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Monday 9am - 5:30pm Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm Thursday 9am - 5:30pm Friday 9am - 6:30pm Saturday 9am - 4pm

Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

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Madison, TN
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

SAFPAW believes in knocking down poverty obstacles that exist for those we serve and their pets.

The Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare (SAFPAW) is a local non-profit serving Davidson County by working to improve the quality of life in our community for people and pets in need. SAFPAW provides pet food, supplies, and veterinary care free of charge pet owners who are homeless, or living at or below the poverty level. Our weekly Spay/Neuter Transport picks up every Thursday morning and brings each pet back that same evening. Animals are spayed or neutered, fully vaccinated, dewormed, treated for fleas & ticks and nails trimmed. In addition our weekly transport helps with basic wellness pet needs. Our homeless outreach program provides food, camping supplies, and other basic needs to those we serve. We also assist those looking to secure more permanent housing by helping with transportation, acquiring necessary IDs (such as social security card, state ID or drivers license, birth certificate, etc.), working through the application process, and everything in-between, including move-in day! SAFPAW is able to make a tremendous positive impact in the lives of people and pets throughout Davidson County, but only with the help of our generous and compassionate community. Swing by our page at Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - SAFPAW and "Like" us to stay up to date on all of the amazing work being done every day. And don't forget to come check out our website too (www.safpaw.org) and consider making a donation so that we can all continue to build our community better and stronger every day!

03/12/2026

Sweet Terrance. He and Otis came to us from our friends at Pet Community Center. They were two old tomcats in their TNR program but they were not really in good enough shape to send back outside. So we were asked to take them in. Now Otis is a huge feral orange tomcat who was determined to not ever like us. But in the past week he has allowed us to pet him and rub his ears!

And Terrance. I have to admit right here that he has stolen my heart. He truly can have a fierce look and he is huge with those big ole cheeks. Now I love every cat in our sanctuary but I’m just going to come clean. I love Terrance. He is a true tomcat, fierce on the outside with a marshmallow center.

Bless his heart though, he has a UTI (urinary tract infection). So we spent the afternoon at Goodlettsville Animal Hospital getting that diagnosed and we returned to the sanctuary with all the medicine he needs. In two weeks he will return for a recheck and I’ve also scheduled Terrance for a spa day. He needs a good bath and grooming, don’t you agree? He has spent his whole life as an outdoor feral tomcat and I just think he needs a day of pampering.

A cat sanctuary is more than just a home for cats. We have to monitor every cat and their health. You cannot take animals in without making sure that under your care they are truly living their best life.

Terrance is truly my love. But every cat we give a home to has our heart. As does Rowdy, our fierce canine protector.

We aren’t the fanciest but we are the most fiercely loving sanctuary.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com

03/08/2026

This Saturday was our SAFPAW Lunch Meals delivery days. The weather reports promised rain and possible storms, but we had lunch meals to deliver and people to hug.

Our assembly and delivery team of folks are the most amazing people ever. It takes a special person to roll with organized chaos and to love the people we serve.

One aspect about our team is that when we deliver we look for alleys and forgotten or ignored places. The places where people at their lowest find refuge. That is where we go with lunch meals, blankets, sleeping bags, hygiene kits, socks and really anything that makes a life that has hit rock bottom a little softer.

You probably know by now that I rarely take pictures on these Saturdays. We find these days to be sacred, not from a religious standpoint but rather a trust that we’ve formed with the people we serve.

We pulled up to one location and we got out with meals in hand. One of my favorite men looked at the others and said, “see I told you they would be here today”. He looked at me and said, “it is stormy and still you all come”. I told him that he means to much to us to cancel over dark clouds and rain. They asked for a few extra lunch meals so we went back to our vehicles for more. As we were hugging our goodbyes he reminded everyone of the next Saturday we would be back.

People depend upon our promise of lunch meals we deliver every other Saturday. We depend upon you to make these days financially possible. That is how this works.

We left for our next stop where we needed to drop off pet food and lunch meals. The rain was not going to stop us.

Laurie Green
Lori Eslick
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw
safpawmeals@gmail.com
safpawnashville@gmail.com

03/07/2026

We are really loving our cat-proof screened in front porch! I want to thank Maggie Mandell Ramsey for her ideas and for showing me her catio porch and for Mike and Belle for bringing the porch to reality.

We still have items to add that will make it an outdoor cat haven. But a sanctuary is, I have found since 2016, a constantly changing and never “done” kind of haven. I had a vision and so it began with our first sanctuary. Where we are now is closer, but we have 1 more move to make.

However we are so loving the progress we are making right where we are. I will never let where we will be take away from where we are. Rowdy, our old dog, came to us after Charlie died. Rowdy was one of his camp dogs and he absolutely takes his role as our guardian so very seriously. And Rowdy loves his cats so much. Rowdy loves being needed and believe me, he is so needed.

George was the first cat to discover this new room of our sanctuary but now the others are venturing out. It is so much fun to watch them realize that the front porch is now for them just as it has been for us.

Because a sanctuary is a haven for all who live there. I was once criticized for putting the happiness of the animals living there equal to that of the humans living there. But my vision remains, a place where home is found for both. Maybe not a forever home, many of our cats have been adopted and members of our family have moved on. While some have passed on. But our sanctuary is a home for the time we are needed.

We know where we are, we know our mission and we aim for where we need to finally be. But for now we are loving our life and our sanctuary family.

Oh! And the board you see on the right. Rowdy gets upset if he ever sees a possum or raccoon so we put that up for a calming truce. When I first started planning our screened in catio my first concern was where our possums would eat and find protection from bad weather. I found a huge and deep dog house where a possum could eat and drink and find refuge. But we had to find a way to keep Rowdy from getting all upset at the proximity of possum and his space. This simple barrier solved everything. I’m thankful for Brett and Jason for making this happen!

And we are always grateful for our sanctuary manager, Michael Lash, for making the day to day work.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com

03/06/2026

We had 2 kitties to take into our full service vet partner, Goodlettsville Animal Hospital on Thursday. Stella was left behind in a vacated apartment so maintenance called us in as management said she had to go today. She is an old girl with a bite wound in her neck, but it is showing signs of healing. So she has her medicine we came home with and a plan to get her all well and gain some weight! And Jaycee has long struggled with UTI issues and from time to time has to go in to get him back on track. His life began in a dumpster where he was found by camp members we worked with. He was just a kitten but is now a 5 year old kitty who is loved beyond reason.

Ahh but the bonus of today’s visit was Poppy and his Mom Karen, a vet tech at GAH. He came to work with Mom so I could see how big he has gotten! Karen asked to foster him when he was just a kitten but after less than a month she called and asked if that could change to “foster to adopt”. And he is a beautiful and very spoiled kitty with a big ole dog brother and Karen and her family adore Poppy.

Another adoption graduate from our SAFPAW Cat Sanctuary!

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com

03/05/2026

Yesterday was one of our best SAFPAW Spay/Neuter Transports. You know those days that are just magical? My amazing niece Shelly Cash, who has always helped me in any task that we needed her help in, she rode with me and that made the day very special. And she is so good with every animal, she just has that way about her.

These are some of the people whose animals were on our transport. Did you know that so many of the people we help we have a relationship that often goes back a decade or more? And that we have never “advertised” this program yet it has filled up every week simply by word of mouth from the pet owners we have served.

And yet this is the program we may have to stop running this summer. Grants and donations have not met the need and the costs of all of our programs are up as the needs each meet have increased. Along with our Wellness Pet Program these both make a real difference to the people and pets we serve.

Our Spay/Neuter & Wellness Program has served pet owners for 26 years. We go where no one else goes and we find pet owners no one else even knows to look for.

In these 26 years we have spayed or neutered, vaccinated and dewormed over 22,400 dogs and cats who belonged to pet owners who lacked the money and transportation to do this on their own. And that number does not include our voucher program that began in 1990 and ended in 2005.

And the people and pets we serve mean so much to all of us at SAFPAW. By making sure these animals are fixed and vaccinated we make it easier (and possible) for their people to get into housing. And stay in housing, as each year when they go through the process of housing recertification they must show that their pets are current on vaccines.

I will post our QR codes in the comments. And I realize that these days are scary and so uncertain. But they are also scary for nonprofits because we see the needs and we sit on the couches or in the tents of those who need us. If we have to say “we cannot help at this time” the need does not go away. Rather it multiplies.

So we need you as never before. And we appreciate you as never before.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com

03/01/2026

So much takes me away from the sanctuary but when I spend a day there I’m reminded of what it means to me.

Every cat and our precious “guard dog” Rowdy who call our sanctuary home, they matter. From our first sanctuary in 2016 to now, this was always my dream. To give a home to animals and people who were tired of homelessness.

Our current sanctuary is getting closer to where I want it to be. The front porch is now screened in with cat proof screen. And sitting outside and watching Rowdy and the cats also sitting outside as they give a warning to every free roaming squirrel just gives me such joy.

Today was a day I got back to where I need to be. Along with our sanctuary manager Michael Lash, we were joined by my good friend Sally Jaye. She gave us her Saturday to help give the sanctuary a good cleaning. We cleaned inside and out and it felt good.

A sanctuary is an always changing home. You find what works and what doesn’t for our cats. You work towards what helps us keep our sanctuary home not just clean, but easier to clean. I’ve found that I have to be willing to learn what makes our cats happy, what makes Rowdy feel happy and for him sitting outside and watching all that goes on around him just puts such peace on his sweet face.

I love the work we put into our sanctuary. And I loved getting back to my first love today. Working today with Michael and Sally Jaye took me back to the day in 2016 when I walked into our first sanctuary. I’m going to make my schedule reflect that day moving forward. I love the cats and Rowdy so much. And what we have accomplished in our sanctuary since 2016 means everything to me.

Some days remind you of why you walk the path you walk. Today was that day.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com

02/28/2026

We have a need for an artist to draw a sketch of the sanctuary we are moving towards. I will sit with you and describe what we are actively working to bring into being. It does not need to be fancy. A rendering in black and white will show what my vision shows.

If you can donate your talents we would be grateful but I am so open to paying what I know your talent is worth.

Please contact me. I’d love to work with you on our move to a place where we have been working towards all along.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

safpawnashville@gmail.com
Resource line (please text)
615-474-8390

02/27/2026

A dear man who was not housed died a few days ago. “Initial reports” think that his friends made a fire to keep him warm and the wind blew it on him. They think he had fallen asleep and just did not wake up in time.

In my 25 years this has happened before. Being homeless is dangerous and it takes at least a decade off of your lifespan. But homelessness takes so much more than that. It takes your dignity. It takes any sense of security away. It creates a heightened sense of your surroundings and even after finding permanent housing people find that they cannot let their guard down.

Of course housing solves homelessness but it isn’t so cut and dry as that. There are so many reasons why folks fall into homelessness and getting back on your feet has to take into account what got you there in the first place. Bootstraps aren’t the answer you think it is, no one wants to live on the streets and I do not care what you think you know about being homeless. I’ve walked too many paths in the woods to a camp and found the most amazing people I’ve ever known at the end of that path. They are complicated, smart, capable yet they have suffered trauma that would leave most in a corner, unable to get back up. Yet they do and they are survivors, but what they survived has come with a cost.

We have criminalized homelessness and now simply the act of surviving is just about impossible. An encampment that used to bring some sense of community is now an act that can get you arrested. That is where we are now at, arresting people for the act of surviving.

There are answers but they are multilayered and yes, the answers are not free. But I am getting so angry at the increased calls we are getting from folks who do not know where to turn. And we are at the mercy of Nashville and every damn mayor and council from 2001 to now has passed the buck and refused to stand up for our citizens who have no place to call a home.

I’ve written so many columns about this. I have stood with my peers as we have marched and rallied and yet nothing has changed. And in a city with a reported estimate of 2,000 evictions every month it is getting worse.

So please, vote in our local elections. Make sure to check with the folks who have our boots on the ground before you vote for mayor or council member.

I’m not sure exactly how many are trying to find someplace hidden to sleep tonight, but I do know it is one too many. And if it was your son or daughter, your father or mother then it would matter so much more.

No one should die because they were trying to stay warm.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw
safpawnashville@gmail.com

02/22/2026

NASHVILLE & Davidson County:

For Sunday, 2/22/26.

Metro will open the Emergency Weather shelter at 7PM tonight and close at 7AM Monday morning.

PLEASE bring your pet(s)! Do not ever leave them behind.

Their location is 3230 Brick Church Pike.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

02/21/2026

NASHVILLE & Davidson County:

For Saturday, 2/21/26.

Metro will open the Emergency Weather shelter at 7PM tonight and close at 7AM Sunday morning.

PLEASE bring your pet(s)! Do not ever leave them behind.

Their location is 3230 Brick Church Pike.

Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw

Address

1326 Plum Street
Madison, TN
37115

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 6:30pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+16154748390

Website

https://www.safpaw.org/take-action

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