About Us
Margaret B. Mitchell
The mission of the clinic is to provide targeted, high-volume, reduced-cost spay and neuter services in an effort to reduce the dog and cat over population problem. It is the clinic's focus to serve pets whose owners may not be able to afford spay/neuter services for their pets otherwise.
In 1964, Mitchell co-founded the Bristol Humane Society where she served as president for many years. When she passed away in 2003 at the age of 102, she left a portion of her estate to benefit animal well-being. The Bristol Humane Society put that bequest towards the opening of the clinic in 2005. To honor Mitchell, the clinic was respectfully and rightfully named the Margaret B. Mitchell Spay/Neuter Clinic.
Originally founded under the Spay Virginia umbrella, the clinic is now solely owned by the Bristol Humane Society. Through the funds from Mitchell's estate and the generosity of donors in the community, the clinic building and equipment are completely paid for.
The clinic's focus is on serving the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wise; the Cities of Bristol and Norton; and the City of Bristol and County of Sullivan in Tennessee, however, animals are accepted from other counties as availability permits.
Most days the clinic's transport van travels to one of the outer-lying communities, meets with the area coordinator, loads the van with animals and transports them to the clinic for surgery. Many of the communities in our target region have little or no reduced-cost spay/neuter options.
The reduced-cost clinic fees charged by the clinic offset the operating costs. Public donations and grants help to subsidize the surgeries for pet owners that cannot afford to pay the fees.