Pawing Around The San Francisco Pet Hospital

Pawing Around The San Francisco Pet HospitalPhotos: Stephen Jackson / Hoodline
Stephen Jackson
Published on May 23, 2014
Just up from the corner of Fulton and Divisadero, you’ll find the oldest pet hospital in San Francisco. Fulton Pet Hospital was erected in 1905, survived the earthquake, and opened as the San Francisco Dog Hospital in 1906. 

After that, the space saw several different owners, most notably M.A. Northrup, a vet and a world-renowned professional wrestler who ran the place from 1935 until 1977. The hospital then lay dormant for four years, until Dr. Lee Morris re-opened its doors in 1981. 

33 years later, Dr. Morris is still head honcho at the hospital and working hard as ever. We caught up with Dr. Morris and hospital manager Jennifer Tacy (also a veterinarian technician), to take a look around and, er, vet the place once and for all.

 
According to Jennifer, the San Francisco Pet Hospital is a full-service animal hospital with the complete range of equipment and facilities needed for all your pet-care needs.
 
“We’re pretty much full-function in terms of what we can do here,” said Tracy during our tour of the facility. “We have two ultrasound machines. We have endoscopes, both rigid ones used to scope ears and noses and flexible ones to look in the stomach. These are nice because they’re less invasive. If a dog eats a foreign object, I can potentially retrieve it without cutting them open. We also have a digital X-ray and an in-house laboratory so we can get test results within 30 minutes right here. It’s much more helpful than having to wait a day or two.”


 
Additionally, the hospital has a state-of-the-art surgery room, several private examination rooms, and the full spectrum of medications required for an animal in need. Their kennel area even has heated floors and special narrow bars that prevent dogs from chewing on them and hurting their mouths.
 
The place itself is about 3,800 square feet and is housed under the original roof built in 1905. However, Dr. Morris made major renovations when he took over in ’81. At the time, the whole place was just one open floor plan, and Dr. Morris chopped it up into multiple operating and examination rooms.
 
Dr. Morris told us that the previous owner was a bit of an eccentric, and although his hospital lacked an X-ray machine at the time he moved in, there did remain a large walk-in meat freezer in which he hung the enormous slabs of beef he used to make his own dog food on-site. 
 
Originally from Chicago, Dr. Morris went to veterinary school at CSU Fort Collins. When asked why he became a vet, he replied, “I like to fix things. I went to engineering school before vet school. There was a veterinary school across the street. Engineering was boring so I went to check them out and that was the end of that.”


Vets Dr. Hunter (left) and Dr. Morris (right). Photo: San Francisco Pet Hospital)

It’s clear that Dr. Morris and the entire staff, including the other full-time vets Dr. Leyba and Dr. Hunter, are dedicated to their goal of running an effective, efficient and client-friendly facility. As we neared the end of the tour, Dr. Morris told us what he felt was most important about being a good animal hospital.
 
“When I was a kid and we’d take our dog to the vet, they never told us anything. Today, my main focus is education. We’re trying to educate people, whether it’s visiting doctors, staff members, or clients. People want to why we’re doing what we’re doing what they’re doing and why the pet is getting what they’re getting.”
 
But ultimately, it’s really about the pets. Just ask Fred: he’s a loyal customer.