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Rescue organization saves over 4,000 dogs
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Updated: Apr 6, 2013, 6:05 PM
Published: Apr 6, 2013, 6:06 PM

Viola Valley Dogs, Inc. is celebrating 10 years of service to the community. Viola Valley Dogs is a no-kill rescue that strives to save as many homeless animals as possible through adoptions, while providing education and low-cost options regarding spaying and neutering, vaccinations, care and training.
Viola Valley Dogs was founded in April 2003 by Ralph and Linda Coursey because they felt a no-kill rescue was greatly needed in this area. Linda began taking dogs home hoping to save their lives.
Ralph is now the primary caretaker of the dogs, feeding and providing fresh water daily. According to Linda, her husband has given each and every dog a special nickname and treats them as his children.
“He can get even the most untamed dog to trust him,” Linda said.
Linda coordinates the intake of strays and surrenders and the pulls from various kill shelters in the area. She also administers shots and worm medication to each dog when they are due.
“In a short amount of time we have taken this small rescue and created something greater than we could have imagined,” said Linda. “Since April 2003, we have taken in well over 4,500 dogs and adopted out around 4,250 to date. We now take in puppies and hold them in isolation for a minimum of two weeks before taking them to Precious Friends Puppy Rescue in Clarksville. We also hold various adoptions in our area.”
Viola Valley Dogs received its 501(c)3 status effective March 23, 2005. All donations to the organization are tax deductible.
“We hope to obtain grants to provide spay/ neuter clinics and hope to be able to distribute educational material to the community,” said Linda.
New programs added to the organization include:
• Viola Valley Dogs, Inc. – to help with the care of abandoned dogs. This program will help provide food, care, vetting, and spay/ neuter until the dog is adopted or sent to another rescue. The Courseys are in charge of this program.
• Kastaway Kitties Cats Rescue – to help care for abandoned kittens and cats by providing food, care and helping with spaying, neutering and shots. Jamie Wheeler is in charge of this program.
• Sad Eyes Urgent Rescue – to help cats and dogs from Warren County Animal Control by providing medical care, spaying/ neutering, and by finding homes for the animals or by placing them with a rescue. Wheeler is also in charge of this program.
• Animal Alliance of Warren County – to help support all the rescue programs. Sally Brock will be in charge of this program.
Everyone involved with the programs are volunteers.
Coursey said, “We need your help to continue to give assistance to these homeless animals of Warren County and surrounding counties. Help us celebrate our 10 years of service.”
Anyone wishing to donate to any of the above organizations, may do so by mailing payment to P.O. Box 39, Viola, Tenn., 37394. Please specify which program your money should go toward. All funds will be used to help animals.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community