Posted February 8, 2010:

From Melissa Long, teacher at Park Avenue Enhanced Option Elementary School

I really hope you can get back to us …and with Trixie! I think the program (Creature Care) visit made a positive impact, as my students literally talk about it every day! They love the song and their stuffed Trixie. And they will, with little or no prompting, discuss things they learned that day. It’s awesome and makes my heart smile! Thanks for making us a part of Creature Care and for being so dedicated!

Posted November 20, 2009:

Brenthaven Church by Cheryl Morris

Thank you so much for visiting our children at Brenthaven. We appreciate your taking the time to share. You would be proud - one of our children, during the pet blessing ceremony, went up to a dog owner and asked if it was okay to pet their dog. Shows they were listening!

Posted August 9, 2009:

Zeus by Becky S., Nashville, TN

My service dog, Zeus, had a perineal hernia that needed surgery. That surgery was going to cost over $1800, which I didn't have.  I reached out to several organizations and all my friends, but hardly made a dent in what it would cost for the repair. Then, I was referred to Lovie's Legacy.  Although there were no funds for Zeus at that time, the kind staff at Lovie's Legacy, and especially Alice Crafts offered to do an email fundraiser to all it's angels to ask for help. I asked them to try that and see what happened. What I thought would take a month to do, took less than 3 days.  In less than 24 hours, almost half the surgery fee was raised and I schedule the surgery for a few days later.  By the 3rd day when I picked him up from the vet, Lovie's Legacy and it's angels raised over $1000 for Zeus' surgery! That was more than I ever thought possible and I thank each and every one of you for helping my special boy get his much needed surgery.  I have been truly humbled by the generosity of strangers! Zeus is doing well after surgery and he has all of you to thank! 

SPCA of Tennessee
By Denice Heatherly

It is hard to know where to begin. There is so much need. Some nights after reading so many heartbreaking urgent pleas for rescue I have to pull in with my own four rescues and one foster dog and as I touch their now soft shiny coats and look into their loving contented eyes I have to say "I have helped them".  After we all settle in and everyone gets their ears stroked or their belly rubbed I remember all the animals I can think of that the SPCA of Tennessee has helped. I have to be able to remember and rejoice in our accomplishments so I can withstand the grief of what I know still needs to be done.

The SPCA does an amazing job of rescue. Since we began two and a half years ago we have rescued one horse ten cats and over three hundred dogs. We have done this with no buildings, no paid staff , and no basic operating budget. It has been like one miracle after another has come to allow us to help these neglected and abandoned ones that cannot help themselves. The biggest miracle we had over the last year was the kind and generous donation from the Carl and Lovie Mae Smith Emergency Animal Rescue and Survival Service dba Lovie's Legacy. "Without the help of your donation we would have never made it.". That is a direct quote from our President and Founder Celina Weissenborn.

I would like to share some snapshots with you of animals we were able to help because of your amazing gift to our organization.

First I will tell you about Longfellow the ten year old basset hound. Usually deemed unadoptable by most usual standards, the SPCA of TN took him into rescue. Many dogs are abandoned in their senior years when the health problems kick in. Poor old Longfellow was a mess. He had worms, a urinary tract infection, and a cherry eye. He was unneutered as well and that scenario was complicated by an undescended testicle. He stayed for five days at the vet, received treatment for his afflictions and had neuter surgery, all for the cost of $1500 dollars. Dr. Ann Stanland a vet at the animal hospital took Longfellow into her heart and home where he will live out the rest of his days in happiness and peace.

Then there was Oliver. Oliver came to the SPCA of TN through a desperate posting on Craigslist from a young woman who had found a puppy living in a wooded area near her home. It was very clear that if the puppy did not get help he would soon die. She took the puppy in but was not able to have pets where she lived. We took him into rescue. He had sarcoptic mange and every kind of worms you can think of. He spent a week at the vet and was taken into foster care and then adopted by the foster family. When Oliver was adopted he was so severely malnourished that everyone thought he was going to be a small terrier mix. He was tiny and seemed to have a scruffy coat. Well, let me tell you, Oliver flourished with the proper care and it soon became evident that he was most likely an Australian Shepherd mix and has a soft luxurious coat. That "little scruffy terrier" turned into a sixty some pound dog!

I want to tell you also about Sweetpea. Sweetpea was taken by us the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. She was turned in as a stray and at the end of the reclaim period she was not going to be put into adoption because of a very serious leg injury. The shelter volunteers put out desperate pleas for her rescue and we were the only responders. Sweetpea became my foster. When I picked her up I was overwhelmed by the extent of her injury. She had been given minimal care at the shelter and legalities kept her from being released until 6pm the night before Thanksgiving. So Sweetpea, my daughter, our four dogs and I did the best we could until we could take her to the vet on Friday morning. Celina consulted with a vet and got what medication she could without the dog being seen. When we took her to the vet she could not figure out how the dog had gotten the injury. It looked as if someone had tried to skin her. There were no broken bones, puncture wounds, or evidence of chemical burns!

We were shown how to treat the wound with hydro-therapy, salves and bandaging and we began the process of Sweetpea's recovery and our strengthening. My daughter said that caring for her made her reach for strength that she didn't know she had, seeing that wound, treating it, and bandaging it was something she would have assumed she could never do. We both did our share of holding her and crying. Our tears though turned to happiness as she healed and was quickly adopted the first weekend in December. She stayed in foster until she was strong enough to be spayed and now lives with a family in Franklin that loves her tremendously.

As a mention I would also like to thank you, Lovie's Legacy, on behalf of Nanook, the eight year old blind husky, and Miracle the puppy that was tied to a tree with no shelter during the hottest days of the summer, and Heidi the little basenji mix that was abandoned outside a vet office crammed into a small crate with her puppies. They have all found new lives through the help you gave. Last but not least I would like to thank you on behalf of Zeus and Annie. They will have to wag their tails for you from heaven. They both passed away under vet care as they were too far gone when they reached our rescue, but they did not die cold, alone and in the dirt. They knew care and love in their final days and moments. Even though we lost them and their combined vet bills were $700 we did not regret trying.

The SPCA of Tennessee started with an $80 donation so that we could afford the fee to pull our first dog. We are thankful for the confidence that our donors have placed in us to do the right thing and help the animals in need in Tennessee. These donations do not just help dogs or help people help dogs. These animals bring joy to the humans that take them into their hearts and homes and the care and the love that are given to these animals cause those humans to become better people. Many thanks to you from the bottom of our hearts, canine and human, for making the world a better place.

My little old dog: A heart-beat at my feet.
-Edith Wharton

Seven Blessings Animal Sanctuary

Your organization's support got us through some very lean times. Those funds were a blessing to receive and allowed us to provide the necessary medical care as well as all the medications needed for those (pet residents) with chronic illnesses. Everyone here tonight is safe, happy, loved, and has a full tummy and a soft bed. Thanks for making this possible.

Allen and Holly Collins
Seven Blessings Animal Sanctuary

Humane Association of Wilson County

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Lovie's Legacy for grant funding that has allowed us to help so many animals who would otherwise go on to reproduce.

Funding was used to provide free spay/neuter services to qualified low income residents of 7 counties. The elderly, disabled and indigent people who bring their pets to our mobile Spay Station for spay/neuter and vaccinations were so appreciative. They truly love these pets and want to do what's best for them but often don't have the resources for spay/neuter.

We were also able to purchase 20 live traps for our Snip & Tip Trap/Neuter/Return program for feral cats. Live traps are loaned to colony caretakers so they can humanely trap cats and transport them to our clinic for free spay/neuter, deworming, flea treatment, and vaccinations. Even though these are not tame pets, caretakers form a special bond with them. They understand the importance of humanely controlling the population through spay/neuter. We receive updates from many people who have used the Snip & Tip program. They all say that the cats are thriving and the colony populations are controlled since the cats received veterinary care through the program.

We know that Lovie is looking down on all of these creatures that she has allowed us to help through her generosity. Her care and compassion for animals lives on through her legacy.

Sara Felmlee
Director of Spay/Neuter Programs
Humane Association of Wilson County