Our Mission

Our goal is to save as many companion animals as possible. We accomplish that on three important fronts: Transport, Spay and Neuter and Education.

With CASA Transport, we help existing animals in overcrowded shelters by relocating them to our rescue partners in northern states that have available space and waiting adopters. We focus on Middle and West TN to help the rural shelters and pounds that have little adoption traffic. The animals in these areas would often perish if not for transport. We currently help 40 different shelters/rescues/pounds in 30 TN counties.

With CASA Clinic, we operate a low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinic that serves area shelters and rescues and low-income community members. Our clinic has partnered with local shelters to offer community feral cat surgery days and also surgery days for owned animals in specific counties. Our combined efforts of sterilization and transport are changing the animal welfare landscape in Middle TN and beyond by dramatically reducing the number of unwanted animals in this region.

In November 2024 we launched CASA PAWS (Promoting Animal Welfare Stories). It’s never too soon to teach kids how to care for pets! CASA PAWS offers important lessons on responsible pet ownership with stories that are beautifully illustrated, fun, and filled with practical information. Education is an essential aspect of changing attitudes and improving conditions for animals, and by starting with the next generation, we hope to change the future landscape of animal welfare in TN.

Please join us in our life saving mission!

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Laura Prechel, founder of CASA, standing outdoors with arms outstretched, surrounded by numerous dog and cat travel carriers on a driveway, with greenery and a white van in the background.
“Then came the lightbulb moment to move TN dogs from overcrowded southern shelters to the empty and waiting shelters in northern states.”

How It All Started

Seeing young, healthy, adoptable animals being euthanized simply for lack of shelter space is heartbreaking. Laura felt like there had to be a way to save them, but local rescues were almost always full, and finding enough local fosters or adopters was an impossible task. Then came the lightbulb moment to move TN dogs from overcrowded southern shelters to the empty and waiting shelters in northern states. With that, a mission was born. Laura started out renting vans and doing solo transport drives in the fall of 2016. Her operation grew to the point where she was running a transport hub from her home, all while working a full time job. She gathered a small team of volunteer drivers who were able to drive the animals to safety on week days while she was at work. She would generally handle any weekend or long-haul transports. Laura and her husband purchased a Transit van in June of 2018, which was a game changer for the operation. Now there was a van sitting in the driveway ready to roll at a moment’s notice! The van allowed the team to start doing weekly transports to IL and to add regular transports to VA and IN. In 2021, Laura, Ashley and Maily decided to formally turn the transport mission into a 501c3 organization focused on raising funds to cover expenses. Since the first official CASA transport in April of 2021, we have transported over 11,000 animals to safety and the journey continues each week!

Two women standing inside an animal shelter observing a dog in a cage, one of the women is taking a photo with her phone.
Four women in an animal shelter facility, standing inside a cage area with dogs behind the metal kennels, looking at a tablet.
A woman taking a photo of a dog pound or shelter facility, with animals visible inside the kennel cages.
A brown dog with floppy ears and a pink nose inside a metal cage, looking out through the bars.
A dog with a white and brown coat sticking out its tongue inside a kennel, behind metal bars.
A small black and white dog with a red collar sitting behind metal bars in a kennel, looking out with a sad expression.
A dog behind a metal cage, with a brown and black coat and white chest, panting with its tongue out.
Brindle and white dog behind metal bars inside a kennel, looking at the camera with a sad expression.
A light-colored dog, possibly a pittie mix, behind a metal cage at an animal shelter or kennel, looking at the camera with a curious expression.
A dog behind a metal cage with a solemn expression.
A brown and white dog behind a metal gate in an indoor kennel.
A black and tan dog inside a kennel with metal bars, looking out through the bars.
A young dog with a multicolored coat, looking through a metal cage at the camera.
A brown puppy with expressive eyes and paws grabbing the metal bars of a cage, looking out.
A small dog with black and white markings stands on its hind legs behind a metal cage, looking out with wide eyes.
Four women standing inside a barn-like structure in an animal shelter faciltiy.
People at an animal shelter interacting with dogs inside kennels.
People standing outside a dog kennel, observing inside, with several dogs visible inside the fenced enclosure.
Dog kennel with three dogs standing inside, metal fence, and some dog supplies, on a concrete sidewalk with grass in foreground.
People at a dog kennel, with a woman in a teal shirt and striped shorts, a woman in a gray and white striped shirt and denim shorts, and a man in a blue shirt and jeans, with a dog inside the kennel.
Woman wearing a teal sleeveless shirt and striped shorts stands outside near a fenced dog enclosure, looking at her phone. Inside the enclosure, there are two dogs: a black Labrador and a light-colored retriever mix.
A woman washing a dog in an outdoor kennel area with metal fences on a sunny day.
Two dogs inside a kennel with metal bars, one tan and black sitting next to a blue plastic tub and a black and white dog in the background, with dog bowls on the ground.
A happy brown dog with a white chest standing on a concrete patio, panting with its tongue out, held on a leash by a person wearing blue jeans and a red shirt.
A small white dog with black spots standing on a concrete porch, leash-held by a person wearing jeans and brown boots.
A woman in a red shirt and jeans is playing with a large, gray, black, and brown dog outside a building. The woman is bending over and holding the dog's face, while the dog is sitting and looking up at her. There are metal cages and a green trash bin
A woman playfully holding a black and tan dog outside a building with a glass door, with a man standing inside in the background.
Woman holding a black and white puppy in front of a glass door and chain-link fence.
A black dog standing on a concrete porch with a person holding its leash. The dog is looking directly at the camera. The person is wearing blue jeans and brown boots.
A woman in a red shirt holding a tan and white dog on a leash, exiting a kennel. There is a black dog in the background behind a glass door.
Two women are handling a happy brown dog with black markings near a glass door. One woman is wearing a red shirt and denim jeans, while the other is wearing a gray and white striped shirt with shorts. They are outside on a concrete patio.
A happy black and white dog on a leash, kneeling on a concrete surface inside a fenced outdoor area, with a person holding its leash.
A woman in a black tank top and cap hugging a black puppy outside of an animal shelter facility, with a man standing nearby holding an orange and yellow leash, and another dog outside behind a chain-link fence looking in.
A man holding a small dog on a leash while another person takes a photo of the dog with a smartphone inside a fenced area.
A person kneeling on the ground holding a young, brindle-colored Labrador Retriever mix dog on a leash, with the dog sitting and looking at the camera, while the person is touching the dog's chest and holding the leash in their other hand.
A person with a tattoo on their arm is holding a brown puppy with a yellow and orange leash, sitting on a concrete floor near a door.
Person holding a small black and white dog indoors near a glass door, with a broom leaning against the wall outside.
A black dog on a leash stands on a paved area. Two women, one in a red shirt and the other in a blue shirt, are nearby holding leashes. The area is fenced with a grass field in the background.
A woman holding a large white dog with black markings on its ears inside a fenced outdoor area. The dog's front legs are lifted off the ground, in a playful pose.
Woman holding a large puppy outdoors near a dog kennel.
A man in a blue shirt holding a black and tan dog outside near a fenced area with other dogs inside.
Man holding a large brindle mastiff dog in a grassy field.
Two people training a happy dog on a grassy area near a kennel.
A person holds a black and brown dog on a leash in front of a fenced dog play area, with a yellow dog visible behind the fence.
A man in a blue shirt holding a black and tan puppy on a leash, with the puppy standing on its hind legs and leaning against the man's chest. A woman in a teal shirt and white striped shorts is looking at her phone nearby, in an outdoor grassy area w
A woman hugging a large, tan dog that is standing on its hind legs, with its front paws on her waist. Several people are in the background, some observing and one woman taking a photo on her phone. They are outdoors near a fenced area with grass and
Two people are tending to a dog inside a metal kennel, with other dogs visible in the background.
A person in a turquoise jacket kneeling and petting a dog inside a cage at an animal shelter.