SPA (Safe Place for Animals) is a trifecta of animal love. It is a combo no-kill shelter/affordable and friendly veterinarian office/thrift store (all profits benefit the shelter). My mom took me to "visit the animals" and warned me that I would have a hard time not bringing one home. Well...she was right. I had to resist, but I was *this close* to be adopted by one of the sweetest, ugliest cats I've ever encountered. I kind of cried when I was holding her. The folks that SPA are very friendly and obviously put a lot of love in the place. That is evident with the super tidy and spacious cat rooms and dog kennels. I'm not quite ready to bring home a sibling for my cat...but when I am, I will most definitely return to SPA. read more

My spouse had called and asked if there was any space for a dog, she tried explaining due to having a three-month-old baby, our dog has refused to adapt and is having behavioral issues. She tried explaining that our dog has had potty and behavioral training but refuses to listen/adapt. She was then met with an unprofessional response and attitude from the woman on the phone (unsure on who it was, never got a name). The women told my spouse that she should've understood the commitment when we got the dog, mind you we got the dog almost two years ago. When asked where we got the dog, my wife told her where, and was told that we needed to take the dog back. She also had the audacity to say, "Just because you had a baby, isn't means to re-home a dog." We feel that this is very unprofessional and disrespectful. They need an entire new staff, or new management. read more

Never go to this place, the service is terrible and the lady is an animal hoarder. My family drove over an hour to come to this place after seeing a great dog that was a perfect fit for my family. The first time we came the owner lady told us to come back later because they were understaffed. We then had to drive back the next day and when we finally met the dog he was great, we loved meeting him and applied to adopt him. After weeks of waiting, the lady finally called us back and told us she could not move forward with our application for no apparent reason. Never go to this place, I feel bad for the animals because this lady will never let them find their true home. If I could give 0 stars I would. read more

Adoption process is very organized. They aim to place pets in loving homes. Love the staff that runs the place. Very friendly and pleasant to talk to them. read more

I cannot believe these reviews. I rescued a little tiny kitten that someone just threw out their car window in 26* weather on main street in Gallatin 9 years ago. I brought her to SPA and they told me that her eyes were clawed and scratched so bad and she had a broken jaw. She also had icicles on her face, ears and paws. they told me if I kept her that they would take care of the whole vet bill and her medication for her eyes. her jaw had to heal on its own. they determined she was about 8 weeks old. I still have her to this day and she is now 9yrs 5 months old. SPA is nothing but the best. everyone is kind, courteous, caring, loving people. they are also very professional and they keep the animals safe and their place very clean. you must remember that most of all their staff there are volunteers and work very hard. so if you are going to complain, go volunteer and then come back and write a review. all that gave bad reviews should be ashamed of yourselves. I volunteered there and completely understand how much hard work it takes to care for all those precious animals. Instead of complaining, go "VOLUNTEER" Stephanie C read more

Safe Place For Animals - My Princess Peppa - Veterinarians Near Me - Gallatin, Tennessee

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After working there...the animals, loved them, heart and soul!! Loved working with and taking cate of them! I had no issue doing the down and dirty work as a kennel technician, for very low pay. BUT, I was fine with that​! It's for the animals! But the owner.. terrible, awful person. Acts like she does it for the animals, but I have serious doubts. 2nd in command.. very rude, treats everyone that works there as a child and very unprofessional. I criticize the owner, not the animals. Please rescue the animals from this awful place. read more

I have left a very detailed account with company in the photos. I am very upset on how I was treated. Ms. Townsend was very unprofessional and try's to silence people with fear of lawsuit for slander. read more

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i highly recommend this place ! i took my long haired cat to get groomed ; it's very hard to find groomers who will do cats , and this was so reasonable, and she did a great job! He bit and scratched us both , yet she was so kind and patient ! i found my forever groomer ! read more

On Friday (3/8) afternoon, I went to the shelter to see a puppy named Cisco. When I got there I went to the front, but was told to go to the back if I wanted to see a dog. No problem. When I get to the back, I speak to Susie and explain my situation. We were looking for a companion for our dog, Luna, who was once used as a bait dog and struggles with anxiety. She needed a dog friend. I didn't hide Luna's history and I showed photos to Susie which showed her lack of fur and scarred appearance. Susie agreed Cisco would be a great option for us because of his calm and easy going nature. I asked if we could bring Luna in the morning to meet with Cisco. She agreed enthusiastically. Next morning, I walk in and Cisco is covered in dried mud. We got there not long after they opened meaning he probably had that mud on him all night. Susie isn't there so I found another woman (blonde) and explain what I discussed with Susie. She and the brunette back there were clearly annoyed I was there. I asked if we could do the meet and greet in the front office's waiting room due to our dog being previously abandoned and we didn't want her to think we were going to leave her. We were denied. They bring Cisco out, in the rain, and as soon as the first woman saw our dog all of her walls went up. We are completely fine with questions regarding our dog. They are understandable. We are happy to answer questions and provide examples if need be. We also understanding needing to be on your guard during meet and greets. However, the way the looked at and treated our dog was unacceptable. Luna is obviously nervous but it isn't because of the puppy. It's because of the environment. Please note: Luna is mainly ignoring the puppy and not once did she show any aggression. The blond woman begins to imply our dog may bite the puppy even though Luna is clearly staying focused on staying with my husband. We tell her that's never happened and we have a firm handle on her regardless. Despite this, for the next 30 minutes we continue to hear about how we "just never know" and about how our dog has the potential to be violent. I wonder if they'd do that if it was a scarred up lab or golden retriever? I doubt it. A brunette wouldn't stop glaring at Luna and even had the audacity to ask if Luna had "ever even been AROUND puppies?!" in a hateful, short, accusatory voice while looking at Luna like she's a monster. Luna had puppies herself. As soon as they saw Luna, they made their decision on our approval status and they made it very clear. During the whole meet and greet, the blonde told multiple stories to try prove "we just never know" because she lacked the social grace to realize enough was enough (even after we expressed our frustration at her continuous accusations). She even told a story about how she found out her "sweet" dog was racist. Dogs reflect the prejudices of their owners so we found that interesting. She even used a story regarding a dog that'd been clearly overbred to make a point that Luna could suddenly attack. It was unbelievable. The lack of social intelligence was staggering. We get the concern (and I'm sure their reaction wasn't meant to be hateful or personal), but they made it clear they believed us naive and it was only a matter of time before "Luna snapped". Like we would endanger a puppy for the sake our own desires. The vibes made the whole thing awkward and awful. Dogs can sense that so of course Luna was afraid. I would be too if I had two women looking at me like that. I expressed my concerns regarding their behavior to a woman upfront who tried to act like they were just stressed and that they are one of the few to rescue puts (wrong - most adoption places do now - the fact you even see that as a badge of honor is a problem because pits shouldn't be viewed as extra special cases or more dangerous ones). I was met with what felt to be empty apologies and weak excuses. We left and found a perfect puppy at the Humane Society of Sumner County. The people there were incredible and kind. This was our first experience with our sweet Luna being looked at like she was a monster. Everyone who knows her loves her. Please see attached photos of new puppy (Remus) and our "dangerous" Luna - one photo is her and a tripod cat whose her bestie. I'm sure the dog will find a good home, but the way they spoke to us and acted towards our dog was beyond terrible. TL;DR: the people at this place have no social grace or manners. They make you feel like a burden and judge dogs based on appearance and act like they are the only ones who know much about dogs to the point of acting like they know YOUR dog better than you do...I'm sure they have saved many lives, but they need better bedside manner and kinder volunteers. Thank you read more

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I went there to adopt a cat and the lady that was outside "helping" people was very rude. The way she talked to me was very disrespectful. It made me not want to even go inside to look at any cats I was interested in adopting. Would not recommend, which is really sad because the animals are probably sweet hearts. She just made me feel so anxious and disrespected that I had to leave. read more

Took my little girl Raven in for grooming. She was treated like a princess! I will come here for grooming from now on read more

Safe Place For Animals - Veterinarians Near Me - Gallatin, Tennessee

Staff was incredibly rude! I checked online to see if they were open and it said they were , went in and saw the open sign on the front door and the hours of operations which also said they were open. We followed the instructions to go to the back and we were met by the rudest worker, she huffed and puffed and said they were closed due to short staff and we wouldn't be able to see any dogs til later in the week. Yes it was inconvenient for me to drive 30 minutes there just to be turned away due to being short staffed but I was mainly just upset about the workers terrible attitude and rudeness . Poor pups that have to deal with that miserable lady. Ended up adopting from Nashville Humane! Loved everything about the process and staff there! read more

Nasty people, nasty director, kennels set up to constantly agitate dogs, always sounds like a 50-dog dogfight is going on. You get judged by the nasty workers who clearly know nothing about pet care and treated like an animal abuser. The director is the only one who approves people, she won't delegate, apparently she's the only judge of character capable of making decisions. After 9 days, 6 calls and two visits, one in which she scared a dog we were meeting to tell the handler she was the only one to handle a situation so our visit was cut short and the dog was more nervous than before, I forced her to call me back to tell me she's declining my application because of the lack of vet records. Demanding you to have a full schedule of vet records is an ignorant way to screen people. My pets don't get sick and I do my own immunizations, on a 3 year schedule because yearly isn't necessary and the injections are full of cancer. All my pets have lived beyond their lifespans except one who got cancer. The director needs to find a hobby and get out of pet rescue. She makes things worse. This agency is an insult to true animal lovers. Avoid this awful place. read more

The younger girls working at the place with animals are so kind and gentle. However the adoption process is horrid. They make you fill out an application and then don't ever respond... I PARTIALLY understand why they don't do same day adoptions... I get they need to check background and see if the families are trustworthy... HOWEVER why the heck would you have a family submit and application, that you have to write down everything about yourself and your momma.... AND THEN they don't respond AT ALL. Not only is the staff in the office not kind but the application process is so annoying and unfair! The application is horrid and you're LUCKY if you even get to talk about the ACTUAL adoption of the pet... Don't waste your time. They have so many animals here yet don't want to give them out. You shouldn't offer adoptions if you don't want to actually give these pets away to good loving families... I understand most of these pets come from bad conditions and situations HOWEVER... if I could give this business a bit of advice... have a little faith in people and let these pets go to good loving families... not everyone is as bad you may make them out to be... The owner of this business is very judgmental, maybe not everyone is like her but that doesn't make them a bad fit for the animals she's rescued. read more

OMG I am so grateful for safe place for animals for taking in my little old man in and taking such good care of him. I was beside myself with worry. And crying when I got the phone call! Microchip your pets. It was a blessing for me! He's almost 15 and they took such sweet care of him. I can't thank them enough! read more

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I saw mixed reviews of SPA, so I didn't know exactly what my experience was going to be when potentially adopting a pet. Many reviews talk about the application process, or the owner, etc. I understand some of these people are hurt that they were not accepted or some claim were accepted but ignored when approved for a dog. This is my take... SPA wants the absolute best for all animals, especially the animals they take in. With that being said, they will screen you (talk with you, see how you do with the animal, and then an application). If they don't feel that it is a good fit, they will deny you. And I am very sorry for the people who are wanting to adopt a baby so bad but then denied. In all honesty, they have no obligation to accept you for their animals. I've heard they will keep animals for years before they let them get adopted to make sure that they find the perfect home. Because of this, there should be no need to say ugly things about the owner or the shelter. Not being accepted for a certain pet does not mean that you would not be a good owner; you just might not be a good fit for the particular dog you want. The owner has done a couple check ins, answered my phone call, and gave me a lot of advice and recommendations which I am so thankful for. I want to leave this review on something I saw on a post. All dogs deserve a home, but not all homes deserve a dog. read more

I brought my fur baby in to have her ears checked out because they were bothering her. Everyone there was very nice, sweet and unbelievably helpful. I felt comfortable and welcomed. Thanks for a great experience! read more

If you are thinking about adopting a pet, DON'T GO HERE. This place is a joke. You aren't allowed inside but instead MUST know exactly which animal you would like to see. If for example you are wanting to see a specific dog, you need to know which one, once they bring the animal out you are NOT allowed to take the dog for a walk or even hold the leash. You can only pet the dog and NOTHING MORE! If you think you might like to adopt the pet you've seen, you'll need to fill out an application, which is standard anywhere. The problem here is that they NEVER call your references or you back to let you know. You would be better off going to a puppy mill! The only reason this has a one star rating is because. read more

Not only can you find a perfect furry companion (please don't buy from back yard breeders, and pet stores) Safe Place for Animals offers a thrift store, grooming services, and now extremely affordable vet services. At this time, they offer wellness checks, and are able to give shots/worm/heart meds. The Vet only works three/four days a week, but if more people use this service, then she may be able to move to SPA full-time. Not only that, but if more patrons use these services, it will help accumulate the funds needed to buy the necessary equipment for more intrusive medical needs. Last week my German Shepherd was limping, we took her in, and found out that she had broken a toe. While there, we also updated her shots. The Vet was awesome. She was attentive, down-to-earth, caring and you could see the compassion and love she had for my dog. The entire check-up (body check, two shots, meds), came to about $50.00. All of which go straight back into the rescue organization. My old vet charged $77-just for walking in the door. If you don't mind the smell, and sounds of the many furry friends who want to come home with you (and perhaps you will adopt another one while you're there) give it a try and support these poor little animals. I forgot to mention that I also checked out the books while we waited for our appointment, and bought two books for my daughter. They were "buy one get one free". I payed around1.00 for both. Not too shabby. read more

Can't recommend this place at all and feel sorry for the animals in their care if they are treated the way we were today when we drove 30 minutes there with our dog to do a meet and greet with a dog we saw on their site. We were meant by a lady on the front porch who acted almost as if she had no idea why we would show up on a Saturday with our dog on a leash when, in fact, I called earlier in the week and they told me we did not need an appointment and to definitely bring our dog with us if we came to see a particular dog as bringing ours would be part of the adoption process. Without going into too many of the details I can sum it up by saying we felt mistrusted, awkward and judged. We have a mixed breed boxer and Catahoula hound who is the sweetest dog ever. Just loves everyone, but she clearly looked at him with mistrust and disdain. We are certain she wrote us off instantly, because she just did not like him. We could have provided a wonderful home for the dog we came to see but clearly she thinks so highly of her dogs and not anyone else's that she is not in any rush to get them adopted at all which is sad for the animals there. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. If she would have spent any time with us and our dog she would have discovered we could have been a great family for one of hers. read more

We recently had to look for a new house and in the process we took our cat there that we adopted from them before, Bean, to stay while we looked for apartments. They failed to tell us they were making us sign surrender papers, and made it seem like we would be able to get him back. When we called to get him back into our care she was extremely rude and disrespectful and claimed she didn't feel comfortable giving him back and even hung up in our faces. I tried to get him back but it turns out he's already been adopted and our family is torn. read more

This place is terrible! The people are SO rude. All the dogs were barking and the worker was yelling at them to stop. You have to look in the book to see what dogs you want. All the cats were staring at the dogs through two small rooms. Wouldn't recommend this shelter. read more

I'm looking at all of the reviews for SPA and wondering if you are all looking at the whole picture. This place is being manned mostly by volunteers. No, it's probably not perfect....It's hard when you have so many things going on i.e. clinic/shelter/store. You need a lot of people to run a place like this...sometimes not enough helpers show up to bathe the animals after they wake up and run outside on a muddy morning. Not enough help to clean up after over a hundred sheltered animals first thing in the morning. Not enough time to investigate to make sure the animal finds a good home. Ask not what this kind and caring group of people can do for you, but ask how you can help them in their efforts to save beautiful local animals. read more

I went to SPA looking for a dog to be my trail buddy and companion. I found a great dog and applied for him. I proceeded to contact the shelter sporadically over the next 3 weeks (they had told me it would take about a week). Each time I got the same answer, "no update". Today, I finally got in touch with a volunteer who does screenings and she told me that because I lived downtown, that I couldn't have the breed of dog I applied for. I then asked her whether the dog having a large fenced backyard and a large house to roam would be better than the cage he has to stay in at the shelter to which I was told "not with someone like you". I concur with the review that say that this shelter seems like it does not want the animals there to be adopted and its a shame. Their mission statement and their actions are very conflicting and its sad to know that that dog is going to continue to spend its life in a cage because someone at the shelter didn't appreciate how excited and persistent I was to bring him home. Seriously shameful. P.S.: The review says I live in Orlando, but I'm in Nashville. read more

Worst experience ever and I work in the rescue area. I understand wanting to make sure pets go to a good home, but this place is ridiculous. It's like they don't want any of the animals to find homes, even though there were over 170 the times we were there. Makes me wonder if they are getting money based on how many animals they have. Stinks like you would not believe. Make sure you are approved for adoption before even looking at the animals. It takes forever, they are in no hurry, and you have to keep calling to get anywhere. read more

We went to ask for help with a dog we were trying to care for. A tiny poodle in distress from being kept by a hoarder in poor conditions. He was matted and very smelly from bad teeth. He was groomed right away and we have an appt. for dental work. Thank you to this wonderful place. read more

This was terrible customer service very unprofessional i am highly disappointed .i have called and emailed numerous times and they have yet to get back to me read more

We adopted two dogs from SPA one year ago. We could tell all the animals were happy, well cared for and loved by the staff. The Clinic Doctor was also very caring. We made 2 or 3 visits to make sure we found a dog(s) who would mesh with our life style and personalities. And, we did. Our furbabies are great! After we brought them home, the staff called telling us the favorite toy of one of the dogs was left behind. They made sure he got his toy! Now, that is love and that is how caring SPA is. Great place to adopt a cat or dog. I wish I could adopt all of them. Thank you SPA for your great work and love. read more

This is the most unprofessional place I have ever had to deal with. I applied to adopt a puppy, they also let six other people apply for that one. They never once called to tell us anything. But when I called all she could do is apologize for pickup by another family. I called numerous times just to check on the progress of the application, they just don't seem to review the applications at all. This place is absolute joke. They make you feel like a criminal for trying to adopt an animal. read more

UNORGANIZED. UNPROFESSIONAL. RUDE. OVERCROWDED. SMELLS TERRIBLE. First of all, this is the worst smelling shelter I've ever been in. I had a bad feeling about this place but applied to adopt anyway because I wanted to provide a loving home for a new family member. I was told it would take a couple of days to hear back from them. After 2 weeks of trying to get an answer about the status of my application and no returned phone calls from the woman who apparently handles all adoptions, she finally took my call. I learned that the fur baby I applied for was already adopted. According to her, there had been several applications for her. Not once did anyone tell me we were in line behind other applications. AND as it turns out, she had been adopted 2 weeks prior, the entire time I had been making my calls to them. I don't even know if anyone even looked at my application. After this experience with SPA I adopted from another local shelter and the difference between the other shelter and SPA is like night and day in every way. I would never, ever recommend SPA. read more

When you adopt a puppy from a shelter, you assume your adopting a healthy puppy that can be around your other animals. We adopted a puppy from SPA recently and paid the regular adoption fee of $160 and have paid on top of that an additional $260 dollars for her to be a healthy puppy. Not to mention now having to have parasite screenings on our other dog. After contacting the shelter, the response I got was "she's only had her one wormer". I understand that, but during the first day of having her home, we knew she had worms from looking at her poop and they were tapeworms, so they were just falling out of her anus. she end up having 4 different parasites. The dog in the cage below her had a sign that said "do not touch, sick dog." I hope these animals are getting the health attention they need. We rescued our first pup and never had these problems. I'm glad we have her now and can make her a healthy dog. read more

I not sure why anyone would give them 5 stars but you will notice that no one seems to be able to speak of their experience of adopting a pet. My wife and I tried to adopt a dog and we just got the run a round. There is something odd about this place. Anyhow, after numerous attempts for weeks our application was never reviewed. They just kept saying that they would look at it in a couple days. This place needs to be investigated! read more

I do not understand these negative reviews. SPA tells you up front, their adoption process is not on a 'first come, first served' basis. They carefully review prospective adoptees and only place their beloved animals in a home once they are certain it is the RIGHT home. They are absolutely devoted to these animals. Since they are a no-kill shelter, they can be more selective about where their animals are placed. I found their facility to be very clean and tidy. The staff is helpful, caring and knowledgeable. I will be taking advantage of their affordable veterinary services from now on, and am in the process of adopting a new pet. Please stop by and show these animals some love. Don't buy from a breeder or pet store, give an animal from SPA a second chance! read more

Safe Place for Animals is 5 stars in my opinion. Over the years they have saved countless thousands of animals that had no other options. (they are the voice for the voiceless) I highly recommend that you visit the SPA facility and find your best friend forever. They also have a vet clinic to help with all of your medical needs (amazing prices also for high quality care). read more

How can this place get good reviews! Rude and unprofessional management! We were called and told we were approved for adoption. We had bonded with the dog. Suddenly this lady will not return our calls or the calls from our Vet office. The concern at this place is not for the dogs. I'm not sure what the concern is exactly. It is loud and smelly and they treat you like a criminal who is just about to make run for it with their dog. This place should NOT have a 501c status!!! When asked about their board of directors, they will not give you that information. Red flag! read more

Great pricing, friendly staff! Double check their address. The one on yelp is incorrect and they are moving to a new location soon.

It makes me sad to see the terrible reviews about this place because SPA truly does care about their animals so much. They put the care of the animal before anything else. These reviews about a hard application process, rudeness, etc. are because these employees see so much. Every day, selfish people surrender their animals for petty reasons, and it's so easy to become untrusting of others. I appreciate Diana checking my references and making sure that Penny went to a safe home. Any reputable rescue group goes to great lengths to check vet references and ensures the adopter is truly ready for a pet commitment. We are so thankful SPA chose us to be Penny's new parents! Thank you for ALL you do for animal rescue. It can be a thankless job. read more

This place is terrible. The smell is horrid! SPA is by far the worst smelling shelter I've ever visited. The smell should have been the first reason to run from this place but it turns out that's not the only reason. Despite the icky feeling I first got from this place, I turned in an application for a pet and was told I'd know something in 2 business days. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and after 4 days I called (and again several times after that) to check on my application and each time was told that I'd have to speak to one specific lady. The lady never returned my calls. On many occasions I was told by the other folks who answer the phone that "I don't know, I'm just a volunteer." Poor fur babies. It's no wonder they're so overcrowded in there. read more

DO NOT RECOMMEND. I don't think this place actually adopts out any animals at all. They led me on for weeks acting like my application was still being reviewed. I had to keep calling for 2+ weeks to get any kind of answer. They obviously don't care about finding these animals good homes. (They also kept changing the info on the dog, like age, energy level, etc) read more

If I could rate this less than a ONE, I would. The owner is hateful, judgmental, has an extremely nasty tone. My fence was opened by a neighbors child and my dog escaped. A neighbor, who didn't know it was our dog, took her to Safe Place. She was there less than 12 hours due to me not knowing she was missing until after their closing hours. They shaved her, gave shots (not knowing if she had them or not) and then wanted to charge $50 for me to pick her up. When I told her that I would not be paying she told me to get my children out of the store and then she would give me the dog. She is AWFUL. read more