Northeast Tennessee Avian Rescue and Rehabilitation

10/02/2026

I have another test/procedure today! Hoping I get some answers with this one!! Prayers that it goes well, I get answers, and start feeling better!!

I need to get Three Little Beaks up and running!!!

Thank you for your patience during this time of all these tests and not feeling well!

❤️

10/01/2026

🐦 A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING AT NETARR 🐦

I need to address something that has become increasingly frustrating.

I am incredibly grateful for everyone who genuinely wants to help my rescue. However, I can no longer plan around people telling me they are coming to volunteer and then simply not showing up — or giving me a vague “I’ll come sometime that evening” and arriving at 7:30 when the birds are going to bed at 8:00.

My time matters too.

When someone tells me they are coming, I plan my evening around them. I make sure I am here, arrange what needs to be done, and count on having that help. When they don’t show up and don’t communicate, it leaves me doing everything myself after I specifically planned for help.

With the number of birds in my care, I don’t need occasional help when someone happens to have free time. I need dependable, consistent volunteers.

Right now, our biggest needs are:

🐦 Weekday evenings
🐦 Saturdays

Going forward, if you would like to volunteer, I need you to commit to a specific day AND a specific arrival time. For example:
“Every Wednesday from 5:00–7:00 PM.”

Not “sometime Wednesday evening.”

Of course, life happens. People get sick, emergencies come up, and plans sometimes have to change. I completely understand that. All I ask is that you communicate with me.

However, I also need to set a firm boundary:

Two no-shows with no communication = you will no longer be scheduled to volunteer. No additional chances.

That isn’t meant to be harsh. It’s because I have to be able to rely on the people who commit to helping. If you can’t make your scheduled time, a simple message letting me know is all I ask.

Please don’t volunteer for a regular time slot unless you genuinely believe you can be consistent. I would much rather have a small group of dependable volunteers who come every week than a long list of people I never know whether I can count on.

These birds depend on me every single day. Their cages still need cleaned. Their food and water still need changed. Their rooms still need cared for. There are no days off in rescue.

If you are interested in taking a consistent weekday evening or Saturday volunteer shift, please message me with the day and exact time you can commit to.

And to the volunteers who DO show up consistently — THANK YOU. ❤️ You have no idea how much your reliability means to me and to the animals in our care. 🦜

09/30/2026

🦜 BIG NEWS FOR THE PARROT COMMUNITY! 🦜

Joel and I have been keeping a pretty exciting secret, and now that everything is official, we can finally share it!

Joel and I have personally purchased Three Little Beaks! ❤️

I want to be very clear about one thing from the beginning: Northeast Tennessee Avian Rescue & Rehabilitation did NOT purchase this business, and rescue donations were NOT used to purchase it. This was a personal purchase made by Joel and me.

For years, so much of my life has revolved around parrots—their health, nutrition, enrichment, rehabilitation, and helping their families give them the best lives possible. When the opportunity came along to purchase Three Little Beaks, it felt like something I could take my passion and experience and build into something really special.

Three Little Beaks already has some wonderful products, including freeze-dried foods and treats, and we have BIG plans for its future. We will be rebuilding and growing the business, developing new products, expanding what we offer, and hopefully creating something the parrot community can truly love and trust.

And yes… I now have TWO freeze dryers. 😂 Apparently 180+ birds weren’t keeping me busy enough!

One of my biggest dreams has always been to find a more sustainable way to support the work I do instead of constantly having to ask our amazing supporters for donations. While Three Little Beaks and NETARR will remain separate, our hope is that building a successful business will ultimately allow Joel and me to personally do even more for the rescue and the birds who need us.

This isn’t the rescue becoming a pet store. It’s Joel and me taking a leap, investing in something we believe in, and hopefully building something much bigger over time.

We have a LOT of work ahead of us, be patient with us, but I’m genuinely excited about starting this next chapter.

So… meet the new owners of Three Little Beaks! 🥹🦜❤️

I can’t wait to show you what we’re going to do with it.

We will announce when we are up and running:)

— Leigh & Joel

09/28/2026

Thank you Megan Marie for these goodies for the birds! I am so appreciative that you are always willing to help me out to help the birds. Thank you so much and I look forward to meeting you one day:)

09/28/2026

📢 IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING BIRD BOARDING

I need to address something that has unfortunately become an ongoing issue.

NETARR currently cares for a very large number of rescue birds, and the cost of food, fresh produce, cleaning supplies, utilities, and veterinary care is substantial. When I agree to board someone’s personal bird, I cannot also take on the financial responsibility of supporting that bird indefinitely.

At this time, I have birds that have been in my care for months without a single boarding payment being made.

Please understand: Every bird in my home will ALWAYS be fed, cared for, loved, and kept safe regardless of whether their owner pays. I would never allow an animal to go without because of a person’s actions.

However, I can no longer provide free, indefinite boarding.

Effective immediately, boarding fees must be kept current and communication must be maintained.

If a bird remains in my care for 90 days with no payment AND no communication from the owner, the situation will be treated as abandonment under the terms of our boarding agreement, and the owner will be required to either make arrangements to retrieve the bird and settle the account or formally surrender the bird to Northeast Tennessee Avian Rescue & Rehabilitation.

Going forward, this policy will be included in our boarding paperwork so expectations are clear before a bird is left in our care.

I completely understand that emergencies and financial hardships happen. Communication matters. If something happens, please talk to me. I am much more willing to work with someone who stays in contact than to repeatedly chase someone for payment while continuing to personally cover the expenses of caring for their bird.

The rescue already has many birds depending on us every single day. Boarding fees help cover the additional food, supplies, cleaning, and care required for privately owned birds.

I love these birds, and any bird placed in my care will receive excellent care. ❤️ But loving them does not mean the rescue can afford to provide unlimited free boarding.

Thank you to everyone who respects our time, our resources, and the enormous responsibility that comes with caring for these animals. 🦜❤️

09/27/2026

I got two more boxes of food with no names with them!!!! I want to thank whoever sent them. Thank you so much and I appreciate you so much! Thank you for helping me help the birds.

09/27/2026

Thank you Gayle Agner for the food. It helps so much and I am so appreciative. Thank you for helping me help the birds!

09/27/2026

Thank you Allix Nelson for everything you do to help me and these birds. I am so thankful our paths crossed. Thank you volunteering, which tremendously helps me, and for all this food. Hope to see you soon friend.

09/27/2026

I want to thank Joyce and Rick Willis for sending this box of goodies to the birdies!!!! Thank you guys for supporting me and the helping the birds out!!!

09/24/2026

Well… it’s been a very busy few days here at Northeast Tennessee Avian Rescue & Rehabilitation. 🦜❤️

On Sunday, I received an emergency surrender, and tonight we received SIX more emergency surrenders — all from the same home.

That’s 7 unexpected birds joining the rescue in just a few days.

Of course, when birds need me, I will do everything I can to make room. All seven are safe tonight, and now I’m working on getting everyone settled, assessing their needs, and making sure they have everything they need.

With this many unexpected mouths to feed, I could really use some help restocking our food supply. If anyone would like to send food, my Amazon Wishlist is below. Even one bag or one item makes a difference when you’re feeding as many birds as we do. ❤️

Amazon Wishlist:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/LD3FX2V00FOF?ref_=wl_share

For anyone who would rather make a monetary donation, those donations will go directly toward the care and needs of the birds:

PayPal:
https://paypal.me/NETARR?locale.x=en_US

Venmo:
-Furman-1

Cash App:
$LeighFur

Please never feel obligated to donate. Sharing this post helps me too!

Thank you to everyone who continues to support my rescue and makes it possible for me to be here when birds suddenly need somewhere safe to go.

Seven unexpected arrivals in just a few days… but seven little lives are safe. 🦜❤️

Go to paypal.me/NETARR and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.