Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

12/17/2025

For the second post in our series I want to focus on our sanctuary. This is our home base and since 2016 it has been the realization of my dream. When we bought our first sanctuary we walked into it fully paid for due to a donor who believed in us. In 2023 we moved into our next sanctuary and because of my financial decisions we were able to make money off of that move that covered most of our programs during 2024. I say that because it is not just about donations but how we use them that makes a nonprofit work.

My vision is closer to reality but not there yet. I want a place that is bigger, one that could house up to 3 or 4 people. A place that will be bigger than our current Cat Sanctuary. One with a bit more land and is further out where we can work the land, have a garden.

I believe in the human/animal bond and it has driven me forward since 2001. I believe that working with animals can heal them but most importantly it can heal people. I believe in the dignity of being a part of a family and having a purpose.

We are also a cat sanctuary, but one with a difference. We certainly want to expand our adoption program but that is not all we are. We take in the misfits, the cats who are feral but not able to live out on their own. We give these cats a home and if they never get adopted they will always have a home. And we are working on making our sanctuary a Disneyland for cats. With catios on two big windows so they can observe the outside and keep an eye on the goings on. We’ve already screened in the front porch so that our cats can claim that as a catio as well.

So while we are working with Mickey Duncan on our next sanctuary we are blessed because we are growing right where we are.

But this crown jewel of our programs has big costs, $683.00 a week or $100.00 a day. Cat food alone costs $204.00 a week and litter cost $261.00 a week. We save money with the sanctuary itself being paid for but we have upkeep and utilities, which are $510.00 a month.

Expenses that allow us to do so much good here. We save lives and every day we watch as those lives become what they should have always been allowed to be. The people who finally have a home and a safe place where they belong. And our cats who now have love and space to be happy cats climbing up on a wall perch or sitting outside in their fenced in front porch.

And watching a cat go from feral to relaxed means everything. Watching a person have pride in their home…there is nothing better. And everyone being watched over by our old watchdog Rowdy makes everything just come together. Just don’t dare tell Rowdy he’s too old to be a guard dog because he thinks of himself as a pretty fierce one. And watching as all of the pieces of our sanctuary come together in one big organized chaos makes my vision not yet complete, but closer than ever.

Please join us.

Laurie Green, founder and director
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com
615-474-8390 (resource line)

12/16/2025

UPDATE:
This woman now claims she sent the dog to live with her son. And that may be the case and yes, there ia a possibility that it might be a good thing. But the problem is that this dog is being passed around and no one has done any vetting of even the first home. NHA did not bother screening the first home and now a dog barely 1 year old is on his second home.

This is what happens when shelters, AC facilities and rescues fail to quickly take back the animals they adopt out. When the adoption fails people check out. They not only no longer want the animal, they resent the animal for even existing because it is a reminder that they failed. So they blame others, the adopting agency for not coming to get the animal or nonprofits like ours that are asked to step in and assist but do not help fast enough to remove their failure. They want no reminders of that.

Is it fair? No. But that animal’s life depends upon how we react and how fast we act. Someone so unsuitable like this woman should never have been allowed to adopt this particular dog. For so many reasons, her limited mobility, her advanced age, a small highrise with no room for a puppy. A soon to be big puppy.

Adoptions should always take suitability into consideration. Is this animal a good match for this person or family? When I managed a shelter I turned a family down who wanted a large husky. The husky was not a warm or cuddly dog. They had small children with little hands that grabbed things. He was a 4 year old working dog used to a lot of land and they had a small house with a postage stamp yard and a 5 ft fence. Were they happy with me? No. But I was the advocate for the dog. Period.

I can only hope she is telling me the truth. If she is I hope her son cares for and loves this poor, confused dog.

I am thankful to everyone who responded and who shared this post. You all have my gratitude and appreciation. We tried.

And I am heartbroken but grateful for you all.

Laurie Green

12/14/2025

NASHVILLE & Davidson County:

Sunday, 12/14.

Metro has already opened our Emergency Weather (warming) shelter early. They are located at 3230 Brick Church Pike. Hours are now to 11am Monday morning.

Dogs and cats welcome, please do not leave them behind!

Bus passes given out Monday morning for your return to home base.

When temps remain so dangerous the warming shelter opens 24 hours.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

12/14/2025

It isn’t about the headline grabbing actions. It isn’t even about the great deeds a nonprofit does.

It is about what you do when the camera is put away and the attention is silent.

Our sanctuary manager Michael Lash sent me this picture last week. Our sanctuary dog Rowdy had settled down for a nap and was surrounded by our cats. My heart just felt so much joy.

Since our Shiloh passed Rowdy has been so confused. Shiloh was his partner dog and they were so bonded. But he kept close to Michael and all of us. And he grew into his role as cat protector.

Rowdy is going to come out on the other side of his grief. We all are, even as the loss of Shiloh left us devastated. Life does go on. As it must.

And as it should. It is hard to shield ourselves against what is thrown our way. But we do because joy does come in the morning. Rowdy knows that we hold him safe even as he is our fierce protector. He is our 80 pound bundle of pure love.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

12/14/2025

Saturday was one of the best Lunch Meal Delivery days ever. We all absolutely love what we do with this program. We go to where we are needed. Since we began this program in March of 2020 we have put our feet on the ground to serve and deliver so much more than just meals.

We also deliver:
Pet food
Cold weather sleeping bags & tents
Coats, gloves & hats
Body, hands & feet warmers

But what made this Saturday so special is getting to recognize 3 people who make our Meals Program work so well.

Bettina Bowers
She keeps our assembly team running and keeps us on task. She is our rock star and our center. And our assembly boss who brings the fun but keeps us on point.

Lori Eslick
Our Meals Team Coordinator. A task very similar to herding cats but somehow, she does it. From the “who is doing what” this week to the assembly of our Lunch Meals to the delivery, she keeps us moving forward.

Miranda Liss
She is our lead in the field. Miranda and I work on where to go each week, new areas to explore and who goes where. She also is our point person on donations of supplies we need to hand out.

I loved giving each recognition for all that they do so that we can serve. Each woman is so deserving.

And so thankful to Misty and Awards All Around, Inc. ! She has been a SAFPAW friend and supporter for so long.

❤️
Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw
safpawnashville@gmail.com

12/14/2025

NASHVILLE & Davidson County:

Saturday, 12/13.

Metro will open our Emergency Weather (warming) shelter at 7PM. They are located at 3230 Brick Church Pike. Hours are 7pm Saturday night to 7am Sunday morning.

Dogs and cats welcome, please do not leave them behind!

Bus passes given out Sunday morning for your return.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

12/11/2025

PLEASE see my updated post regarding this sweet dog.

We have a desperate situation here my friends. A very bad adoption was made and as a result a woman in her seventies who uses a walker can no longer keep her 9 month old goofy lab mix. She lives in a senior high rise so he gets no exercise.

He is neutered and UTD on vaccines. If you are a rescue, can you help? If you can foster I will advise it will probably be a lengthy stay given how full rescues are.

This dog is an inch away from being given to anyone on Murfreesboro road that her friend can find. And the rescue WILL NOT take back at this time, they told her “hopefully March”. I have no intention of waiting on them if we can find a better rescue or a forever home.

I am pleading folks. This sweet dog was the victim of a careless adoption but it is not his fault. He just knows that he is not wanted. And that he is yelled at.

Contact me by text on our resource line at 615-474-8390. Please.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw
safpawnashville@gmail.com

12/11/2025

You will join us tomorrow night? I sure do hope so. It is going to be an amazing evening but of course with you there it will be even better!

Benefit for SAFPAW. 6pm at Dee's Lounge on Thursday, 12/11.

12/10/2025

12/10/2025

I will begin this series by introducing our Jason Brown Christmas Toy Program. This was Jason’s favorite program because he loved children so much. While he was alive he was such a dedicated donor to this program. Our friend Sara McKelvey and their daughter Nora now carry on with their own dedication. So in his memory and honor we named it after Jason.

15 years ago I delivered a food box to a trailer home. As I sat in their den, waiting for the mother to come home the litte girl was excitedly telling me how this was the first Christmas tree she had ever had. Under the tree was a wrapped gift with a tag that just said “for a girl ages 12-14”. It just made me so very sad to see how sterile and void of Christmas excitement this prewrapped package seemed. Just a single gift under a tree with no ornaments. So the next day I returned with ornaments and tinsel and an idea for how our SAFPAW Christmas Toy Program would look like.

For 15 years we have remained dedicated to this trailer park community. However our approach was different from the first day we delivered the presents. Because we were going to truly be a secret Santa. From day one no one in this community knows who the Santa is. So under a snowfall of secrecy that would delight Santa himself we deliver Christmas for every child from birth to 17 and everyone 62 and over who lives alone. Everything is set up in the manager’s trailer and the adults come and “shop” for their children. Everything is free.

Only the owner and his family knows our identity. The first of November Audrey Anna and I start secretly planning with Jason, the park owner & manager, around the long list of girls and boys and their ages. Audrey then works her magic as SAFPAW’s lead elf in charge of this program and searches the internet for the best toys, clothes, coats, books and games, blankets and other ideas that the trailer park manager may have for what to put on the list this year. Audrey searches for what is “in” this year and she comes up with a Christmas delivery that has Santa seeking out just how she works her magic. And every year now I wonder how we ever did this without Audrey.

The one rule we have is that everything must be new. Our children have borrowed, given, passed down and thrift store everything all year round. And there is nothing wrong with that. But at Christmas, at this one time of year, we want them to have brand new everything. There is a stigma of poverty that never leaves a child. We won’t allow that at Christmas.

If there was enough money raised we also pay December’s rent for 1 person or family who has had a rough go of it. December is a rough month, bringing higher utilities and Christmas expectations.

This program costs $5,000. Due to yearly donations being down Audrey worked her holiday magic to bring it down $4,000. But we are not able to gift a struggling family December’s rent this year. I struggled this year, should we skip this program due to budget concerns? Audrey and I discussed it but in the end we just could not. This program allows these families to have Christmas. And what little they are able to manage to put aside, because SAFPAW brings Christmas, they can concentrate on rent, utilities and holiday dinner.

I call our Jason Brown Christmas Program my gift to myself. Audrey and I both know that on Christmas morning our children wake up to the excitement we knew as children.

Oh and I have to tell you this! One year after we had finished with the shopping the manager called with a special request from a young girl that had just moved there with her grandmother. His call began with, “now you may not be able to grant this request”. She had always wanted a telescope! So we got busy and looked for telescopes that would serve a young student of astronomy such a creative ask! Months later he called and told me that she regularly tells him about a planet she found through her telescope. Isn’t that amazing?

Making a child’s wish come true may just open up their world in ways we may never see. All we need to know is that on December 25th they wake up to gifts in their small den. That is enough to bring me absolute delight.

And your donations make this happen. So now I hope you wake up Christmas morning with the same secret Santa smile.

❤️🧑🏼‍🎄
Laurie Green
Audrey Anna
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com