New Leash on Life has come a long way over the last few years, particularly since director Angela Chapman joined the staff. The animal shelter is old but they do everything possible to make it presentable. You can tell the staff loves the animals and does everything to make sure their stay at the shelter is as comfortable as possible. You can tell the animals love them by the way they react when they see a staff member.

New Leash on Life is also excellent at working with other animal welfare organizations including animal control agencies, other shelters and rescue groups. They share resources when available. You can tell they really mean it when they say "We're all in this together."

Thanks to a generous donor, The Joy Clinic is a godsend to the community. The services provided are 1st class and again, you can tell the staff really cares about the animals.

New Leash on Life is a shining star in the middle Tennessee area and deserves the support of the community.

This agency has been around for quite some time. As the reviews show, there has been some trouble in the past. However, the last few years have seen many positive changes. The current director has a big heart for animals and the community. The office staff and volunteers all seem to love their jobs. If you haven't noticed, the Joy clinic Spay and Neuter clinic has opened to the public. I heard this was paid for by a donation from a local Wilson County citizen. Things have certainly seemed to change here, as a lifelong Wilson County resident, I have visited several times looking for a new pup, and have been very impressed with what's happening at New Leash. Not only has Wilson County Animal Control gotten a "New Leash on Life", so has the operation and agency gotten a "New Leash on Community". If you're looking for your new pet, make this your first stop.

My elderly mother adopted her cat from New Leash on Life and it has changed her life. It gives her a reason for getting up every day. The staff at New Leash on Life made the experience so positive. They were kind, patient and understanding. They made my mother feel like she was special because she was adopting a cat. You could tell they cared about the cat.

I was in the shelter 7 or 8 years ago and I couldn't believe how much better it looks now. Yes, it is still an old building that should be replaced but it looks like the staff takes pride in it and does everything they can to make it as comfortable as possible for animals and as pleasant as possible for the public.

Does the staff always do everything perfectly, probably not, but I can say in the case of my mother, they were the best.

There is no respect and I don't mean JUST for the animals. While this shelter(or whatever it is now) does take in animals it does not live up to the expectations of Wilson's County. Do they take in animals from Wilson's NOOOO. All animals are on a waitlist while they take in other animals from other counties. This is EXTREMELY unfair. Add in they have employees there that are doing one crappy ass job. Just standing there pretty much staring at the wall while only two or three people (Usually only ONE person is ACTUALLY working!!) are working. What's wrong with this picture? The board needs to actually go to the shelter(again or whatever it is now) and see who is actually doing the work or they should have people who the employees don't know go in and get an unbiased opinion. This place is digging itself into the hole and it's DISGUSTING!

The people that are running the shelter (Not sure that It Is even a shelter) have no clue what they are doing. When they drive down the street do they look around? Do they see what I see? Dead animals all ov...er the road that have been hit by cars? More and more every day I see this. Even on the road right in front of NLOL a cat ran cross the road and got hit by a car. People that used to pick up strays and bring them to the SHELTER can not any more because they have no place to take them. This means the animal Is left to roam, starve, be Injured, suffer, killed, and breed (and they will breed) and have off spring that will all do the same. This Is just UNBELIEVABLE when you have a place for them to go. And I also know they have food for them! But still this goes on and on. WHY!! I am also a little confused about the add they run In the paper Lost or found a pet? Call #, WHY? If I found a pet I can not bring It to them, so that means no one there seen It or checked to see If It had a micro chip Or a rabbies tag, Right, If I call and I have 3 times, my daughter has a few times and a few others that I know and was all told the same thing. We dont take strays to call pet finders and never asked about puting it In a book or bring It In and we will check It for a micro chip, nothing so now If you lost a pet well come on do the math now your chances of finding your pet has went down and your pets chance of becoming one of the strays that I talked about has just went up. I would also like to know how a place can be a nonprof. If It only takes In animals that they know will be adopted and nothing else. And If they will only keep the cages so full, would't they be making a proffit now? Im just asking. So back to driving down the street and seeing so many animals like I said, does that mean that everything that everyone has done over the last years Is just now gone? OMG and they Spay stations 3 of them?????? They do not use them!!!! If you call to make an app. It takes at least 6 months for them to call you back. What Is that about?? Wish that some how we could change all this. Thank you for making this page It Is very much appreciated and Thank you to all That Made The Humane Assoc. What It once was.

I admire the hard work and dedication of all the employees that work for the Humane Association and New Leash on Life. I see their love and devotion everyday, these employess go in early and stay late and work weekends just to care for these animals. The employees spend countless hours careing and nurturing for those that have no voice. I know MANY people that have adopted their best friends from the shelter and would definitely go there again should the chance arise.
I would recommend them to anyone looking for a new family member, the staff is knowledgable and takes the time to help you find the right match or fit for your family.
There have been many mornings that people had dropped off numerous puppies or kittens on the door step and the staff always lovingly takes them in. I have witnessed firsthand the awesomeness of this association. God Bless.

After several months of waking up at 4AM for work and returning home at 9:30PM, I was realizing a sad trend of a workaholic. For 6 months I used my hectic work schedule as an excuse not to get a dog until I searched the website for probably the 100th time and had seen MY puppy on there. I anxiously waited for the work week to pass by to adopt him on the weekend. Of course this story can go on for months! Let's just say my life has changed. Everyday it breaks my heart to leave him for work and anxious to go home to see him. While I've provided him with a healthy and happy quality of life, he has changed my life.

As far as the organization, I can't thank them enough for providing me with such a loving companion. Everyone should take a step back and simply think... any organization is one more that is helping an animal in need. One more is better than one less.

I am proud to say that many of closest friends and family has adopted puppies from New Leash. My cousin drove 8 hours to adopt a puppy from New Leash! My friend flew down from New England to adopt a puppy from New Leash!

My friend and I adopted 2 puppies at the same time. I had come to Nashville to visit a friend and talk her out of adopting a puppy. But, when we were looking at the website that morning, I saw my puppy and knew I wouldn't be able to leave without him!

During the adoption, New Leash provided us with helpful information regarding raising your puppy and health information. We refer all of our friends to New Leash when they are considering adopting. We even adopted a puppy for a family member who drove from Virginia to pick her up!

I adopted a cat from New Leash on Life and couldn't have been happier so when I decided to get him a companion, I went back to them. I found the perfect match for my cat and could not be happier. They are the best of pals and I can't imagine life without them. The staff was warm and caring and I felt that my kitties were truly loved before they came to me. Thanks New Leash on Life!

I am not able to give this organization a very good rating. They may be a safe haven for puppy mill dogs, but this is at the cost of the dogs and cats in their own community suffering. They have done nothing to help in the community they were put in to help, which is Wilson County. Never before have I seen such out right blatent refusal to help the animals in their own area. This used to be a wonderful organization that Wilson County could be proud of, now it is just a joke. They will only take little adoptable dogs and puppies that they can get the most adoption fees out of. Absolutely not a care for the animals starving, abused, abandoned or otherwise not taken care of in their own community. They should be ashamed to call themselves an animal welfare organization.

I have had the wonderful experience of knowing and working with many of the people who were involved when it was the Humane Assoc. of Wilson Co. and can tell you that it was a wonderful organization which developed many new and exciting programs over the years. The moble spay/neuter clinic and later the high volume/low cost spay neuter clinic were state of the art and organizations not just from TN but all over the country used them as a model for their organizations. Soon after the name change to NLOL with a new set of executive staff and board members hand picked by the current ED after she alienated and caused the departure of many long term staff, volunteers and board members the organization and all of its programs began to fail!! The salaries are a joke for a non-profit organization (Over $400,000.00). All of the numbers such as animals spayed/neutered and animals adopted are all way down. But the thing that is hardest to hear is the way they are know viewed by the public. What was once nothing but high praise and respect has turned to distrust and disgust. All of the positive posts I have read so far belong to someone still with the organization with a vested interest, try asking the general public of Wilson Co who they no longer serve but will gladly take their monetary donations but not donations of goods as was recently stated by the current Spay/Neuter Director! It is now all about the money and the glory and even unfortunately persoanl gain. It is not very professional for executives to gain on a individual basis from supporters. I can not even give them a one star rating in this poll. I can only hope that what few good people are left on the board will do the right thing to restore this oranization and get the train back on the positive and shining track it was on before the current ED crashed and burned it!

I was involved with this organization since the mid 90's. I helped the organization grow and develop new programs. The Spay/Neuter programs were very successful getting national attention and brought in lots of money in grants and donations.



In 2008 the board brought in a new Executive Director who sat on her pedestal and hired managers for managers. Soon they became very top heavy with 3 new high paying management positions. Soon they were running out of money so they tapped into the spay/neuter money that was raised for spay/neuter and then the spay/neuter programs were out of money. The programs that could have run indefinitely were hurting for money.



The organization needs an Executive Director who is compassionate and takes a "hands on" approach, writing grants, managing the programs, and watching the donors money.



If you donate to NLOL, your money must pass through the top heavy management before possibly reaching the animals.

I have been a volunteer and am now a proud Board Member. This organization is full of caring, compassionate Staff, Management and Volunteers. For example, as an approved National Safe Haven partner for the United States Humane Society, New Leash on Life assisted with a puppy mill seizure this weekend and brought 15 small dogs back to our animal shelter. That's 15 dogs whose living conditions have just improved! Thanks for all you do, New Leash on Life.

I have been a board member since 2005 but a volunteer since 1999. I think NLOL is wonderful because they have evolved into an organization that makes a commitment to every animal that crosses their threshold. Each pet is loved and cared for and treated with respect and is given the chance to find a forever home. In the early days, I was afraid to ask about an animal if I didn't see it at the shelter. Only about 30% were adopted in those days. Now, I am confident that if a pet is no longer there, it is because it has found a loving family of its own and it will have a chance to live out a normal, happy life. The adoption rate is now around 98-99%,

I have had the fortunate experience of doing volunteer work at New Leash and I am amazed at the love and hard work the staff does there on a daily basis. They love every dog and cat there and make it their goal to provide safe shelter and loving homes for each one there.
I have been working at the shelter in my county which is a neighboring county and New Leash has gone above and beyond my wildest dreams in helping me w/ support, encouragement and supplies for my dogs.