Roanoke Valley SPCA matching families and pets over the phone

The

is making some changes to its normal operations amid the

pandemic.

The shelter is no longer taking walk-in customers.

Instead, they are holding a "match makers" special where people can call ahead of time and speak with an employee who will match them up over the phone with a pet they think will suit all their needs from number of family members, other pets and activity level.

After that, you can make an appointment, visit the pet, even take them home for a night or weekend, and if you determine that pet is your match, you get to take them home and all adoption fees are waived.

“We’re just trying to do all that adoption counseling ahead of time, those are things that we generally do face-to-face once somebody finds a pet that they’re interested in, we go through all that counseling, now we’re just doing it ahead of time so they’re ready to go if they make that match," said Suzanne Cresswell with the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

The SPCA is also encouraging community members who are in a tough spot and need pet food to take advantage of their pet pantry.

You can pick up a week’s worth of pet food for free.