Ketchikan’s first, and for many years the only veterinary clinic closed suddenly last week in a move that surprised both its clients and its employees.
Dr. Monica Mangis, who worked as the clinic’s veterinarian, says that employees received two days’ notice from the bank that they would have to close last Thursday.
Mangis says that employees knew the business was having financial trouble and would have to shut its doors at some point, but they didn’t realize it would happen so quickly.
“It was very short notice, and we really apologize for not being able to get word out ahead of time before all this went down. But again, we only had about two days’ worth of notice before the clinic was closed,” she said.
The clinic’s owner, William Finney, doesn’t live in Ketchikan. Mangis didn’t have a phone number for him, and he didn’t respond to an email asking for comment. Finney bought the clinic in early 2011, taking over from longtime local veterinarian Dan Walton. Walton had owned the business for 14 years.
Mangis says that pet medical records will be available as soon as the bank released the computers for that purpose.
“Records will be made available to anyone requesting them. I have access to the records, as the doctor from the clinic, and so anyone who requests the records within 30 days can get a copy,” she said.
The phone number listed for Ketchikan Veterinary Clinic sends callers to a voicemail that won’t be checked. Mangis says customers who want to get their pets’ records should call a new number, 247-6051.
Mangis says she plans to open her own clinic in a few months with her partner, Lorraine Johnson. In the meantime, Mangis says she is making house calls.
A second veterinary office, Island to Island, provided service on Prince of Wales Island and opened a Ketchikan clinic about a year ago.
