Dr. Melanie Benetato grew up in Washington, DC, where she took an interest in animal welfare at a young age. She graduated from University of Maryland in 2007 and then worked in a local animal shelter, where her passion for shelter medicine was realized. She completed a master's degree in Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University and then attended veterinary school at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, graduating with honors in 2014. She then moved to New York City and completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the ASPCA Animal Hospital. She went on to work at Animal Care Centers of New York as a staff veterinarian before joining the ASPCA Adoption Center medical team in 2016.