Operation Adopt – Friendsville, TN
Operation Adopt Friendsville, TN
Matching orphaned animals with people who want to adopt a pet.
706 Kiser Station Road, Friendsville, TN 37737
Hours of Operation:
By Appointment Only
865-518-2725
info@tapsusa.org
Some dogs and cats become homeless because their humans can’t care for them anymore – reasons ranging from the death of the primary caretaker; to not being able to afford to feed and care for them; to being allergic to them; to not having time for them; and, for many other reasons having nothing to do with the animal.
Other animals become homeless because they get lost and they don’t have an identification tag or microchip (or their microchip information isn’t current) to get them safely back home.
Operation Adopt | Tennessee’s mission is to match-make orphaned animals with people who want to adopt a pet, instead of buying one and who don’t want to go to an animal shelter for many reasons – the predominate one being having an emotionally difficult time seeing and hearing animals with uncertain futures calling them from behind bars at a shelter.
Operation Adopt staff and volunteers search for animals in need who possess certain identifiable traits – the main ones being healthy and behaviorally sound. After passing the evaluation, the animals are given a scholarship of free room and board at an East Tennessee five-star resort while food and care are provided by Operation Adopt.
They are also spayed and neutered, brought current on vaccinations, microchipped and are then groomed (if needed) and photographed.
At their temporary home, there are nearly 10 beautiful acres for staff and volunteers to get to know these animals and for them to play, soak in nature and break into a full double-suspension run while waiting to find their forever families.
Once a match is identified, staff and volunteers stand beside that animal through the adoption process.
Operation Adopt utilizes a Structured Adoption Approach™ which consists of an application, a counseling session, having interaction with the animal on multiple occasions and conducting a home visit where the animal is observed again with family members – both human and animal. Landlord (if applicable) consent is also required to approve the size and type of animal and any required pet deposit must be paid to the landlord prior to placing the animal in the new home. Setting everyone up for success is the goal.
Staff and volunteers also stand beside the animal after the adoption is complete. Even with the most thorough adoption process, occasionally a dog or a cat may need to be returned. The biggest priority at Operation Adopt is that once an animal wears Operation Adopt’s recognizable purple collar, the animal never has to be homeless again if for any reason the adopter’s situation changes – this is called the purple collar promise and this is a core value of the nonprofit.
How does Operation Adopt afford to do all of this? Operation Adopt | Tennessee relies on donations. While space for the animal’s stay is donated, they still need food, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, microchips, leashes and collars, toys, litter and many other supplies.
In addition to donations, adoption fees help offset the cost of care. Sometimes people ask why it costs so much to adopt an Operation Adopt dog or cat (it’s true the adoption fees are higher than most organizations) but after visiting Operation Adopt Tennessee, it’s easy to understand that the adoption fee is just a number to help support a really awesome vision, an ideal, an alternative and kind way of bringing people and pets together and at the same time giving that pet the promise of a lifetime.
At Operation Adopt, the health and well being of our animals and the community are our top priorities.
