Room And Board For Pet Owners

By ANGELA DELGADO, The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 20, 2008

EGYPT LAKE - For many pet owners, their furry companions are more than friends; they're family.

That's what Japanese akita Tesa Mari and border collie/Australian shepherd Kelli Boy are to Terry Buckley. Her dogs are her babies, and whenever they need her, she's there.

On occasion, Tesa Mari, 10, and Kelli Boy, 6, have been patients at Florida Veterinary Specialists, and on each of those occasions Buckley has been by their side.

Darryl Shaw, a hospital administrator, said he remembers her camping out in the lobby. Buckley said she has crawled into Tesa's cage to give her love and support.

"I have sat up all night with mine in the hospital," she said. "When people bring their pets to the hospital, they don't want to leave them."

Although Florida Veterinary Specialists, 3000 Busch Lake Blvd., is only about 15 minutes from her Seminole Heights home, those few minutes can seem like an eternity away from her loved ones.

This is why staff members at the veterinary hospital are proposing to build three guest cottages on the property to accommodate those who want to stay close to their pets. They will be studios and one-bedroom suites, with all the accommodations found in a hotel, Shaw said.

"I'm very pleased. I'm just thrilled to death that this is going to take place," Buckley said. "The very fact that you're there with them makes them feel better because they're hurting."

"They're no different from any member of your family that goes into a hospital," she said. "They're frightened. They're with strangers. This way with family close by, they can comfort them."

The cottages are a project five years in the making. After dealing with patients who have pets suffering from cancer and other diseases, the veterinary hospital staff members realized they needed to find a way to keep the families united. The cottages will be to pets and their owners what the Ronald McDonald House is to parents and their children.

Florida Veterinary Specialists, which opened in 1996, has a staff of 120 and cares for 24,000 patients each year, according to its Web site. The hospital has a cancer treatment center and has opened facilities in Brandon and Clearwater.

The first cottage is named Frankie's House after Candy and Eddie DeBartolo's greyhound, Frankie, who died of bone cancer when she was 10. Their daughters, Lisa, Tiffanie and Nikki, donated $125,000 to build the home. The daughters' dad is known for a development company that has built malls across the country. He also once was owner of the San Francisco 49ers.

"Frankie was the sweetest, nicest dog ever," Lisa DeBartolo said. "She was actually my dad's favorite daughter."

The DeBartolo siblings' donation was a birthday present for their parents, who both turned 60 this year.

"I thought, what is a better gift than something that could honor their dog," said Lisa DeBartolo, 38.

The hospital's vacant parcel is zoned solely for residential use, but Florida Veterinary Specialists is interested in building a combination of clinic space and guest cottages, Shaw said. The proposal will be heard in the Zoning Hearing Master hearing in spring.

"It's a wonderful idea," Lisa DeBartolo said. "I know that anybody that has to bring in an animal and sit in a waiting room, it's so impersonal."

Those interested in donating money to Frankie's Friends, the veterinary hospital's charitable foundation, should call Cari Sadler at (813) 933-8944 Tuesday through Friday.

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.