New Veterinary Practice Opens To Serve Ballston's Pet Parents

BALLSTON, VA — Heart + Paw, which bills itself as "pet care reimagined," is opening its 15th location Saturday in Ballston Quarter. This will be the first D.C.-area location for the veterinary practice that was founded in the Philadelphia area.

"The whole idea of Heart + Paw was designed around the modern pet parent," said George Melillo, Heart + Paw co-founder and chief veterinary officer. "More and more, people are owning pets like they're members of their families."

When Heart + Paw was first launched, the founders noticed that millennials were putting off having children, according to Melillo. Instead, they were owning pets at a younger age than their parents and were treating their pet like a first child.

"We realized that people of all generations are owning pets much differently and they have become members of their family," he said. "With COVID-19, as people were asked to distance from other people, they gravitated to more animals, spending more time with their animal."

The idea for Heart + Paw was to put as many pet-care services under one roof led by the person pet owners trusted the most, their veterinarian. In addition to being a general veterinary practice, the Ballston Quarter location will offer day-care and grooming.

"It's also not the typical experience, because it is that sense of treating your pet like your family, " Melillo said. "So, you'll see our style salon with tiles in it. It almost looks like a spa setting. Also, we embrace a low-stress handling concept. The animal is not being picked up and being put in a stainless steel tub. It's almost like a walk-up with safe gripping so they feel secure."

Heart + Paw's play area also allows pets to be divided up into groups based on their style of play and not their size.

"A young Lab might be comfortable playing with a young Jack Russell Terrier, where an older German Shepherd might better with an older poodle," Melillo said. "With that concept, it's just looking at things differently."

Heart + Paw's grand opening starts at 11 a.m., on Saturday. Visitors will be able to meet Dr. Noon Kampani, the partner doctor at Ballston Quarter, and Julia Rosenbluth, the center's director. People can also signup online to take a tour of the facility. The first 100 people to book an appointment will not only receive a $50 credit to use for future services, they'll receive a second $50 credit if they refer Heart + Paw to a friend.

Saturday's festivities will include a photo booth, where pet parents can get their photograph taken with their leashed animal. There will also be swag bags with treats and gift cards to local restaurants. A grand-prize winner will receive a Heart + Paw Prevention Plan for the pet, which is worth $500.

A DJ will provide music to set the mood for people to meet other pet parents. Visitors are asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing at the center.