With the status of the coronavirus (COVID-19) changing rapidly, the Roanoke Valley SPCA is taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Roanoke Valley community while still upholding our duty to care for the animals at our shelter and the members of the community that need us. Please read below to see temporary changes and closures to our everyday services and operations. All changes are currently valid as outlined below.
On Monday, May 4th, Governor Northam extended Executive Order 53 through May 14th and announced a plan to reopen Virginia’s businesses in a three phased approach. Phase I would allow for a tentative reopening of business on Friday, May 15th with certain social distancing requirements. The Governor has promised to provide the guidelines for reopening over the next few days. The Roanoke Valley SPCA will continue to monitor the recommendations and develop appropriate protocols in line with those recommendations.
When we reopen, we will reopen “Mask Friendly” and with certain restrictions on admission to the facility. We encourage you to visit our Facebook page and this webpage for the latest updates on how our operations are impacted by COVID-19.
Be assured that we are monitoring the situation closely and following the recommendations from the CDC, WHO and AVMA. The health and well-being of the animals in our care, our staff and the communities we serve are always our top priority. Infection prevention is something we practice every day at Roanoke Valley SPCA to keep the animals safe, so we already have many best practices ingrained in our culture.
Adoptions
Enjoy our personalized matchmaking service! Give us a call at the shelter and let us know what you’re looking for in your new family member. We’ll find the perfect match and set up an appointment for you. If it’s love at first site, the adoption fee is waived.
Temporarily, all adoptions will be done by appointment only. To reduce the amount of contact our staff has with the public so that we can ensure continuous care of the animals in our facility, we ask that no more than two family members from the same household come to the appointment.
If you are interested in adopting an animal from Roanoke Valley SPCA we ask that you visit our Adoption page. We will do our best to keep the Adoption Gallery up to date with pictures and information on the pets available for adoption. There is a link to the application on each animal’s profile. Applications should be downloaded, completed and emailed or faxed to the Roanoke Valley SPCA at 540-342-6730.
Applications will be used only to help streamline appointments and minimize exposure between members of the community. We will continue our practice of open adoptions and will not be instituting interviews or home-visits.
If you have concerns or questions about specific animals, their behavior or their adaptability with other pets in your home, please visit their profiles on our website, or email our adoption team.
Fostering
Current Roanoke Valley SPCA fosters, please reach out to our Intake, Foster, and Enrichment Coordinators with any questions or concerns.
Katie Nichols | knichols@rvspca.org | 540-339-9505
Carrie Maness | cmaness@rvspca.org | 540-339-9508
For foster emergencies and after hours, follow instructions in your foster paperwork.
Volunteers
The rapid evolution of the news regarding COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) has left a lot of uncertainty in its wake, but we want to assure all of our volunteers that the Roanoke Valley SPCA has a plan in place to ensure continuous animal care.
Like so many organizations, we rely on you our generous volunteers who give their time and talent on a daily basis. However, to ensure the long-term safety of our staff and ultimately the care of the animals in our facility, we are moving to a strict no volunteers or volunteer orientations at the facility until April 13th. At that time, we will evaluate the situation in our community and make adjustments as necessary.
Please know that our staff and animals are grateful to you for your ongoing support and concern. If you have any questions, contact Ruth Pierce.
Humane Education
With children at home, our Humane Education programs will no longer visit schools until classes resume. Our commitment to children and Humane Education continues. We will start a new program for children through Facebook. Starting Tuesday, 3/24/20 our Humane Education staff will present humane lessons, based on the Standards of Learning, to children weekly. Tuesday at 10 am will be designed for grades K-3 and Thursday at 1 pm for grades 4-6. Watch our Facebook page for more information or contact Erin Dams.
Crisis Intervention Services
With our ever changing world with COVID-19, the Roanoke Valley SPCA remains committed to assisting families in need. The following programs are here to help in the case of emergencies.
Owner Surrenders
Recognizing that as the virus spreads, there may be an increased need for us to assist community members who may be hospitalized due to illness. At this time, we are limiting our intakes to prior animals and emergency situations only. If you have an intake emergency, please contact our Intake, Foster & Enrichment Coordinators.
Cats/Kittens contact Katie by email or call 540-339-9505.
Dog/Puppies contact Alexabelle by email or call 540-339-9508.
Pets Eat Too Program
Food assistance for families in financial crisis is still available by appointment. To receive assistance, please contact the front office at 540-339-9247 to make an appointment. We will continue to support our local partners food pantry’s who also provide pet food to families in need. P.E.T Program Information
C.A.Re Fund
The Roanoke Valley SPCA assists families in financial crisis with extraordinary vet bills. Contact Ruth by email or call 540-339-9506 for assistance. C.A.Re Fund Information
Transitional Foster Program
The Roanoke Valley SPCA recognizes that the financial situation in our community may change and individuals may need to move or experience temporary homelessness. During this time of transition, the Transitional Foster Program may be able to foster pets so that they are returned to their families when they are back on their feet again. This program also provides temporary fostering during times of hospitalization, domestic violence, and more. To learn more, contact our Programs Manager, Ruth Pierce at (540) 339-9506.
Pet Deposit Assistance
To combat the cost of moving for many families who may have to downsize at this time, the Roanoke Valley SPCA offers pet deposit assistance. Depending on income of the individual, assistance can vary from partial to full coverage. To learn more, contact our Programs Manager, Ruth Pierce at (540) 339-9506.