Michelle Frolov, LVT, MSc Clinical Animal Behavior

From a very young age, Michelle knew her life would revolve around animals. Hailing from Michigan, Michelle started her animal career in high school, working part-time at Domino’s Petting Farm working with domestic livestock. She graduated from Wayne County Community College’s Veterinary Technician program in 2010. Shortly afterward, she received her Bachelor of Science in Zoology with a concentration in Animal Behavior in 2012 from Michigan State University. After volunteering at the Organization for Bat Conservation, Michelle also decided to obtain her Certification in Wildlife Rehab. In February of 2014, Michelle was offered the opportunity of a lifetime and became a zookeeper at Gulf Breeze Zoo in Florida where she was able to work with a multitude of species, ranging from Domestic and Exotic Livestock to Carnivores and Primates, reigniting an interest and passion for behavior, enrichment, and conservation.

Michelle moved to Virginia in the fall of 2016 and worked at a companion animal and exotics clinic, which supported her focus on behavior and enrichment of companion animals, helping the clinic develop puppy parties (a safe space for unvaccinated puppies to socialize), and encourage fear-free handling and veterinary care. During this time, she also volunteered and eventually worked part-time at the Virginia Living Museum, caring for North American Wildlife, including red wolves. She left the VLM to pursue her Master’s in Clinical Animal Behavior through the University of Edinburgh’s Distance Learning Program while continuing to work in vet med part-time.

She and her husband moved to the NOVA area in September of 2020. She is currently ecstatic to be realizing a career-long dream of working in behavior with Dr. Pike and her team. She is Certified Fear Free Level 3 and avian, as well as Human-Animal Bond Certified. She would like to pursue dog training once she has completed her MSc. In her off time, she enjoys relaxing with her pets and husband, providing enrichment and short training sessions to her cats, and exploring the area.