The new Birmingham Animal Hospital + Resort

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF X

Creating a Community for Pets

There’s a new animal hot spot in town, and your canines and felines may never want to leave

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE

It’s been nearly two years in the works for Dr. Claire Woodall Bellman and Michaela Wright, but this month, Birmingham Animal Hospital + Resort finally opens its doors. “We left no stone unturned in our effort to create a first-class experience for our clients,” says Michaela, the hospital’s practice manager. “We asked ourselves what we would want for our own pets, and we spent about a year-and-a-half designing the hospital-resort.”

Though both women are Birmingham natives, from Mountain Brook, they didn’t attend school together—Michaela graduated from Auburn with a degree in HR management, and Claire attended the Royal Vet College in London—or even meet each other until 2018, when Dr.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Bellman came to work at a clinic where Michaela was the front office supervisor.

Claire and Michaela had both worked at privately and corporately owned vet clinics, and—once acquainted—the future business partners realized they each had a passion for the unique qualities a privately owned clinic offers. “Our main goal with Birmingham Animal Hospital + Resort (BAHR) is being part of the community,” says Michaela. “We love our patients and their owners and want them to be a part of our family that we have grown here.” The women agree that creating their own hospital has allowed them to do things their way, with an emphasis on quality veterinary care, fair pricing, and personal connections.

“Animals deserve a medical and resort experience with the same high expectations their owners have for themselves, and that’s the environment we’ve created here at BAHR,” says Michaela. “Our resort is completely indoors, so our dogs can play no matter the weather. We also have an indoor pool with fountains for the dogs to play in.”

During the 18 months Claire and Michaela took to brainstorm BAHR, they incorporated thoughtful design that includes “fear-free” protocols. “Not only does this represent the care your animals receive, but it is also built into the very architecture of our facility,” Michaela explains. “Examples include separate dog and cat entrances, as well as a color scheme designed to put pets at ease. Cats have a separate hospital ward from dogs and a separate boarding area and exam room. When it comes to compassionate care, we do everything in the room, with the client, in order to create a stress-free environment for the patient.”

Even more importantly than aesthetics, BAHR is a one-stop shop, offering VIP and regular boarding, daycare, critical care, dental care with radiographs, diagnostics, digital radiology, grooming, hospice and euthanasia, microchipping, orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, pain management, preventive care, spay/ neuter, ultrasonography, urgent care, vaccinations, and wellness exams.

“On top of that, we have hand-picked our staff and truly found some of the best of the best,” says Michaela. There are currently 12 staff members at the clinic, with plans to grow quickly once operations are in full swing this month.

“BAHR is one of a kind,” she says. “We have spent our lives devoted to animals—not just our own, but also our extended pet family through years of working in the industry—and now we can offer

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

2022

Thursday, October 6

5-8pm

Rain date Thursday, October 13 $50

$45 (Aldridge Gardens members) Children 12 and under FREE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

quality care and cultivate personal relationships within our new, state-of-the-art facility. We love animals, we love our community, and we are raising the “BAHR” for veterinary medicine and Birmingham pets.”

Birmingham Animal Hospital + Resort is located at 2316 1st Avenue South, Birmingham 35233. For more information or to request an appointment, visit birminghamanimalhospital.com, or call (205) 406-6710.

We aren’t just your dental team...we’re family.

589A Shades Crest Rd • Hoover • (205) 822-7277 • kaseydavisdentistry.com