HISTORY and PURPOSE

Jesse C. Beesley, a local noted sculptor, was instrumental in forming the first humane society in Rutherford County in 1976. He inspired the formation of the spay/neuter clinic in 1992.

Beesley is especially proud it was instrumental in establishing the requirement that all adopted animals be spayed/neutered and in support of that requirement we operate a low-cost spay/neuter clinic where approximately 250 surgeries (both Shelter adoptions and public pets) are performed each month. Since the opening of our clinic in May 1992 we have performed thousands of surgeries (approximately 40 thousand)!

GOALS

Today, the Beesley Foundation, operating the clinic, is dedicated to decreasing the suffering caused by pet overpopulation. Some of the many things we do at the foundation are:

• Offering low-cost spay and neuter alternatives for both shelter adopted pets and pets of the general public;.
• We work to increase responsible pet ownership by providing educational programs in our schools using video tapes, instructions, and various literature, including sponsorship of KIND News in classrooms.
• We stress the importance of spaying and neutering all pets through use of literature, displays and presentations;
• Aiding rescue groups and feral cat rescues

These are some of the many ways the clinic continues toward the goals of Mr. Beesley, a true friend of animals. We believe that cruelty and abuse of helpless creatures is inexcusable, and we are dedicated to doing everything within the limits of our resources to combat cruelty. We believe that benign neglect in the form of lack of medical care (including spay/neuter), lack of identification, and lack of proper restraint and training is the most common form of animal abuse. We further believe that through population control fewer animals will be subjected to homelessness and suffering.