We were lucky to catch up with Laura Prechel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think it takes hard work, and a willingness to do whatever it takes, to be successful. If it was easy, everyone would do it! I believe it’s important to honor your commitments, even when it’s difficult. People need to know you’re dependable and trustworthy so they know they can take you at your word. It’s important to treat people with kindness and respect and to show grace under pressure. I believe in servant leadership where the head of an organization is willing to do any task that’s necessary to move the business forward, even if it seems menial.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started fostering rescue dogs six years ago, which ultimately led me into the non-profit business of saving shelter animals via transporting them to no-kill rescues in other states and to starting a low-cost spay/neuter clinic to serve local shelters and rescues. The south can’t transport our way out of the companion animal overpopulation problem, so adding the spay/neuter component to stem the tide of unwanted animals is crucial.

I’m very proud of all that CASA has accomplished in our first two years. We have transported over 5,000 animals out of rural areas in TN and we have altered over 1,100 animals. We just started operating CASA Clinic multiple days each week to better serve our local shelter and rescue partners. Since 2020, there has been a lack of easy access to low-cost spay/neuter, which has caused a surge in unwanted animals as well as a backlog for shelters and rescues to get animals altered prior to adoption. We’re here to provide much needed vetting services to our local shelter and rescue community, in addition to aiding our transport partners. Our goal is to alter at least 3,000 animals each year. We also provide other vetting services like vaccines, heartworm testing, microchipping and other medically necessary surgeries like amputations, etc. If any shelter or rescue in middle TN is interested in booking appointments at CASA Clinic, they can email [email protected].

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met the two CASA cofounders in the best way possible. We all worked together to save a dog named King! King was a handsome rottie/pittie mix who found himself at the Maury County Shelter. He ended up having an incident where he nipped the finger of a shelter worker at feeding time, so he was deemed “rescue only.” This meant if a rescue was willing to step up and pull him into their organization and assume liability for any possible future incidents, he would be allowed to leave the shelter. If no rescue could be found, his time would be up as the shelter didn’t feel comfortable adopting him out.

Maily Tran was a shelter volunteer who had fallen in love with King. Another volunteer connected the two of us to see if I could find any transport options for King. A dog with a bite record is not easy to place, and I can’t fault any group for not wanting to take that risk. But there was something special about King, and I was determined to try to save him. I had contacted all of my transport partners that I felt might be willing to give him a chance. The list was not long. One partner, Ashley Anderson with CARE, said that her group was willing to take him on, provided they could find a willing foster. With that hope, I agreed to bring King into my home as a foster to allow Ashley more time to work her magic.

Through the rescue of King, a friendship was formed between Ashley, Maily and I that ultimately led to the forming of CASA and the saving of thousands more animals in the journey!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

CASA was built on the belief that “where there’s a will, there’s a way!” We have grown this organization through thousands of hours of volunteer labor given by caring individuals. I started this journey six years ago with the desire to save some “urgent” dogs at the Maury County Shelter that would die without a place to go. I managed to build a network of transport partners and I used my vacation time from my job to drive dogs a thousand miles away in rented vans several times a month. Through hard work and perseverance, that mission has grown into CASA, a non-profit organization that owns three transport vehicles and currently rents a facility where we’re able to house and vet transport animals and perform low-cost spay/neuter each week. Creating our own clinic has not only saved us thousands of dollars on vetting costs each month, but it now brings revenue into our organization while also allowing us to offer aid to many other rescue groups. We’ve been able to take the desire to save animals and turn it into a self-sustaining non-profit business. We’re so proud of what we’ve accomplished in the past two years and we look forward to the bright future of CASA!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.casatransport.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/casatransport
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/casatransport.org
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@casatransport1185