Dr. Robyn Barton Joins SPCA Veterinary Team
Tuesday, August 27th, 2019
The SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare is welcoming a second veterinarian to its Veterinary Care Center team. Dr. Robyn Barton brings enthusiasm and experience to the SPCA Albrecht Center and looks forward to using her knowledge to better the lives of Aiken’s personal and homeless animals.
From the small, rural town of Ebensburg in southwestern Pennsylvania, Barton knew from a young age that she wanted to work with animals. After a visit from a veterinarian during her fourth-grade career day, she had found her calling and started out volunteering at local veterinary clinics as soon as she was old enough to work. Eventually, she worked as a veterinary technician and also spent three enjoyable years as an assistant herd manager at a large dairy farm.
Barton completed her prerequisite college courses at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was accepted into the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. After receiving her doctorate in veterinary medicine in 2009, she moved back to western Pennsylvania and spent four years working in a companion animal practice in Slippery Rock.
In 2011, she was asked to assist at a local shelter providing spays/neuters and basic medical care one day a week. This was a decision that changed the course of her career. Being part of a team that helped provide a second chance to forgotten or discarded pets brought on a deeper mission. In 2013, Dr. Barton left private practice and accepted a position as the chief veterinarian at the Animal Defense League, which is the oldest and largest ‘no-kill’ shelter in Southern Texas. Working closely with her talented, technical staff, they transformed the focus of the medical department from exclusively a high volume spay/neuter facility to a fully functional medical facility, providing comprehensive veterinary care for the shelter residents.
Following almost six years in Texas, Dr. Barton decided it was time to move back east in order to be closer to family. Dr. Barton relocated to Aiken, joining the veterinary team at the SCPA Albrecht Center in May of this year.