This month is Grace Park Animal Hospital’s 10-year anniversary! We’d like to celebrate our anniversary with you, because it is all of you–our team, our clients, and our patients–who’ve made Grace Park Animal Hospital what it is today.
Grace Park Animal Hospital opened its doors on November 24, 2008, bringing Morrisville, NC its first full-service animal hospital. It didn’t take long for word to spread that we were open and ready for business. We saw a whopping six appointments our first week. Our very first appointment was with a sweet, blind cat named Kiwi.
We celebrated our grand opening and ribbon cutting on December 4, 2008.
In 2008, we ran our days with one doctor and two assistants. It’s hard to believe we have 29 staff members today!
When we opened, Dr. Strunck was practicing full-time, and we were thankful to have Dr. Elisa Sumakeris practicing with us part-time. Dr. Sumakeris brought not only her professional expertise to the practice, but also gave Dr. Strunck much-needed relief and time off each week.
In 2011, we added therapeutic laser therapy to the hospital’s pain-relief package to help our patients heal faster.
In 2012, we welcomed Dr. Jennifer Traficanti to the team. Fresh out of vet school, Dr. T hit the ground running and hasn’t looked back since.
It was also in 2012 that we introduced our Preventive Health Plans to clients, making wellness care more affordable by offering convenient monthly payments.
The addition of laparoscopic procedures in 2014 enabled us to make many procedures, such as spays and exploratory surgeries, less invasive, which decreases both pain and recovery time for our patients.
In July 2015, we rebranded the hospital to our current name: Grace Park Animal Hospital. We got a fresh new look, thanks to Dr. Strunck’s daughter, Ella, who helped design our new logo.
Our growth has continued over the years, and in 2016, Dr. Ruth West joined our team as a part-time Associate Veterinarian.
Our mission from the beginning has been to help the animals in our community. Over the last 10 years, Grace Park Animal Hospital has partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) on numerous rescue operations; we have assisted local rescue organizations with hospital services and funding; and we’ve welcomed good Samaritans who showed up on our doorstep with lost or injured pets, including, most recently, a truck driver who found a kitten in the parking lot of a local fast food restaurant.
Although many things have changed over the past decade, one thing remains the same:
We will always be here for you, our Grace Park Animal Hospital family!
To our team, thank you for working alongside us and making Grace Park Animal Hospital the amazing practice it is. We could not do it without you!
To our clients, thank you for entrusting us with the care of your pets. We’ve been with you through the good times and the sad times. Thank you for being valued members of our Grace Park Animal Hospital family.
And, most importantly, to our patients. It is an honor to care for each and every one of you from the successes we have making sure you’re off to a good start; to keeping you healthy through the years; helping heal you when you’re sick or injured; and ultimately, easing your passage at the end of life. Your furry faces make our jobs worthwhile.
Thanks to you all! Here’s to another 10 years of…
