CULLMAN – On Highway 31, there is a house that has been a home and place of business to establishments like the Candle Garden for many years. Recently, however, new ownership has transformed this beautiful building into a sanctuary for the pets of Cullman by Compton’s Veterinary Hospital.
Compton’s has been a trusted name in the business of animal healthcare since 1954. Dr. Compton served the Cullman area for decades before retiring in 1990. Since then, his business and legacy has carried on, and is now under the ownership of Dr. Rebecca Durham who purchased the practice in 2010.
With the expansion of Cullman Shopping Center, the old location of Compton’s was no longer an option. Durham and her team knew that they needed to find a new and more permanent home. Luckily, they found that home in quick order, and have transformed the house on the hill off Highway 31 into a haven.
“We did not own the other place we just leased,” Durham said. “So we had to find a place quickly, and I grew up here so I have always seen this house and thought it was an attractive location. It just worked out really well that it needed to be bought when we really needed a place.”
Upon driving up, you are greeted with beautiful flowers and landscaping surrounding the entrance. Stepping inside, you see the finished product of months of hard work that paid off. The ambience of the waiting area is one of warmth and relaxation; with soft lighting and beautiful portraiture. An added waiting area allows for separation of well and sick animals Durham says.
“We added this area on for extra seating space, and it also allows us to separate an animal that might be sick or contagious,” she said.
In addition, an old closet in the extra waiting area was transformed into a shadow box case, which houses a lot of the history from Dr. Compton’s old equipment and personal items.
“There was also an old closet in this room that we have turned into a shadow box to display things from Dr. Compton. We even have his original veterinary license from 1948,” said Durham.
The house was a lot of work for the staff being completely renovated and decorated by them and their spouses.
“Our [the staff’s] husband’s did all of the renovations,” said Durham. “And then we also did all of the painting and decorating. We knew what we wanted to do with it.”
Every exam room is clean and orderly, but homey, and quite the opposite of the usual cold clinical look. Beautiful artwork donated by clients decorates the rooms and hallway, and gives the area a more personable atmosphere.
Another great new feature of the bigger space is the additional boarding that Compton’s is now able to provide, along with grooming, and one unexpected feature that no other vet’s office in the area offers.
“We have separate boarding for our cats and dogs,” “It’s nice to own this place so that we can do whatever we need to. Like with our boarding, we want to make an outside play area. We also are able to provide a drive-thru pharmacy window so that you can just drive up, ring the bell and get your medications.”
With time, patience, love and a real devotion to their clientele, Compton’s has truly made their new home a wonderful place for any pet. Their continued efforts to offer every patient top notch care has truly shown through in the love put into every aspect of the building.
“We are just happy that our facilities are up to par with our goal of providing compassionate care.”
For more information, you can visit them on Facebook, their website at www.comptonsvet.com, or simply give them a call at 256-734-9488.
