JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Humane Society is celebrating the opening of its new hospital Wednesday.
"This is going to be an important piece in achieving the no-kill goal that the community set a few years ago," said Denise Deisler, executive director of the Humane Society.
It's been nearly five years since a fire swept through one of the Humane Society's buildings and veterinary office, where dogs, cats and exotic animals were housed. Nearly 100 animals died in the fire, and the loss was pegged at $1 million.
Since that devastation, donations have poured in in hopes of getting the animal shelter back to where it was.
Now, the Humane Society is showing off its new hospital that can provide surgery for four pets at a time and help about 60 animals a day.
"It's what I'm a veterinarian for. It's what we're here for. It's what we do to make animals well and to make them healthy, just be the best vets we can," hospital medical director Christian Broadhurst said.
The new hospital offers nothing but the best for its animals. It even has a heated surgical table.
"Anesthesia machines on all stations, drop oxygen from the ceiling," Broadhurst said.
"The facility just works well. It's easy to keep clean. It's very attractive to walk in, and it's just you don't feel like you're walking into a Humane Society," said Matt Welch, contractor for the new facility.
The hospital offers all low cost care to prevent pets from being homeless and to make it easier on the community to keep their furry friends healthy.
The money allotted for the hospital wasn't all used. The Humane Society got about $70,000 to $80,000 back, which it will put toward its next project -- a new adoption center.