Vet clinic owners vow to reopen

LITCHFIELD — A day after the Toll Gate Veterinary Clinic abruptly shut its doors, its owners are promising they will reopen the practice as soon as they can.

Owners Jennifer and Matthew Coons made the difficult decision to close the clinic Monday after realizing they would no longer be able to pay their employees, according to attorney Larry Andrea of Norwalk.

Speaking through Andrea, the Coons said they were devastated by the decision, but that they are doing everything they can to reopen as soon as possible.

On Monday, veterinary technician Melissa Simonelli notified The Register Citizen that the clinic was locked up tight and that customers arriving for appointments, and staff members arriving for work had no idea what had happened.

Andrea said Simonelli and the staff were told in advance that the clinic was closing.

“(Simonelli) knew all about it,” Andrea said, speaking on behalf of the owners. “It wasn’t a surprise.”

Toll Gate Veterinary Clinic is part of the Coons’ business that also includes Tail Waggers of Litchfield, a boarding kennel and pet day care housed in a barn on the Route 202 property near the Torrington-Litchfield line. The kennel, run by manager Alyssa Larson, remains open and was serving customers and taking care of a number of dogs Monday. The kennel is not closing, Andrea said.

“Since Alyssa Larson came on board to run the kennel, there has been a complete turnaround and it’s doing very well,” he said. “It’s been a great success and our hope is that it will continue to do so.”

The veterinary practice is another story, Andrea said. The Coons took over the practice in 2015 and made a great start, but during the last year, financial difficulties led to its closing, the attorney said. The Coons family has also been dealing with a sick child.

“A year after they took on the practice, their son was diagnosed with severe disabilities, and after exhausting all possibilities of helping him here in Connecticut, they found a facility in South Carolina and brought him there,” Andrea said. “Jennifer hired two veterinarians to run the Toll Gate clinic, and her costs increased because of that. They have exhausted their life savings trying to keep it open. The clinic was so expensive to run that it started to fail.”

As soon as the couple gets a better financial footing, they will reopen the clinic, Andrea said.

“Jen is a smart, tough, good woman, and she is so devasted by this that she has barely been able to talk about it,” the attorney said. “They didn’t want to close, but they felt they didn’t have a choice. They didn’t want their people working without being paid.”

Customers who need their pet’s records or prescriptions can call the clinic at 860-361-6464. All calls will be returned, Andrea said.

Tail Waggers boarding and doggie day care can be reached at 860-489-8838.

Emily M. Olson / Hearst Connecticut Media Tail Waggers kennel and dog day care is open, while the Toll Gate Veterinary Clinic closed down Monday.

Emily M. Olson / Hearst Connecticut Media Toll Gate Animal Clinic, which is located at Tail Waggers kennel and pet day care in Litchfield, closed on Monday. The kennel and dog day care is still open, and the owners say the clinic will reopen soon.