Tennessee Rescue Saves 100 Animals from Turtles to Foxes

Kendra Hall's childhood drove her parents a little crazy, but it laid the foundation for something beautiful.

She'd bring home snake eggs and build incubators to hatch them. She'd rescue nearly frozen lizards and nurse them back to health. While other kids played video games, Hall studied animal encyclopedias and caught bugs just to learn about them before setting them free.

Now, that curious kid has grown into a full-time animal rescuer. Seven years ago, Hall founded A to Z Animal Rescue on five acres in Mount Carmel, Tennessee, turning an empty field into a sanctuary for creatures that others couldn't help.

The nonprofit started as a simple dog and cat rescue. But when Hall saw the local need for livestock care, special-needs animals, and exotic rescues, she expanded her mission to match her childhood curiosity.

"If it fits in the alphabet, we'll try to help," Hall said. Fish, lizards, birds, horses, goats, foxes—they all find refuge here.

Walk into the main house and you'll meet Phoenix, a 20-something-year-old parrot who rings a bell impatiently for Little Debbie snacks. There's Coco the cockatiel, who has seizures but loves to dance. A bearded dragon who struggles to walk lives in a glass tank next to motherless puppies still being bottle-fed.

Hall doesn't believe in small cages. She separates animals who aren't spayed or neutered, then lets the rest roam freely through rooms filled with toys, treats, and second chances.

"If they get along, why would I want them in a cage when they can have a whole room?" Hall said.

The rescue currently cares for around 100 animals. There are usually two dozen dogs and at least 20 cats living in the house. Outside, horses, goats, and even a peacock call the sanctuary home.

Sunny's Take

Last year, Hall bottle-fed over 100 orphaned babies across just three months. She recently saved a three-legged dog and her eight puppies from euthanasia at a Memphis shelter. A tortoise named Joe found refuge here after his family surrendered him when he kept tangling in a sick relative's medical equipment.

Every animal has a story, and Hall makes room for all of them. The same parents who once worried about their daughter bringing home every stray now see the beautiful result of encouraging that compassion.

From encyclopedias to incubators to a five-acre sanctuary, Hall turned childhood empathy into lifelong action.