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Gabby Menezes was the first Virginia Tech Veterinary student to participate in the SPCA internship program.
SPCA Executive Director Catherine Gupton (left) and Dr. Cathleen Connelly play major roles in the clinic and internships.
SPCA intern Gabby Menezes took home a puppy from the SPCA clinic to care for during her internship. She named the puppy Sunflower.
Not only is the Martinsville-Henry County’s new spay and neuter clinic up and running — but it’s also a training ground for the next generation of animal care professionals, providing instruction for three internship programs.
The SPCA works with the Henry County Public Schools Career Academy to “provide some of their students’ internship hours if they’re interested in pursuing a career in the animal field,” SPCA Executive Director Catherine Gupton said.
The Henry County Public School System’s Career Academy Internship has existed for around 3 years, Gupton said, but since the spay and neuter clinic was opened earlier in November of 2021 the SPCA got involved with “a program to broadcast some of the surgeries periodically to their classroom, and the vet discusses what she’s doing while she’s performing the surgeries for the students to see.”
The program includes classes in small animal care and veterinary sciences, with each semester holding about six students who are “extremely interested and focused in the veterinary field” and 10 to 15 other students interested in working with animals, Career Academy Directory Mike Minter wrote by email.
“The most we can accommodate is 20 in an intensive lab space,” Minter wrote. “Currently, the SPCA has had five students do an internship (one each semester since 2019, minus COVID virtual year) and has hired one student on staff while she continues school and to fulfill her dreams of working at a Veterinary Tech and later as a Veterinarian.”
“Our partnership with the SPCA is a unique opportunity for our students to apply skills learned in the classroom to real world applications. With the increasing need for veterinary professionals, I hope that this will lead to future career pathways for students in our program,” Career Acacemy Instructor Brittany Brummitt wrote by email. “I look forward to seeing the doors this opens for them and appreciate the SPCA’s willingness to work with us.”
Since the end of November 2021, the SPCA Clinic has spayed or neutered 547 cats and 453 dogs, Gupton said. SPCA board member Patti Covington said that 91% of spay and neuter surgeries have been for shelter animals and low-income clients.
Dr. Cathleen Connelly, as the veterinarian for the SPCA, is the star of the show for these internship programs. Connelly has led one internship with Virginia Tech, three with Patrick and Henry Community College’s veterinary assistant program and participates in the Career Academy program as well.
The SPCA started making arrangements with the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia Tech earlier this year “around April or May” about becoming one of the “facilities that the students could intern at,” Gupton said. Their Virginia Tech first intern, Gabriella Menezes, stayed for three weeks, and another intern may come in the spring.
Menezes said that she loved her time here and was encouraging her friends to take an internship in the area as well.
Menezes is in her third year of working towards her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). Her internship in Martinsville was her fifth internship this summer. Her other internships were in cardiology, dermatology, ophthalmology and farm rotation.
“The shelter here is superior to where I’ve been,” Menezes said. “They have more things than normal … ultrasound machine, dental x-ray machine … the veterinarian there [Connelly] … she’s amazing.”
“I’ve gotten a lot of experience here,” Menezes said.
“We’re getting new voice in at the shelter with new students and we’re able to reach some of the younger people who may want to pursue a career in this field or may want to extend the opportunities for homeless animals,” Gupton said.
Gupton said that the clinic has changed some of the way that the SPCA operates. “It’s brought a lot changes to what we gear our events to,” she said. “A lot of our fundraising events can go to the running of the clinic and being able to offer discounts and assistance to community members through the clinic.”
“We are pioneering a higher standard of care for shelter animals,” Connelly said. “This is a win-win situation. We look forward to helping educate additional veterinary students about high quality care for shelter animals.”
Monique Holland is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at monique.holland@martinsvillebulletin.com or at 276-734-9603.
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Gabby Menezes was the first Virginia Tech Veterinary student to participate in the SPCA internship program.
SPCA Executive Director Catherine Gupton (left) and Dr. Cathleen Connelly play major roles in the clinic and internships.
SPCA intern Gabby Menezes took home a puppy from the SPCA clinic to care for during her internship. She named the puppy Sunflower.
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