20 THE NEW BARKER 
www.TheNewBarker.com
realitysoundbites.
On March 28, Pet Alliance of Orlando hosted the grand opening of 
their beautiful new shelter. The brand new 25,000 square foot building 
includes a modern shelter with air conditioning for dogs and cats, dou-
ble the medical space to care for ill or injured animals with a state-of-
the-art veterinary clinic – the largest shelter medical unit in Florida. In 
addition, the new Orlando shelter has a disease specific quarantine space 
for dogs and cats. 
      In 2021, a fire destroyed the original building on Conroy Road in 
Orlando, killing at least 12 cats. All of the dogs and cats were relocated 
to the shelter’s Sanford campus. Construction on the new building 
began in 2024 with an ETA set for February 2026.  
      The community rallied to raise $15 million dollars for the Almost 
Home Capital Campaign to build the new shelter. Donors  like Connie 
and Mark Gellner (pictured left) of Stanley Steemer were a big part of the 
campaign, even hosting a fundraising event for the campaign’s final push 
in November 2025. The Gellner family legacy lives on through the 
Connie & Mark Gellner Kennels and the Stanley Steemer name graces 
the shelter’s laundry. The shelter’s multi-purpose meeting room is 
named after the Gellner Family.  
      As we were heading to press with this edition of The New Barker, 
the Almost Home capital campaign was less than $200,000 away from 
meeting its goal of $15 million.
Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando 
4311 South John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL 
407.351.7722 – www.PetAllianceOrlando.org 
Facebook and Instagram @PetAlliance
Almost Home Is 
Almost There
When Time Is 
Of the Essence
Earlier this year, the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood 
Ranch (VMC) partnered with Tampa General Hospital, 
AeroMed, East Manatee County Fire Rescue and the Manatee 
County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to successfully complete 
Florida’s first-ever helicopter transport simulation for a critically 
injured law enforcement K9. The high-intensity exercise fea-
tured a simulated line-of-duty canine traumatic injury, and 
began with emergency stabilization by the MCSO handler in 
the field. The drill continued with the dispatch of AeroMed 
One, a helicopter rescue team based at Tampa General Hospital. 
During transport to VMC, critical care was provided by the 
AeroMed flight crew. East Manatee County Fire Rescue 
coordinated the helicopter landing zone operations. 
      Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch is one of 
only four Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society-cer-
tified facilities in Florida and the region’s only Level III-certified 
facility. The other three facilities in Florida are Doral Centre 
Animal Hospital in Doral, LeadER Animal Specialty Hospital 
in Cooper City, and the University of Florida Small Animal 
Hospital in Gainesville, the only Level I Critical Care Society-
certified facility in Florida. 
      In 2021, Florida passed into law Senate Bill 388 to support 
law enforcement K9s injured in the line of duty. The bill author-
izes the use of emergency service vehicles for transporting 
police K9s to a veterinary clinic. It also allows emergency 
medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics to provide 
emergency medical care to an injured police K9 at the scene of 
an emergency or while the K9 is being transported.
(Above):Connie and Mark Gellner, owners of the number one 
Stanley Steemer Franchise in the Southeast, are longtime 
supporters and donors of Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando.
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