decision-making process," said Domeyer.

"Where they thought the surgery should be located, X-ray, food, medicines, etc. was important. The staff here is amazing; they do so much for me it felt good to be able to give something back to them."

The spacious entry/waiting room (one side for cats, one side for dogs) area is open, airy and inviting in relaxing, warm neutral colors.

The reception desk faces the entry with the check out desk behind. The four exam rooms, with sensor lighting, larger exam tables (to accommodate the larger dogs), and two entryways seem to form a dividing line halving the building.

There is a large treatment room with numerous kennels, large stainless steel sinks and tables - with electrical outlets for items like heating pads - for grooming, removing stitches, etc.

Cressey said the treatment area had been used that week to care for six of the recently rescued dogs that are at the Lincoln County Animal Shelter.

There is also a private room for pet owners to be with a dying beloved pet before and after euthanasia. The room also affords a pet owner to leave the premises by a side door rather than have to go through a busy waiting room.

"We all decided that it would be nice thing to do for the pets and their families, so they have a nice quiet place to grieve and say their goodbyes," Cressey said.

Larry Brown, wearing his Channel 7 hat and accompanied by his Sheltie, Finny, concurred, "Having been there, it is very hard, and what do you say to someone…and the expression on your face…it is a very good thing."

The surgery can accommodate three patients and the X-ray and dark room has been placed in an area just outside the surgery.

Dean's office will soon have a second desk for Drs. Woodbury and Berberich.

There is a boarding area for cats, a break room that will soon have a couch to allow the on-call vet to get some sleep; an enlarged pharmacy and laboratory, pet food storage area, two work stations located near a small resource area; a storage/utility area - that could later become an office; an isolation area for animals suffering from contagious conditions, and a dog kennel that will have an outdoor run accessible through the back door.

Tours were ongoing by the staff during the open house. Domeyer conducted a tour for a spot on our local cable access channel.

Attendees were duly impressed by the new facility and congratulated the obviously delighted staff. When asked what the number one feature of the new building was that they appreciated most the response was… parking! That's right, no more backing out into traffic for clients - or staff - a huge and dangerous issue at the former office.

And, speaking of that former office, owner James Wahlstrom, plans to put it on the market.

The Boothbay Animal Hospital: meeting the future in a functional, efficient manner and making a difference in lives of pets and pet owners the peninsula over.