Spay and Neuter

Applications are accepted in person during normal business hours, or can be faxed or emailed in (see below for fax number and/or email address). When staff are available, appointment scheduling is offered in-person during the week Monday through Friday from 12:00 pm through 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm through 5:30 pm. Applications that are submitted on the weekend or are faxed or emailed in will be called as soon as possible.

Appointments are scheduled first-come, first-serve. Due to high demand, appointments are generally scheduled out two months or more from the time of submitting the application, depending on application volume and appointment availability at that time. Please expect possible delays in receiving a call to be scheduled. Due to staffing and surgery volume, calls to schedule spay/neuter surgeries are typically made on Fridays. Contact 615-898-7740 ext. 2115 for any questions! See additional resources and programs via links at the bottom of the page.

*You must be scheduled for an appointment by the vet office to receive the spay/neuter service.
PAWS will not accept guests without an appointment.*

To apply: 

• The owner of the animal must complete the Free Spay/Neuter Form for each pet receiving the service and provide their current/non-expired driver's license or other form of government-issued, photo I.D. (i.e., passport, gun permit, etc.).
• If your driver's license does not reflect your current address, you must provide proof of your current Rutherford County, TN residency (i.e., water/electric bill, lease, etc.).
• Please inform if you may have another person(s) (18+ years of age) pick up and/or drop off your pet(s), for further instruction. This includes spouses.
  
  

• Fax to: 615-898-7994 (please call or email the address below to confirm your fax was received) OR
• Email to: [email protected].
  
  

• MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.
  FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don’t give them enough exercise.
• MYTH: It's better to have one litter first.
  FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures.
• MYTH: My children should experience the miracle of birth.
  FACT: Even if children are able to see a pet give birth—which is unlikely, since it usually occurs at night and in seclusion—the lesson they will really learn is that animals can be created and discarded as it suits adults. Instead, it should be explained to children that the real miracle is life and that preventing the birth of some pets can save the lives of others.
• MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.
  FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats—mixed breed and purebred.
• MYTH: I want my dog to be protective.
  FACT: Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog’s natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog’s personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones.
• MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.
  FACT: Pets don’t have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change a pet’s basic personality. He doesn’t suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered.
• MYTH: But my dog (or cat) is so special, I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her.
  FACT: A dog or cat may be a great pet, but that doesn’t mean her offspring will be a carbon copy. Professional animal breeders who follow generations of bloodlines can’t guarantee they will get just what they want out of a particular litter. A pet owner’s chances are even slimmer. In fact, an entire litter of puppies or kittens might receive all of a pet’s (and her mate’s) worst characteristics.
• MYTH: It's too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.
• FACT: The cost of spaying or neutering depends on the sex, size, and age of the pet, your veterinarian’s fees, and a number of other variables. But whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost—a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits. It’s a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to significant veterinary bills and food costs if complications develop. Most importantly, it’s a very small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of the births of more unwanted pets.
• MYTH: I'll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.
  FACT: You may find homes for all of your pet’s litter. But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year’s time, each of your pet’s offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The problem of pet overpopulation is created and perpetuated one litter at a time.

Copyright © 2009 The Humane Society of the United States. All rights reserved.

View these additional resources for low cost Spay/Neuter:

• www.spaytennessee.org