By Matt Dowell
Ashley Maurer
The Broadway Veterinary Hospital on 12th and Denny, “the oldest veterinary clinic on Capitol Hill”, is turning 40 in human years and invites you to celebrate. Their open house party from 12 to 4 PM on Saturday, March 7th will feature raffles, snacks and beverages, tours of the clinic, and a chance to meet the staff behind this neighborhood business with notable longevity.
What does it take to survive this long in an ever-changing neighborhood?
Nine lives, of course.
The clinic, purchased in 2017 by WellHaven Pet Health — a national corporation of veterinary practices — is on its fourth.
“The first owner named it Broadway after ‘Broadway!’” said Dr. Angela Rawlings, waving jazz hands. “It’s confusing to every client that we’re not actually on Broadway.”
Rawlings has been Principal Doctor at BVH for all eight years since WellHaven took over from previous owner Greg McWilliams. CHS reported back then on McWilliams’ efforts to expand BVH into emergency and other advanced services. He bought the clinic from Sandy Coon in 2014 who took it over in 1994 following original owner Mike Desrosier’s passing.
But the WellHaven team, including Rawlings and practice manager Ashley Maurer, have settled on a more focused approach with a commitment to long-term care and relationships.
“Many of our clients are second- and third-generation families,” Maurer told CHS. There are a couple of holdovers from the original owners’ era.
“They’re on like pet number nineteen!” said Rawlings.
If you toured the clinic in the McWilliams era, you might have seen ferrets, rabbits, rodents, chickens, even goats. These days, it’s just cats and dogs.
Capitol Hill is ever so slightly a cat neighborhood by Rawlings’s estimation. It’s a 55/45 split between the kitties and the canines.
There are people in this neighborhood who dress up like cats, too. And not just for the Halloween Pet Parade, where BVH has a booth each year. The clinic turns that concept on its head with their lobby’s portrait collection that features cats dressed as humans.
Colonel Frank
A regal likeness of Colonel Frank hangs behind the front desk. Frank, of black fur and white whiskers, wears a uniform decorated with plenty of medals to keep his paws busy.
Frank once served under the esteemed General Mink. Mink, who passed away two years ago at the age of 23, was a black and white cat with a white face, a black heart on his nose, and a snaggletooth.
“He was one of our patients when I first got here,” said Rawlings. “We decided Mink outranked Frank because he was older.”
Rawlings keeps a picture of him in full uniform on her Google Drive.
“We turned him into a general and sent it to his family as a card, which they loved,” she laughed.
BVH provides a boarding service for cats, mostly limited to clients who’ve been around for a long time. Mink would come by for three week stints while his owners traveled in Europe and he became a favorite.
“He’d try to steal your food. He was in the office one time and our receptionist wasn’t paying attention and he grabbed her sandwich.”
Frank earned his stripes during the CHOP era, when he was taken in by a BVH technician. Rawlings said that it was an edgy time for pets of Capitol Hill.
“They were having anxiety because of noise and because their humans were having anxiety.”
“We had a couple of pets who had damage from tear gas, a lot of asthmatics who were flaring up, more respiratory and eye issues than usual.”
She divides her time at BVH into three eras: pre-CHOP, COVID, and post-COVID. She feels that the vibe in the neighborhood has changed in the latest era.
“There’s the people who have lived here for decades, they might be more northern Capitol Hill. Then a more transient population who comes through every 2-3 years, I think they’re the tech workers, then they ship off to Texas or California. Then you have a strong LGBTQ+ community.”
She mentioned a larger Asian-heritage cohort, too.
“It makes it a very diverse neighborhood.”
Rawlings said that it’s now more common for pet owners to be proactive rather than reactive parents. Many Capitol Hill residents in their twenties are putting all their energy into their pets and are asking for the “Lamborghini” version of service, even if it’s not strictly necessary.
“People are starting to see animals as a lot more than, I don’t know, animals?” added Maurer. “They need the same care as people do. We can catch things with preventative care.”
But that care costs more than it used to, not just at BVH.
“During COVID, the cost of gloves quadrupled, masks tripled, a lot of our expenses went way up and never really came back down,” said Rawlings.
Like any other small business in the neighborhood, BVH has had to figure out how to cover costs without pricing themselves out of the market.
Maurer said a receptionist “had a client on the phone and told them our exam price, which has gone up to $92. The guy was shocked, so he called around. But then he called back and scheduled for yesterday evening.”
“We do our best to be competitive. We want people to be able to take care of their pets.”
The 40th anniversary celebration has a Wizard of Oz theme: “40 Years on the Hill — No Place Like Home”. 40 is the Ruby Anniversary and this is Broadway with jazz hands after all.
Besides food and drinks, Maurer and staff will auction multiple raffle baskets valuing over $1,000 each. Some of the goodies include a six month coffee subscription from Caffe Vita, a portrait of your pet made by a local artist, a year of cat or dog dental care. Maurer says it’ll be a chance for neighbors to come in and explore the hospital and to get to know her team better. Each raffle basket will be supporting a local animal care organization like Pasado’s Safe Haven.
Working in animal care can be a roller coaster of emotions, but this celebration will be all ups and no downs.
“We’re happy the neighborhood knows we’re here,” said Dr. Rawlings. “We’re happy to help their family member. Their favorite family member, probably,” she laughed.
Broadway Veterinary Hospital is celebrating 40 years on Capitol Hill at 1824 12th Ave. Learn more at broadwayvh.com.
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