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Animal Emergency and Pet Care Clinic of the High Celebrates Expansion of Vet Services in Boone

Holding the scissors, Debi and David Linzey, owners of the veterinarian clinics, perform the ceremonial ribbon cutting with staff on Wednesday. Photos by Ken Ketchie

By Jesse Wood

On Tuesday afternoon, Debi and David Linzey celebrated the grand opening of the Pet Care Clinic of the High Country and their expansion of veterinarian services on N.C. 105 in Boone.

Staff, officials and board members with the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and community members attended the ceremony yesterday. Vet staff gave visitors a tour of the new facility.

Located next door from where the Animal Emergency & Pet Care Clinic of the High Country has operated since 2011, the new facility will handle non-emergency scheduled appointments, such as vaccinations, spay/neuter, dentals and other non-emergency treatments.

The facility that’s been open for several years will continue to be the base for the 24/7 emergency operations. Both facilities can be accessed via two parking lots off of N.C. 105, which can park a combined 50 cars or so.

“I think the emergency clinic services a real niche in the area and I think it’s been established long enough and everyone associates us as an emergency clinic,” Linzey told High Country Press in April. “But the challenge for us and the reason we did this is to try to let people know we do offer non-emergency [services] and nobody gets that unless they are already clients.”

The new facility will also house Ridge Runner Pet Lodging, which will offer pet lodging and daycare services. While the company has offered pet boarding for medical situations in the past, David Linzey said they now have room to offer pet lodging to clients who are leaving town for the weekend, for example, or pet daycare for those who want to drop their dog off while they are away at work.

The new building is about 6,440 square feet in size. The second story of the building features a deck bridge that leads to about an acre of wooded land for the animals to roam free. Both the deck bridge and the wooded area are contained to keep the animals safe from the highway.

Inside, the dogs are separated by 28 “little rooms” or pods, and the cats will have their own space, dubbed the “cat condos,” that offers a view with perches from floor to ceiling. A deck bridge in the back leads to about an acre of wooded land for the animals to roam free. A tall fence will be installed to keep the animals contained and safe from the highway.

Enterline & Russell is the general contractor. Bill Dixon of Appalachian Architecture and Mike Trew of Municipal Engineering Services Company are listed in the project plans filed. The entire project, including site work, construction and the purchase of equipment and furnishings for the clinic, is estimated to cost $1.5 million, according to Linzey.

This expansion marks another notch of growth for the company. In 2005, the Linzey and his wife, Debi, established the Animal Emergency Clinic of the High Country, PLLC to provide after-hours emergency veterinary care. At that time, local vets operated on a rotational schedule causing a layer of confusion for pet owners in a moment of crisis.

In 2010, the company decided to add regular-business-hour routine care for clients under the current Animal Emergency & Pet Care Clinic of the High Country, PLLC, and then in 2011, the operation moved into its current home, the custom-built facility off of N.C. 105.

For more information, click here. 

Holding the scissors, Debi and David Linzey, owners of the veterinarian clinics, perform the ceremonial ribbon cutting with staff on Wednesday. Photos by Ken Ketchie
Holding the scissors, Debi and David Linzey, owners of the veterinarian clinics, perform the ceremonial ribbon cutting with staff on Wednesday. Photos by Ken Ketchie
Holding the scissors, Debi and David Linzey, owners of the veterinarian clinics, perform the ceremonial ribbon cutting with staff on Wednesday. Photos by Ken Ketchie
Here the dogs chill out as they wait for their owners or to see the vets.

Break room. David and Debi Lizney talk to community members that attended the ribbon cutting, such as David Still of RaysWeather.com on the right.
The lobby.
Here is where clients and their owners can relax while the vets talk about potential treatments.

Office staff at the front desk.

Pics of the outside of the building: