Summer Vacation Plans? What about the pets?

If you saw our Pet Talk segment on WDBJ7 this week, you’ll know that we spoke about how to choose what’s best for pets when we humans go on vacation and can’t take them with us. We wanted to elaborate a bit since this is such an important topic. We know it can be worrisome to leave your pets, especially for an extended period of time. But luckily, there are a variety of great options […]

A Cat Trapper’s Best Friend!

Have you ever wondered how our Community Cat Crew volunteers “target” one specific cat when they are humanely trapping? Or what if you have a cat who is already spayed that keeps going for your bait? Sometimes, you might even be trying to cat a momma cat and her kittens together. What happens in these situations where the ‘traditional’ humane trap isn’t a good option? We bring out something special: the drop trap! The drop […]

Valentine for Venus

In Roman mythology, Venus is the goddess of love, but this Venus is looking to find a love of her own! Venus arrived at our shelter a few weeks ago from the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center in Ohio. She and several other dogs were part of a cruelty case in New Mexico. You can read more about that unfortunate situation here.   Venus was a little nervous when she first arrived at our shelter, but […]

Help the Roanoke Valley SPCA Win $10,000!

You can help us win $10,000 and all we need from you is ONE vote! That’s it! Visit: https://www.nationalrescuedogday.com/rescue-the-rescues Scroll to the bottom of the page Vote for the Roanoke Valley SPCA! We’re one of only TEN organizations in the challenge! You do NOT have to enter your email address or sign up for anything. It’s SO simple and will make a HUGE difference in the lives of pets here in our community! Thanks to @tailsthatteach, […]

Polly and Cupid Tie the Leash!

We know that tails are wagging and feet are tapping in anticipation of today’s big event. Today is the day when pawfectly precious couple Polly and Cupid say, “I woof you!” We invite you to join the wedding event of the season featuring a variety of Roanoke Valley SPCA alumni and animal ambassadors along with a few more furbulous friends celebrating love at Charter Hall at the City Market Building, downtown Roanoke’s premier event space. […]

We’re So Thankful For You!

At this time of Thanksgiving celebration, we wish you the happiness of good friends, the joy of a happy family, and the wonder of the holiday season. ​​​​​​​Have a memorable Thanksgiving! Please note that the Roanoke Valley SPCA will be closed on Thursday, November 25, and will reopen on Friday, November 26 at 12:00PM. With kind regards, Denise Hayes Chief Executive Officer P.S. Giving Tuesday is November 30, and we hope you will join us […]

ASPCA Transport Dogs

These dogs are pretty special.   Smooch, Cupcake, and Tamona all came from a very unfortunate situation that included a total of about 90 dogs living in one single-wide dilapidated trailer. These dogs were severely undersocialized, so they were brought to the ASPCA’s Behavioral Rehabilitation Center to be socialized. While there, they learn everything from learning to go up and down stairs, how to interact with people, touch exercises, riding in a car, and lots of […]

Birds, and Bears, and Bidding, Oh My!

Here at the Roanoke Valley SPCA we know a lot about dogs and cats and helping these pets and their owners.   But we are not experts in wildlife and do not have the ability to respond to wildlife emergencies.  However, we are so lucky to have the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in our Community.    If you aren’t familiar with them, the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit.  They […]

The Scoop on Black Cats and Halloween

Shelters like ours are sometimes criticized for adopting black cats out around Halloween, but the truth is that there really isn’t any proof that black cats are more in danger at this time than any other time, or that they are more in danger than any other cat color. Adoptions of black cats or any other cats is a good thing! Cats deserve to be in loving homes and black cats are sometimes overlooked for […]

Sweet, but never spooky!

Happy Halloween to you! We know that the shelter is a great place to find your new boo, but we think EVERYONE should know how great shelter pets are! That’s why we created these printable Halloween cards! There are four to a page, so you can print them, cut them out, and pass them out to all of your trick-or-treaters to share the joy of pet adoption! Download the printable PDF file here!

Cats of Many Colors

Cats come in a variety of colors, patterns, and coat lengths, and we love them all!

SHELTER ANIMALS COUNT: 2020 ANIMAL SHELTERING STATISTICS

Shelter Animals Count is the trusted source for collecting and sharing credible and accessible data to positively impact animals and communities. The Roanoke Valley SPCA tracks a wide variety of data and sends that information to the Shelter Animals Count. This data allows us to analyze the current state of sheltering, and explore ways to contribute to the advancement of animal welfare moving forward. It is important to our organization that we are using best […]

The Highs and Lows of Kitten Season

We love kittens. They’re playful, curious, and so much fun! But as cute as they are, shelters like ours are inundated with cats and kittens each year during kitten season. Typically kitten season used to last only through the warm summer months. Now kitten season is beginning earlier and lasting longer than previous years. We’re receiving calls multiple times every day asking us to take in cats and kittens from community members. We know it’s […]

Queen Khloe

Khloe began her stay with us in February of this year. When she first arrived at our shelter, she was a little shocked at the change of environment and did not appreciate being confined to a kennel without the ability to roam freely. After a month of being in our care, she still didn’t allow our staff to handle her and so we decided to place her in a quieter space in the shelter in […]

Fourth of July Safety Tips

We want to ensure that pets stay safe and healthy during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. According to the ASPCA, 1 in 5 pets goes missing after being scared by loud noises and firework displays can be seriously distressing for pets. Local public animal shelters often receive an influx of stray pets during the Independence Day holiday weekend as animals are scared and run off due to the loud noises from firework displays. We […]

The Pet Return Rate Myth

Many of you may have heard news reports about adopters returning shelter pets in record numbers.  And while this may be happening in some select communities, it is not a nationwide trend and it is not something we are seeing here at the Roanoke Valley SPCA.   This issue has recently risen to such a level that both the ASPCA and Best Friends conducted a national poll of the general public on the topic of […]

What does “Foster to Adopt” Mean?

At the Roanoke Valley SPCA, we take pride in the amount of care and support we provide to our pets. The shelter, despite all of our best efforts, is a scary place for a lot of animals. Most of the dogs coming through the shelter are able to adjust their circumstances and are adopted to great homes quickly. However, there are some that end up needing an extra bit of support. This does not mean […]

Feline Fosters Wanted!

Kitten season is upon us and we’re looking for fosters! We need folks willing to foster a variety of situations for our feline friends including: Pregnant cats Mother cats with multiple kittens in the litter Sickly kittens who need extra care Litters of kittens who haven’t made weight requirements for spay/neuter surgery It is very rare that we receive a litter with only one or two kittens, so we’re really needing folks willing to foster […]

Pet Proofing Your Home

Check out the Redfin article we were featured in: “Adopting a Shelter Pet: Expert Advice to Prepare Your Home for Your New Furry Friend” Adopting a shelter pet is an exciting and fulfilling experience. Not only will you be helping an animal in need of a loving home, you’ll be gaining a new family member. However, it’s important to pet-proof your home, get their space set up with the essentials, and do a little research […]

Unexpected Delivery

If you subscribe to our newsletter, you know that we recently had an unexpected, but pleasant delivery! A transport from another local facility containing a very pregnant dog arrived at our shelter. This girl had been picked up as a stray and no one had come to claim her. We were able to arrange a foster family for her, so she was brought to us. As the transporter took our staff around the back of […]