GEORGETOWN, Del. — A proposal for a 24/7 veterinary hospital specializing in emergency and surgical care for pets was presented to the Town Council on Monday night. CoastTV spoke with local pet owners on Tuesday, all of whom agreed that such a facility is urgently needed.
Kaitlin Richards, who regularly takes her dog Zeke to the dog park in Millsboro, expressed concerns about the lack of emergency veterinary services in the area.
“I actually lost a cat because we didn’t have any access to local emergency services in the middle of the night, and we had to put them down due to it,” Richards shared.
Dr. Daphne Clendaniel aims to prevent such tragedies by proposing a veterinary hospital in one of three buildings at the Georgetown Professional/Medical Center on Old Laurel Road.
“I love my dog as my child too, so I would like to see one be a lot closer in case something were to happen,” said Lauren Pratt, a resident of Georgetown.
SPG Development, LLC, seeks to amend a conditional use approval granted in June 2022 to include the veterinary facility within the approved building location of the Site Plan.
“The area is booming,” noted Carolyn Barki of Millville. “It’s no one’s fault that we’re kind of outgrowing our capacity here, but we just have more people than services.”
The proposed hospital would feature soundproofing materials to minimize noise and include a fenced area for recovering dogs to relieve themselves.
“Definitely an animal hospital needs to be here,” said Mary Beth Murray of Bethany Beach. “As much as Beebe is growing for humans, we need to grow for our pets.”
Mayor Bill West reported that the proposal was received positively and will remain on the record for two weeks before a vote at a future meeting.
“This gives people in Sussex County, not only Georgetown, but the people in Sussex County somewhere to go,” stated Mayor West.
The project plans and history of approvals are available on Monday night’s Town Council agenda.
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