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WARWICK
01/08/2004
Lifebeats feature
By CHRIS VAN TIENHOVEN
Do pets deserve the best? Do they need their teeth
cleaned? Chad Callanan thinks so, and soon area residents
will be able to give their pets treatment worthy of
the Mayo Clinic. Reportedly, Callanan has spent $2 million
to bring it all to Warwick.
The Rhode Island Animal Medical Center-Four Paws Pet
Resort, Inc. is a state-of-the-art animal hospital and
kennel. Many of the services it will offer could be
also found at a hospital for humans. Even if the pets
are boarding and not availing themselves of the medical
facilities, they can enjoy a luxurious stay in “suites”
designed to look like the White House and the Taj Mahal.
The pets will sleep on bedding, which is laundered daily.
It is just like a real hotel for these lucky pets, except
for the lack of room service.
For the pet lover, the Rhode Island Animal Medical
Center will represent the pinnacle of comfort and quality
care. Highlights of the facility include the newest
digital x-ray system, which many human hospitals do
not even have, three tables for dentistry, a pet daycare
service and acupuncture if someone is looking for an
alternative cure for their pets’ ailments.
Callanan is the owner of the center and his family
has been caring for pets since 1928, when Chad’s
grandfather, P.J. Callanan, opened the Brighton Animal
Hospital. The family business now includes the soon-to-open
Rhode Island Medical Center, the Brighton Animal Hospital
and the Union Square Veterinary Clinic in Somerville.
Chad’s father, Kevin, is a veterinarian and will
work in the new Warwick facility, while brother Neil
and sister Monica both work at the hospital in Brighton.
Chad Callanan currently lives in Massachusetts but
is moving to Warwick in the next three months, to be
closer to the new facility.
Before he began working in the family business, Callanan
served as U.S. naval officer for 13 years. Callanan
worked in naval intelligence and completed three combat
tours in the Persian Gulf.
With this facility, Callanan said he is looking to
provide a level of veterinary care that has not yet
been seen in Rhode Island. To this end the new facility
is divided into four areas: the hospital and boarding
facility, a retail area and a crematorium.
The hospital boasts a digital x-ray machine, the first
of its kind in Rhode Island. The machine takes the x-ray
and in six seconds a doctor is able to look at the image
on a nearby computer. The hospital will also feature
two surgical suites and an ultrasound clinic, so the
hospital will be capable of providing the best diagnostic
care available.
The hospital will also be equipped with three tables
for dentistry, something of great interest to Callanan.
He said that dental problems could lead to heart disease
and other chronic health problems in animals.
“Think if you were walking around with a toothache
for two years and you could not tell anybody about it.
That is pretty painful for the animal and can lead to
other more serious problems. If we provide dental services
for animals we can help to reduce chronic health problems
and lengthen the lives of people’s pets,”
Callanan said.
The boarding area is divided into canine and feline
boarding facilities. The feline boarding facility is
totally separate from the canine facility so the dogs
do not upset the cats.
The canine boarding facility will have cages that
are typically found in kennels, but the highlight of
the boarding area will be the canine suites. Callanan
said the suites would attempt to replicate the home
environment for the dog. The suites are five by nine
feet, and will be decorated to look like well-known
landmarks.
“The boarding industry is stuck in the 18th
century as far as I am concerned. Most kennels are noisy,
smelly and unclean. These factors add to the stress
of the pet’s experience. We are trying to change
that by having a cleaner, safer and more comfortable
environment for the animals,” Callanan said.
A two-way mirror will allow people to view the boarding
facility without upsetting the animals.
The medical center and boarding facility will employ
about 25 full- and part-time staff. Once his client
base expands, Callanan hopes to have someone working
at the boarding facility 24 hours a day. He also hopes
to have a pet daycare service for pet owners in the
Warwick area.
The Rhode Island Animal Medical Center is located
in the Salvatore Building, which Callanan acquired in
August of 2002. The building had been vacant for the
past 10 years since the Avanti automotive group moved
out. Callanan chose the Warwick Avenue site because
of its proximity to the airport and to other major cities.
“This is a highly visible location and is perfect
for our purposes. We are right across the street from
Shaw’s, and the families that shop there are the
kind of people we are looking to attract,” Callanan
said last Friday.
William Facente, Warwick’s Economic Development
Director, said that the Rhode Island Medical Center
was approximately a $2 million investment.
“The north end of Warwick has had difficulty
attracting larger businesses. With Herff-Jones and the
Rhode Island Animal Medical Center, the area, economically,
is coming back. This investment is taking an underutilized
commercial building and making it productive again,”
Facente said Monday.
The hospital and boarding facility will open for business
on the 26th of this month. An outdoor exercise area
will be fenced in the spring, and the crematorium will
not open for another year.
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