We're incredibly excited to announce that we have a new member of the AB team. She’s sleek, has all the bells and whistles, and is ready to take our team wherever they need to go!
Of course, we're talking about our new van!
Welcome to the Animal Balance fleet Atlas! I can’t wait to share all of the adventures that we have in store for our new girl, and there will be plenty of time for that. Alas, this acquisition is bittersweet, because a new van means the inevitable departure of our OG Dodge Grand Caravan, Stella Blue. Yeah, it breaks our hearts, but we knew that it was time to retire Stella when she started to show signs of protest in the mountains and on longer road trips. But wow, did we have a good run!
Over the course of 4 years and 50,000 miles, Stella Blue proved that she was the little van that could. She was instrumental in establishing our VetAid program and helping us reach the milestone number of 50,000 spay/neuter surgeries, which we are on target to hit THIS month! Stella carried our equipment and team across 7 states, 2 sovereign nations, and one trip down to Baja, Mexico.
She was more than just a van, and she pulled more than just the weight of our clinics. She was a part-time RV, cargo van, road trip warrior, and a regular at more than one hot spring. She knew her way around a hotel parking lot and a far West Texas highway. She almost never broke down…except that one time : )
I know that we shouldn’t be so attached to material things, and I know her mechanics were failing, but I’ll miss the energy and memories that that van holds.
I think about the excitement when we were able to buy her, to own something so big! I’ll miss the memory of those early days, trying to figure out how this program would work. I’ll fondly recall heading out into the literal Wild West to see how we could help save lives in areas that others weren’t able to reach.
Who would have guessed that the solution sat in a minivan?
So, thanks for the distance that you put in and thanks for keeping us moving forward, Stella Blue.
Stay tuned for some all-new adventures with “Atlas,” who is now ready and waiting to serve our clinics in New Mexico and Arizona, while our previous “new” van “Fairy” is back at home serving communities in Central and South Texas. We look forward to bringing our fleet on the road this summer and into fall. Keep an eye out for us, we’ll be the ones cruising I-10, scoping out roadside attractions, and bringing accessible and affordable vet care to a small town near you!
See you down the road!
Elsa Kohlbus
Animal Balance
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