Tigger ready for surgery

Neuter surgery

Surveys throughout the Smoky Mountain region consistently revealed the need for affordable spay/neuter/vaccination services. A local survey of pet owners showed the number one reason they have not fixed their pet, cost. Kindness Counts, whose motto is “Loving, Protecting and Caring for God’s precious creatures”, quickly identified overcoming the COST barrier would contribute greatly to reducing the number of homeless pets and be one more step in fulfilling their mission. The Smoky Mountain regions long await for affordable animal care has now come to fruition!

Kindness Counts started with six members June, 2003 as Feral Cat Friends of Sevier County, trapping local feral cat colonies and taking them to P.P.A.W. (People Promoting Animal Welfare) in Greenback, TN. to be spayed, neutered, vaccinated, ear tipped, and returned.

After about a year they filed and received their 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Word spread about their program and soon they were getting stray (tame) cats as well as pet cats that people couldn’t afford to fix locally. They also started getting requests to help dogs.

Back in the early days they recorded having over 4,200 cats, 350 dogs, and 11 rabbits spayed or neutered. Of these, over 600 cats, kittens, and dogs were adopted through the Just-Furr Pets pet store on Dolly Parton Parkway, Sevierville, Tenn. The mission expanded beyond caring for feral and stray cat colonies. A new name was needed and in the spring of 2008 the group officially became known as Kindness Counts.

December 2006, seven acres on Pleasant Hill Road, Sevier County, TN were donated for a future spay/neuter clinic and future no-kill housing for pets. The property was cleaned up and dilapidated structures removed. In April of 2009, an adjoining piece of property was donated with over 2.5 acres, four useable buildings (two small houses, a garage, and pole barn), two septic systems, a well, electric, lots of road frontage, and flat land for dog runs.

For over a decade Kindness Counts has greatly impacted the lives of pets and owners throughout the Smokies region. The opening of their non-profit spay/neuter clinic is a very welcome relief to the high cost of these necessary veterinary services. Please visit Kindness Counts’ website for more in-depth details and their low-cost fees. Call them at 865-500-5508 to set an appointment for your pet and be sure to share the great news of this clinic opening with family and friends. For more information, you may visit kindnesscountstn.org.