We’re excited to welcome Dr. Elizabeth Snellgrove, DVM to the AWLA! Her wealth of veterinary knowledge and experience is already making a huge impact on the animals we serve both in our shelter and in the community. Learn more about her below.

• Why did you want to be a veterinarian and how long have you been practicing?
  • I’ve always been drawn to animals, so I always knew I wanted to work in the field. I took a break after undergraduate school and realized it was definitely the path I wanted to pursue. Specifically, my heart has always been in community outreach veterinary work, which is why I’m excited to now be working at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. I started working with TNR (trap, neuter, and return) cat groups and even worked on spay/neuter efforts overseas. I’ve been practicing veterinary medicine for 13 years.
• What do you think you’d do for a living if you weren’t a veterinarian? 
  • No clue! I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.
• What animals do you have at home?
  • I have two Brittanys: Olive and Paddington.
• What do you like to do for fun?
  • Funny enough, I like “spay-cations,” which involve trips across the U.S. to spay and neuter community animals. For example, I recently took a spay-cation to a reservation and our team altered hundreds of animals in a few days. My husband and I also enjoy trying local breweries.
• Where are you from? 
  • My father was in the State Department, so I’ve lived a little of everywhere, but I’ve always found my way back to Virginia.
• What was your first pet?
  • My first animal was Henry the hamster.

The AWLA is fortunate to have a veterinarian and other medically-trained staff members on site who take amazing care of our in-shelter and community animals. Thanks to our mobile surgical and adoption unit, Waggin’ Wheels, we are able to do routine medical procedures, like spay/neuters and dentals, in house, which saves us thousands of dollars every year.