ETSN Critter Care wishes to thank YOU for believing in our cause. Thanks to your kindness, our programs and outreach will touch many lives in our area in 2018. We couldn't possibly do this without you! Have a wonderful New Year full of many blessings & much warmth.
For program info., help volunteer, or to give, please check out our tabs on this site.

💜 A very special someone must love us a WHOLE BUNCH! Because of you, we will be able to cross into this new year in healthy standing, providing much needed services to all the animals and their guardians who need us most! ETSN's programs will continue to flourish due to the generosity of kind hearts like yours. We can't THANK YOU enough!!! From all of us at ETSN/Critter Care we wish you the very best blessings of peace, prosperity, light, & love in 2018. Your gift will be matched!!! 💜

Nov. 28th, 2017
3:00pm ***UPDATE ❣️ *** Success!!!! Sweet Peggy Sue is now free of her awful mucocele, and on the way to a hugely improved quality of life! Dr. P. called to say that the surgery was a bit more extensive than he originally thought. She required to have her damaged salivary gland completely removed along with the duct that drained down into her chin/neck. She also received a nip/tuck for all the excess skin that was stretched beyond repair. She was recovering nicely and even got to go home tonight! Thank you friends for all your help in believing in this beauty queen and help make her dreams come true. Your donations were so appreciated, and Peggy Sue's moma is overjoyed and deeply touched. Thanks to Dr. P. for his generously discounted rate to be sure this girl will have a full, happy life! We did it!

From Peggy Sue's guardian: "Peggy Sue is doing great! She is eating and drinking well. That vet was awesome. The skin is pretty much gone.  She has a lump on her cheek but gosh she's like a new cat.  Yeah I'm taking care of her for a bit. My moma is running a fever and my dad just had ear surgery so I'm giving her her meds and keeping her away from the other kitties for a bit so she can rest. Thanks so much for your caring and help You all are the greatest."  Thanks and Hugs,  Anita and Moma

It was worth the wait! ProSound in Elizabethton did a great job with the graphic wrap for the Critter Care Cruiser! Now everyone will know just where to find us on our weekly jaunts around Carter and Johnson Counties.

Come out and see us when we come to your neck of the woods!

AND we have an UPDATE on Jay, Ursula, & Henry!

Saturday, June 10th the Cruiser returned to Poga, TN and we were met once again with a throng of pets needing low cost vet care.

Jay was thrilled and so grateful for the help with his. He was so cute, he had no idea we did this fundraiser for him. He came with Ursula and a whole $5 he saved up hoping to get a flea treatment for her. We said put it away, we have something to tell you.... He stammered and stuttered and his eyes brimmed with tears...

Ursula received a heartworm test (neg.!), a DAPP booster, rabies vaccination, heartworm
30 day preventative, and a flea/tick 30 day preventative.

Henry on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. He took one look at all the dogs and took off. We can catch him up on everything when we make the neuter appointment for him and the spay appointment for Ursula. Jay just took home a flea pill for Henry to give him at dinner time.

We cannot thank you all enough for making such a huge difference in the precious lives of pets and their sweet caretakers. It's because of you, ETSN is able to provide what we do!

You can still donate to the BooBoo Fund for pets just like Jays or sponsor a spay or neuter for another deserving pet. Let's get to zero birth and end overpopulation in our communities! Just click on the Support Us button or go to the Donate page.

What an exciting year 2016 has been! The support from so many wonderful folks near and far, as well as the support from local businesses is so greatly appreciated. It is heartwarming to know that so many care about and support ETSN's programs and mission. ETSN is so grateful for your help!

 

• Spay and Neuter -This year, ETSN helped nearly 350 pets get spayed/neutered. That brings our totals to over 4,000 pets fixed since the beginning of ETSN in 2009! So many thousands of unwanted litters have been prevented this year! Pet owners who use our service are so appreciative of what we do. We are very proud that we are making a difference in the community. Many thanks go to Margaret B. Mitchell Spay and Neuter Clinic and The Animal Defense League of Washington County, Virginia. With their continued support, we strive to help even more pets in 2017!

 

• Pet Food Pantry – Our pet food pantry is vital to our low-income pet owners in Carter County. We assist by supplementing two weeks’ worth of food, monthly, for nearly 550 pets. This allows pet owners to spend their money on their own needs. One of the top reasons given for surrendering an animal at a shelter was due to not being able to afford to care for them any longer. Our pet food pantry helps families to keep their beloved furry friends at home with them, where they belong. Many thanks go to Michael Barnett of Big John's Closeouts for his sponsorship and allowing us to pack food in his building that we have lovingly dubbed “The Alley Cat Building.” We also appreciate Tractor Supply Company as well as Karen Bourke of 3 B's Thrift Shop. We are so deeply grateful for the many individuals who donate throughout the year to help keep the pet food pantry running, as well as Patsy and Jim Schang for everything they do to keep the Roan Mountain pet food pantry going.

2017 is looking to be another amazing year for ETSN! 

• Critter Care Cruiser – We are looking forward to getting our mobile wellness care unit on the road by spring of 2017! With it, we can reach even more pets in need! The Critter Care Cruiser will travel to rural areas and provide low cost vaccines and basic wellness care to pets. By treating a pet with minor health issues early on, we hope to prevent major medical issues in the future. In many cases, these pets would not otherwise get to see a regular veterinarian due to the overwhelming cost. The Critter Care Cruiser's purpose is one of the greatest needs that we hear of when we speak with local pet owners seeking assistance. We are so grateful to the Glenda Taylor DeLawder Charitable Trust for providing the very generous donation making it possible for us to purchase the beautiful RV. We also appreciate Smoky Mountain RV for assisting with renovations as well as Winchester Flooring for installing new heavy duty vinyl flooring in the unit. The Boo Boo Fund was created to assist with our basic wellness care program. With it, we can help those who could otherwise not afford care for their beloved pet.

 

• Office Space – We would love to renovate the Alley Cat Building for use as office space. It would be great for those seeking assistance who can't make it to our Saturday sign ups. It would also be wonderful for our volunteers who currently brave all sorts of weather conditions to help folks seeking assistance at our outdoor sign ups. Although we are known by our Purr-ple bus, having a home base would also help us to become a more recognizable staple in the community.

 

• Updates and Fundraising – We plan to be more socially active with our website:
  www.etnspay-neuter.org and our Facebook page in 2017. In today's world, we know that connecting via the internet is crucial for expanding our educational programs, spreading the word about our mission and seeking donations to help our programs continue to grow and expand. We appreciate coverage from media outlets such as WJHL Newschannel 11, WEBJ radio, and Elizabethton Star, and look forward to continuing our relationship in 2017.   

 
As always, we will continue providing spay and neuter assistance to those in need. With our new upcoming programs, we will reach even more pets who need our help! To know we are making a difference in our community drives us to improve our programs to meet the need. We know that it could not be done without your help, and we appreciate your continued support of our work in the community!
 
We wish you the happiest of holidays and many blessings in the new year!
 
From All of Us at ETSN

Help us welcome Amy Willis as ETSN’s new Executive Director! Amy will be handling the day-to-day functions of ETSN, while founder and previous director, Danika Nadzan, will remain as a board member to focus on ETSN’s future community programs. 
 
Danika feels it’s time for someone new to bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the organization, and is happy to hand over the day-to-day functions to Amy so she can focus on future projects.
 
Since its beginnings in 2009, ETSN has continued to expand, and over the years has helped get approximately 4,000 pets spayed or neutered. In 2011, the pet food pantry was added, and now assists about 500 Carter County pets each month.
 
The latest project, the mobile wellness care unit, is moving forward since the donation of an RV by the Glenda Taylor Delawder Charitable Trust. And through the generosity of Michael Barnett and Big John’s Closeouts, we hope to relocate operations from the Purr-ple Bus to new office space at 150 East Elk Avenue once renovations are complete.
 
Amy Willis grew up in the area and graduated from Happy Valley High School. She previously worked for the Unicoi Animal Shelter and is currently a Girl Scout Leader. She has rescued and fostered many animals—that’s Moose the one-eyed wonder cat in the photo with her, and you can see more of her furry friends at Sir Mewingtonworth’s Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/sirmewingtonworth
 
She brings a unique combination of personal experience and understanding of the local pet owners, and a strong commitment to improving the lives of the pets in their care, all with the goal of keeping them healthy and out of the shelter.
Amy is very excited to come on board as ETSN’s executive director, and plans to work closely with the community and volunteers to keep the programs running well. She has always been very passionate about helping people and animals, and looks forward to being a part of ETSN and serving the community and their pets.
 
We are very lucky to have Amy join us, and look forward to a bright future together!

February's weather wasn't much help for this year's Hunka, Hunka Furry Love event on Saturday the 13th. Snow during the week and extremely low temps forced us to cancel most of the activities. But volunteer Tracie Mosley wasn't going to let that stop her from setting up to do pet photos! Tractor Supply gave her a spot to put her Valentine's photo booth, and we had several folks bring their precious pets for Valentine's pics. Here they are:

Hey you two, it's not HOWLoween!