There might be a way of getting them involved in the final stages of veterinary surgeries, where the success of the operation would be directly measured by the welfare of the live, conscious animal afterward.
The only problem I see with that is having been married 3 times to animal lovers... Fluffy dying after a successful surgery is a major drama moment.
Best to use feeder pigs that no-one cares about, except PETA, and euthanize them after practice. Botched or not. No one sues for the loss of Fluffy.
/johnny