::: COMMUNITY NEWS

Dr. Peter J. Sisson began operating his veterinary business in Murieta Plaza in 1994.

Vet's office relocates from Murieta Plaza

Published Sunday, February 25, 2007

Saturday was Murieta Animal Hospital's last day at its location in the Plaza, but it seemed much like any other day as veterinarian Peter J. Sisson examined patients with names like Sapphire and Pumpkin and Big Kitty, and hurried to meet the laboratory's noon deadline for submitting an ailing pet's blood work.

Sisson declined to talk about relocating his business, saying it was a busy and stressful time. A letter on the front door of the business offered an explanation and farewell. Under the heading "exciting news from Murieta Animal Hospital," Sisson wrote, "The ownership of Murieta Animal Hospital and The Doctor's Inn Boarding Kennel have decided to merge forces and move the hospital to the boarding kennel site. … We have appreciated serving the Rancho Murieta area for the last 13 years and hope that our patrons will follow us down the road seven miles to our new location."

An update at the bottom of the letter identified Saturday as Murieta Animal Hospital's final day at the Plaza location. The new offices on Jackson Road at Grantline Road will open March 5, the letter says.

In recent weeks, clients received the usual e-mail and postcard reminders about their pets' vaccinations, but there was no announcement about the community's only veterinary facility leaving.

According to the Murieta Animal Hospital web site, Sisson moved to Rancho Murieta in 1991 after earning his doctor of veterinary medicine degree at UC Davis and purchased the business in 1994. In 2002, he and his wife, Lynn, opened the boarding kennel on Jackson Road.

During the years at the Plaza location, Sisson and his staff made Murieta Animal Hospital a community asset. Cards, thank-you notes and pet photos were as much a part of the decor as charming cartoon murals of cats and dogs. Generations of Murieta pets were transported in cars and golf carts to be inoculated, examined, treated and groomed.

When Chuck the cat, a Plaza mascot, was hit by a car in the parking lot, it was Sisson and his staff who repaired the feline's shattered hip. When Security recovered a lost parrot, it ended up at Murieta Animal Hospital until it was claimed.

And fliers advertising lost or homeless animals shared space in the front windows with notices about vaccinating pets against rattlesnake bites and protecting against heart worm.

The location has served older clients who depend on golf carts to get around, and many Murieta clients have enjoyed the convenience of combining vet care with running errands at the Plaza.

The kennel property has acreage for expansion and the location provides more potential customers.

Sisson's letter notes, "Our goal is to continue providing excellent veterinary medical services to pet owners in Rancho Murieta, Wilton, Sheldon, and Rancho Cordova/Douglas-Sunrise, in a setting that is central to these areas and which allows our continued growth."