As a young girl living in the country near the local dump, Sara Cooper encountered many abandoned pets. Her family took many of them in, and Cooper quickly bonded with those animals. She loved helping them and soon decided that was what she wanted to spend her life
doing. It was a way to serve the animals she loved and the owners and community
attached to them. As the JOY Clinic’s medical director and veterinarian, Cooper does just that.
The JOY Clinic sits next to the New Leash on Life adoption center and serves the animals in the shelter, but its primary purpose is a spay and neuter clinic. Cooper said it’s necessary because it is healthier for the animals and prevents overpopulation.
“Our goal is to reduce the number of dogs and cats that wind up in shelters or just outside without a home,” Cooper said.
Animal overpopulation can lead to abandoned pets, overcrowded shelters, and sometimes animals being euthanized because there is no one to take care of them. It’s an issue Cooper faced as a child, taking in abandoned pets, and now it is an issue she is working to fix.
Cooper’s job is especially important for community members because her services in spaying and neutering pets are often more easily accessed than those of a general practice veterinarian. Since the JOY Clinic only offers spay and neuter services for the public, Cooper is able to serve more pets.

“We do a quick exam, make sure everything looks good, and we use the best standards of care for our anesthetics and for our surgery packs and all of that,” Cooper said. “We care for each animal individually, but we are able to do a higher volume just because of the way we’re set up.”
Cooper began her veterinary work at a general practice clinic, working in that field for around 15 years before coming to the Joy Clinic. The clinic is not a full-service veterinary clinic, but Cooper’s other skills are by no means going to waste. She handles surgeries for New Leash on Life, routine operations like dental cleanings, and can do heartworm tests, microchips, and vaccinations at the time of a scheduled surgery.
“Right now, we don’t offer that as a separate service,” Cooper said. “We don’t do wellness, just spays and neuters.”
Everyone is welcome to come to the clinic — even pets without homes. The JOY Clinic spays and neuters stray cats and community cats every Tuesday, and financial assistance is available for pet owners who need it.
“We’re here as a service,” Cooper said. “We want to provide this service to as many people as we possibly can.”

New Leash on Life has taken in over 600 cats and dogs and adopted out nearly as many in the past year. Alongside keeping those animals healthy and cared for, the JOY Clinic has performed over 5,600 spay and neuter surgeries, with almost 2,000 of those surgeries on feral and community cats. In Cooper’s five-year tenure as the JOY Clinic’s medical director, she has performed thousands more.
It may not be the most glamorous job, but Cooper has been instrumental in keeping Lebanon’s pets safe, healthy, and loved.
“I’m happy to be able to serve this community by helping the pets here and by helping the pets help the people because it’s a great place to be. This [is] a beautiful community,” Cooper said. “People here care about each other, and I want to keep that going.” GN