Learn the answers to some of the more frequently asked questions from the community

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What does Laws Saving Paws actually do?

LSP is dedicated to safeguarding the rights and welfare of animals through innovative legal reform and advocacy. We'll do this by empowering communities to make responsible decisions as pet owners, educating the public about the impacts of our animal overpopulation crisis, and work collaboratively with experienced people who can help get our message and requests into the hands of lawmakers. 

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Why haven't I been asked to sign a petition or contact my local representatives?

Great question, and one that so many people have. If things like petitions and emails had a direct effect on changing laws, we'd be seeing a lot more of these things take place. The truth is that these actions don't work as well as we'd like to think. We've learned that in Tennessee particularly, the voices of the state's constituents don't carry a lot of weight. This is why it is critical that we approach these issues from creative and collaborative lenses. The folks in charge need to understand how things like animal overpopulation impact the foundation of a community – especially the economic part of it. We cannot effectively share this information without data to back it up, which is why we're doing our due diligence before asking for anything from our leaders. (And all of this research will help navigate us to what we need to ask for!) We understand that people are passionate about these issues, and passion is great! However, we can't let the noise of our passion be a distraction from what legislators and even community members need to know.

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What areas of Tennessee are you focusing on?

While LSP is based in Columbia, Tennessee, we quickly recognized that it would be more practical for us to confront the animal issues at a state level. We believe that it would be difficult to enact laws if only certain counties were required to obey them.

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Would you consider yourselves similar to the animal welfare organization, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)?

Absolutely not. While we understand the values of an organization like PETA, we also understand that it's important to take into consideration things like a community's culture, before we start throwing mandates against the wall to see what sticks. Our approach is one comprised of compassion and education. We believe that our ability to hear all voices – even those that may be unfavorable – sets us apart from other animal advocacy organizations.

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Where does my donation go?

Your tax-deductible donation will be placed into a general fund that covers expenses related to sustaining our organization, supporting spay and neuter clinics, and participating in community outreach events. There may be times when we fundraise exclusively for a cause, which we'll be very clear about when asking for donations.

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What's the best way I can help?

While it may not sound as glamorous as rescuing an animal or walking around a picket line, the most helpful thing you can do right now is to share our mission and the education we're pushing. Legal reform is our end goal but even a healthy amount of education (and behavior modification) may move the needle on the animal overpopulation crisis, as more people begin to understand the impact these issues have on every single person. 

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Still have a question? Click here to contact us.