A foundation started by a former University of Guelph football coach and his wife is gifting $1.5 million to the Ontario Veterinary College.

The donation will have “far-reaching impacts for both pets and pet owners,” college dean Jeff Wichtel said in a press release, specifically by creating a new unit in the school dedicated to anesthesia and pain management.

That, school officials say, will allow the college to create space for anesthesia, surgery preparation and post-op care for the 1,000 or so animals who undergo surgery there each year.

The money, which was announced Thursday, comes from the Angel Gabriel Foundation, which was started by Stu and Kim Lang.

In 2012, the Langs donated $1.5 million to the college for the purchase of a linear accelerator – the only one used to provide radiation cancer therapy to animals in Canada.