Assistance Request Process
READ BEFORE SUBMITTING FORM
Rural Animal Rescue Effort is a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Middle Tennessee that assists remote animal shelters and rural citizens with animals in need. We are a foster-based rescue and do not have a physical location. R.A.R.E. does have an excellent adoption process, relationships with transport programs, and a spay/neuter program.
Spay & Neuter Program
The R.A.R.E spay/neuter program is for no- or low-income individuals ​to limit overpopulation in rural areas by decreasing "backyard breeding and accidental litters" that have become so common in agricultural areas in the South. Please know that if you reach out to us for spay/neuter assistance, we will need to ask questions about your entire family of pets, including any unaltered animals, and may ask that you surrender some if their standard of care has become difficult for you to maintain.
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Owner Surrenders
Our organization is highly organized and intentional about every step of the process. If you're filling out this form to inquire about surrendering a family pet, please do not post them online (Craigslist, Facebook). If you have done so, please remove the posting and continue with the Intake Request Form. During the pandemic, we have received word from other shelters and rescues that everyone is at capacity, however, most municipal shelters can make an appointment to surrender an animal within 2-3 weeks.
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Stray Animal Placement
For animals that are found at-large, please go first to a veterinarian to have the animal checked for a microchip. If you're able to have the animal spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and put on preventatives prior to reaching out to us, that is excellent and obviously protects rescue resources. If you are financially unable to care for a stray you have found, R.A.R.E. will evaluate each case individually to assess whether or not we can take on that particular animal immediately, if we need a foster, or if you simply need some pertinent items to foster the animal temporarily while we are finding a long term solution. Please fill out the Assistance Request Form in detail with biographical or behavioral information.