In just three short years, Capital Pet Urgent Care has outgrown its current space at 405 Black Hills Lane SW in Olympia. They recently issued a Notice of Land Use Application and Public Meeting for a brand-new facility at 4950 Harrison Avenue NW to serve current and future clients even better.
Capital Pet Urgent Care Opened to Fill Need in Community
Reflecting on their opening anniversary on May 15, the founding veterinarians – Jillian Blake, DVM, Linden Franz, DVM and Karen Dahl, DVM – say they saw a need in the area as we came out of COVID. “Coming through the coronavirus pandemic, when veterinary medicine was undergoing crisis level gaps in coverage, it became clear that general practitioners could not keep up with same-day appointment requests, and that the emergency veterinarians were getting flooded with urgent, but not emergent cases,” shares Jillian Blake, DVM, partner and veterinarian at Capital Pet Urgent Care.
Blake adds that privately-owned veterinary practices are fast disappearing, with many being bought by non-local corporations and private equity investors. This often results in operational decisions that do not directly benefit staff, patients or the clients, she explains.
“We felt strongly that there was an alternative path to increase transparency with clients, decrease staff burnout, and provide high-level care for patients,” Blake continues. “Our goal was to provide a space built on mutual respect for our staff and their skills, and the client and their needs. We decided to take a chance on starting our own practice, and have been absolutely humbled by the incredible team of people who have joined us along the way, as they are the foundation of everything we do.”
New Facility for Capital Pet Urgent Care
The founders were definitely right about the need – they have quickly run out of space at their current location. “Our growth speaks directly to the incredible need for urgent and emergency pet medicine in the greater Olympia area, and we quickly realized that if we wanted to help more families, then we needed a larger space to be able to accommodate them,” shares Blake.
Just a mile down the road, the new location is where Phyl’s Furniture used to be located. This time, they own the property, instead of leasing, and will be building a brand-new building to meet their current and future needs. They purchased the property February 2025.
The new Capital Pet Urgent Care building will be almost twice the size of their current location, going from 3,167 square feet to 6,146 square feet.
Plans for the new space centered on design and equipment that will directly benefit clients, patients and its care team. They include a second surgery suite, three additional exam rooms and a second comfort room for families having to say goodbye to their beloved pets.
“It will also feature a separate quiet ward for cats, so that they are less stressed from clinic noises, including barking dogs, during their stay with us,” adds Blake. “We are also excited for our administrative office to no longer be a storage closet with a desk in the corner!”
“We are hopeful that the new building will improve our client and patient experience from the moment they walk in the doors to a larger, more comfortable reception and waiting area,” she continues. “With more exam rooms, we will have the capacity to hire more veterinarians and staff, allowing us to say yes to more patients every day. This will decrease wait times for urgent appointments and reduce the amount of driving out of the area required to receive veterinary care.”
While there are no plans for them to become a 24-hour clinic at this time, the extra space will allow them to consider adding new services in the future, like endoscopy and rhinoscopy, which the South Sound region needs. “If the community’s need for urgent veterinary care continues to grow, we may be able to expand hours to better serve it,” shares Blake. “We are so excited to be able to dream big, and the first step is to have the elbow room to do it in!”
If their designs are approved late May 2026, they are hoping to be in their new space by summer 2027. “We are eager to watch the plans that we have worked so hard to create come to life!”
What is a Pet Urgent Care?
A new concept in the veterinary field, a pet urgent care is modeled after a human urgent care facility. It’s the place you go when you can’t make an appointment at your regular vet, or have an emergency that requires immediate attention. They do make appointments to help with wait time, but walk-ins are welcome and you may end up waiting a bit longer than you normally would, especially if an animal comes in that is ill or injured.
“We try to be very respectful of everyone’s time, but we see everything from ear infections and broken toenails to emergency surgeries and pets in respiratory distress, so sometimes the schedule can become challenging to juggle,” Blake explains. “Being an urgent care also means that we generally do not provide long-term or follow-up care, so you still need to have a relationship with a primary care practice for your pet’s preventative and chronic care needs. We are fully equipped to see emergency cases and can provide hospitalized care during the day, but all pets requiring overnight stays will have to transfer to a 24-hour hospital for their ongoing inpatient care. Our team fully believes that variety is the spice of life!”
To learn more, visit the Capital Pet Urgent Care website.
Capital Pet Urgent Care
405 Black Hills Lane SW, Suite G, Olympia (current home)
4950 Harrison Avenue NW (future home)
360.915.5900
