Wenatchee Valley Humane Society Participates in ASPCA Learning Lab Program to Help Shelter Dogs with Behavior Issues

WENATCHEE, WASH.—The Wenatchee Valley Humane Society (WVHS) today announces its partnership with the ASPCA^® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) through the Learning Lab program. This program, based at the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in Weaverville, North Carolina, is an interactive educational program where select shelters participate in an intensive, hands-on workshop and discuss all aspects of advanced behavioral care in animal shelters.

WVHS is among the first group of animal welfare agencies to participate in the ASPCA Learning Lab program and will be applying key learnings to integrate behavioral and psychological support for homeless dogs into its entire sheltering operation. The WVHS team was chosen for the selective program after taking part in an in-depth application and shelter visitation process.

“We were honored to be invited to send six of our key staff to participate in a four-day Learning Lab retreat at the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in North Carolina,” said Dawn Davies, WVHS Executive Director. “The ASPCA Learning Lab demonstrated game-changing techniques in both a classroom and hands-on environment.   The ASPCA tailored private training to specifically address the challenges that we face as an open-door shelter in greater Wenatchee. We are excited to implement new tools to enrich shelter life not only for animals, but for our dedicated staff too, and ultimately, to increase our success rate of placing hard to adopt animals into forever homes.”

“Wenatchee Valley Humane Society has a highly skilled, insightful, and cohesive team and we had impactful working sessions together over the course of the four-day retreat,” added Dr. Katherine Miller, Senior Director of the ASPCA Learning Lab program. “We’re excited that they are joining the Learning Lab’s network of shelter partners and we look forward to continued collaboration on methods to elevate behavioral healthcare in animal shelters.”

The ASPCA Learning Lab launched in 2018 at the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, the first-ever permanent facility dedicated to the rehabilitation and study of extremely fearful, unadoptable homeless dogs, most of whom are victims of cruelty or neglect. As the Learning Lab program evolves, the ASPCA plans to develop a national network of partner organizations that can share learnings and best practices and serve as specialized behavioral rehabilitation hubs in their communities.

The work of the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center is showcased in an award-winning ASPCA documentary, “Second Chance Dogs”, which is available on secondchancedogsfilm.com. For more information on the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, please visit aspca.org/BRC.