Dogs/Cats/Others

Young-williams Animal Center

Knoxville, TN 37919

About

Young-Williams Animal Center began as the Knoxville/Knox County Animal Welfare Center that opened in January 2001. As the demand for animal services continued to grow, a group of concerned citizens, including attorneys Lindsay Young and Mark Williams, knew that a larger and more sophisticated facility was needed. They began a campaign to build the new center as a partnership with the city and county along with private citizens who shared a passion for animal welfare. The city and county provided funds for the kennel holding areas while a newly organized board of directors raised funds for the adoption floor and upgraded amenities throughout the building. As a result of these efforts, Young-Williams Animal Center moved into a new $3.7 million facility in May 2004. Young-Williams Animal Village opened in 2010 and is home to a secondary adoption floor, as well as the Young-Williams Spay/Neuter Solutions. In July of 2012, Young-Williams Animal Center became a private 501(c)(3) organization. In 2018, Young-Williams Animal Center achieved for the first time in its history no-kill status. The definition of no-kill means saving all medically and behaviorally treatable animals and maintaining a save rate of 90% or more.

Pets available

Dogs Cats Others

Adoption process

1) CHECK ONLINE. Our website is always up to date with adoptable pet postings. If you see an animal you are interested in, please click on their photo for more information. Take note of what location the animal is being housed. If the location, states “Foster Care,” please complete the online application. The application does not obligate you to adopt, just expresses interest and puts you in touch with an adoption ambassador in foster. 2) VISIT OUR SHELTER. Once you identify some animals you are interested in, please come down to the appropriate location as soon as possible! We are open from 10am to 6pm, 7 days a week. We close daily from 1-2pm for quiet time. We work on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning the first person physically present will be considered first. Please note that our adoption queue may close early on high-volume adoption days in order to accommodate as many adopters as possible within our open hours. 3) FILL OUT A SURVEY. Each location has a copy of our survey ready for you when you arrive! Please fill one out to visit with an animal. This brief questionnaire helps our adoption staff answer questions you may have or advise you on a best match. You may also just walk our adoption floor to browse the available pets without visiting with any particular one. 4) DISCUSS WITH AN ADOPTION SPECIALIST. We complete same-day adoptions. All animals adopted from Young-Williams will be spayed/neutered before they go home with an adopter. You can “pre-adopt” an animal if it is not yet spayed/neutered and pick it up after surgery. When you pre-adopt a pet, you will provide a $25 deposit and have an appointment scheduled to come back to pick up your new friend in a couple of days once surgery is completed. This deposit counts towards your adoption fee but is non-refundable in the event you change your mind or fail to show up for your appointment. This helps us prevent animals from unnecessarily lingering in the shelter.. 5) DO A TRIAL RUN (OPTIONAL). If you are unsure on if you are ready to make a commitment same-day, we offer an Adoption Sleepover program where you can take adult dogs home for three days to see if you are ready for a life-long commitment. This program also requires a $25, non-refundable deposit that will count towards your adoption fee if you adopt. 6) FINALIZE THE ADOPTION OF YOUR NEW PET. To complete an adoption, you need to provide a form of ID to be able to sign our adoption contract. Our contract ensures you will provide proper care for the animal and have not been convicted of animal cruelty. Our adoption fees vary per species and age. At the time of signing a contract, you may also be asked to sign disclaimers that are specific to the animal you are adopting regarding findings from our medical or behavior teams. You will be provided with a copy of our contract and a copy of any disclaimers you signed at time of adoption. We can provide a leash or cardboard carrier to help you get home if you do not already have one. We also provide a sample size of the food your new pet has been eating, as well as any current medications with instructions to administer them. There are many great offers included from our partners when you adopt, including a free trial of pet insurance and a free coupon book from Petco! Once you finalize your adoption, your new pet is officially yours! 7) GET POST–ADOPTION SUPPORT IF NEEDED. Our team is always available to help with issues that arise post-adoption. If the animal is not a good fit for you, we allow adopters to return pets up to 30 days post-adoption and can provide a refund of the adoption fee if the animal is returned within two weeks of adoption. Refunds must be requested via email (adoptions@young-williams.org). These two time periods can be extended if the adopter is actively communicating with staff and working through issues. Please reach out via email if you are having trouble post-adoption.