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From Truck Driver to Shelter Director She was hired as interim director in May 2015. \u201cA whole lot of people trusted that I had good leadership skills, and we all started kind of learning how to navigate things together,\u201d she said. Ten years later, she\u2019s still leading \u2014 with a vision that has moved New Leash from simply housing animals to building a network of prevention and support for the community<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Palpable Shift \u201cWe only take animals as space allows,\u201d Angela said. \u201cUntil an animal is adopted, [another] animal doesn\u2019t get to come in, but it means each animal is placed, and we are not euthanizing for space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a constant challenge. Wilson County has about 150,000 residents, and New Leash can house roughly 100 animals at a time. \u201cThe math doesn\u2019t math,\u201d Angela said. \u201cWe are always full.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This reality reflects a broader push across Tennessee. Statewide, shelters collectively saved over 90,000 dogs and cats in 2020, reaching an 87% save rate, according to Best Friends Animal Society. Nashville Humane Association now maintains a 98% save rate, and Montgomery County AC&C increased its live release rate from 77% in 2023 to 82% in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prevention Over Reaction At the center of this shift is The JOY Clinic, named in honor of longtime supporter Joy Bishop. The clinic provides affordable spay and neuter surgeries for cats and dogs in Wilson County and surrounding counties \u2014 thousands over the past decade \u2014 helping to prevent tens of thousands of unplanned births. \u201cThe JOY Clinic helps make it possible to keep pets in their homes instead of in our kennels,\u201d Angela said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This work is especially urgent with cats. \u201cI have become the crazy cat lady,\u201d Angela joked. \u201cNot because I have 100 cats but because I\u2019ve been educated on how fast cats can reproduce.\u201d A kitten can get pregnant at four months, deliver at six, and have multiple litters a year. \u201cEveryone thinks kitten season sounds adorable. We want to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her first question whenever someone calls about a stray is simple: Is it fixed? \u201cThat really helps us know if we\u2019re dealing with one animal or if we\u2019re preventing dozens more later,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Heart of the Mission \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to me the different walks of life and the different facets of how people chose to come and support us,\u201d Angela said. Some give in memory of a loved one. Others donate with specific requests \u2014 \u201cthis money has to go to the dogs\u201d \u2014 while others simply say, \u201cput it where it\u2019s needed most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even as New Leash looks toward a new facility \u2014 with indoor meet-and-greet rooms, volunteer training space, and areas for community events \u2014 the heartbeat of the shelter is the same: people coming together to do what they can with what they have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked why she stays, Angela didn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cI just love it,\u201d she said. \u201cEven on the hardest days\u2026 those do not override the best days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n How You Can Help As Angela puts it, the goal is simple: \u201cWe really want the shelter to be the last option.\u201d With a little prevention and a lot of heart, New Leash on Life is making that possible, one pet and one person at a time. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE MAN at the counter didn\u2019t want to give up his dog. He was worried the pup had heartworms, but couldn\u2019t afford the vet visit to know for sure. The New Leash on Life team offered to help. At the time, a heartworm test cost the shelter just $5, and staff promised to provide prevention […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":23112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>Angela didn\u2019t arrive at New Leash by a straight path. Before joining, she had been a teacher for seven years, driven a semitruck for five years, worked as a mental health case manager, and even run a dog treat business inspired by her Great Dane with allergies. \u201cI wasn\u2019t from this world,\u201d she admitted. \u201cBut I did have a diverse background, and it seems that those experiences really helped with me fitting into this role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>New Leash was founded as the Humane Association, but in 2009, the name change signaled a transformation: a shift from open-intake with a high euthanasia rate to limited-intake that no longer euthanizes animals for needed space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/3-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>New Leash has widened its focus beyond kennels and adoption days to manage the pressure. \u201cAt the end of the day, truthfully, we really want the shelter to be the last option,\u201d Angela said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Angela\u2019s leadership has been shaped by small, human moments like the man with the Chihuahua \u2014 and multiplied by the community around her. Support comes in every form, from longtime donors to brand-new residents who just want to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/5-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>Angela\u2019s first question is always: Is it fixed<\/strong>? That\u2019s where you can start, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n