The Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA has announced the development of an in-house veterinary center, scheduled to open this spring. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
The SPCA is renovating a classroom trailer donated by Broadway High School to house the veterinary center. The shelter previously partnered with Anicira Veterinary Center for spay-neuter services, which ended in December. RHSPCA Executive Director Huck Nawaz said their plans for in-house veterinary services have been in the works since 2023.
HUCK NAWAZ: The Veterinary Care Center is there to primarily provide services for the animals in care at the SPCA, first and foremost. So it will provide spay-neuter services and other surgical procedures as well as physical exams … provide spay-neuter services for outdoor cats … and then later on this year, work towards keeping families together by providing veterinary care for pets that are at risk for surrender or abandonment.
He said they've already hired a primary veterinarian, and plan to hire two full-time and two part-time support staff.
NAWAZ: More progressive organizations, the large organizations if you will, have had veterinary services in-house for 10-plus years in Virginia, some even much longer than that. … For the animals that come into our care, it means that they'll have faster access to veterinary services, since they'll be in-house. And it's going to shorten shelter stays and get more animals ready for adoption faster. So it's the same life-saving care, delivering it more efficiently and timely.
Nawaz said the center is on track to open in mid to late spring, and become fully operational this fall.
