BLACKSBURG, Va. – The new partnership between Virginia Tech and the Roanoke Valley SPCA aims to improve animals’ adoption success while giving students the opportunity to gain hands-on learning experience.
Denise Hayes, CEO of the Roanoke Valley SPCA, emphasized the benefits of this partnership: “A lot of us in animal welfare didn’t have the opportunity for hands-on learning when we were in school. Now, with this initiative, the next generation of animal welfare professionals will be much more prepared and skilled.”
The collaboration is led by Megan Arant, an animal behavior and welfare expert. Arant will split her time both at Virginia Tech and the shelter. The partnership will bridge the gap between education and real-world scenarios helping animals in the shelter.
The initiative is designed to benefit both students and shelter animals. Arant explained that the program provides animals with increased enrichment and socialization, potentially making them more adoptable. At the same time, students gain crucial skills in animal handling and training.
“They are getting increased enrichment, increased socialization, and potentially developing skills that will make them more adoptable,” Arant said. “For the students, they are learning critical handling skills and becoming better trainers through their engagement in this setting.”
“I’m excited to help bridge the gap between classroom and experiential learning. Students will learn critical handling and behavioral skills and the shelter animals will benefit greatly from these interactions,” Megan Arant, companion animal project and research coordinator, said.
Arant will lead classes focused on improving shelter animals’ behavior by working with the animals on positive behavior interventions.
“Animal shelters nationwide are currently overflowing, and our communities aren’t immune to the increasing demand,” said Roanoke Valley SPCA Chief Executive Officer Denise Hayes.
“Too often, pets are surrendered or experience a delayed adoption due to fixable behavioral challenges. Not addressing those challenges often results in a prolonged shelter stay, which can worsen anxiety and resulting behaviors. We are thrilled to partner with Virginia Tech to break this cycle, improving the well-being of our local pets, sharing findings with peers, and establishing cutting-edge best practices to improve shelter animal well-being across the country,” Hayes said.
Virginia Tech students involved in the program, such as Yhakira Gray, a master’s student, are excited about the opportunity. “The students, myself, Yasmine, and Grace, are here to hone our skills in animal training and help wherever we can,” Gray said.
This partnership represents a significant step toward addressing the challenge of overflowing shelters and ensuring that more animals find their forever homes.