Even pets are getting valet service these days. VCA Veterinary Specialists pet hospital on 18th and Alabama streets recently started a valet parking service to help its clientele deal with congestion in the area.

“It was getting really tough for our clients to park in the neighborhood,” said Hospital Manager Judith Goodman, who hired Soirée Valet Parking Service, Inc., in February to park cars in a nearby garage on behalf of clients. “The situation was becoming oppressive.”

“As the neighborhood’s been growing, there’s more businesses, more people living in the neighborhood,” said Goodman.

The 24-hour, multi-specialty pet hospital has departments of cardiology, dermatology and neurology, among others. It receives between 70 and 100 patients on busy days, said Goodman.

The hospital operates a garage for its clients just around the corner, but “that’s a long distance for a large dog coming in for orthopedic surgery,” said Goodman.

Goodman said clients have been very grateful for the service, which will definitely continue.