(Westville, IN) - A new veterinary clinic is coming to Westville this spring.  Ground has been broken on Hero Pet, a 5,400-square-foot animal hospital.

Dr. Lisa Booth is thrilled to expand her practice in western La Porte County. "I've been practicing for 20 years now," she says, "I've worked at the North Central Veterinary Emergency Center in Westville, I've done some work in clinics in La Porte and in the Valpo area.  But now I'm transitioning to my own practice."  Booth is also the medical director at Lakeshore PAWS, an animal rescue in Valparaiso.

Booth’s husband Ryan, runs the business side of the operation.  He says the clinic is part of Westville’s Economic Revitalization Area, which is making the project possible.  "Establishing the Revitalization Area is all about growth for areas that haven't seen any new business in some time," he says.  A ten-year tax abatement was a key incentive.  "And that makes it more affordable for us to do a ground-up business of this nature.  Instead of renting a storefront and grow from there," he says, "we're starting much bigger than we would have otherwise."

The new clinic should open in the spring.  It’s located on 421, just north of Westville’s downtown