Beagle Updates

September 1
20 more beagles arrive!

Young-Williams Animal Center accepted an additional 20 beagles on Sept. 1 who were rescued from the Envigo mass-breeding facility in Virginia. In total, the shelter has taken in 40 of the dogs who were subjected to deplorable conditions at the now-closed breeding facility.

Young-Williams Animal Center will conduct health assessments and release the dogs to pre-approved foster families for care and socialization. The public can follow beagle updates, see adoptable beagles and donate to support the rescue efforts at young-williams.org/beagles.

Most of the original beagles that the shelter received earlier have been adopted. As the newcomers arrive and become available, Young-Williams Animal Center reminds the public that the beagles will live with foster families and will NOT be at either shelter location. Interested individuals should check young-williams.org/beagles often and fill out the meet-and-greet application on the webpage.

Potential adopters need to submit an application for each beagle they are interested in adopting. There is no waiting list, so anyone who didn’t get a beagle earlier must submit a new application for their preferred dog.

One of the best ways to help is to donate at young-williams.org/beagles. Young-Williams Animal Center covers all costs for fosters, so contributions are crucial to care for the influx of new beagles and to take care of the animals already housed in our shelter.

Remember, Young-Williams also has hundreds of other adoptable dogs at the shelter waiting to meet you! To view our other adoptable pets, visit young-williams.org/adopt or come to either shelter location at 3201 Division St. off Sutherland Avenue or 6400 Kingston Pike in Bearden.

We appreciate the community’s support as we continue working to find “A Home for Every Pet.”

August 19
Additional beagles to arrive through September

Following the arrival of 20 beagles from the Envigo mass-breeding facility in Virginia earlier this month, Young-Williams Animal Center will take in an additional 29 beagles later in August and into September. The public can follow beagle updates, see adoptable beagles and support the rescue at young-williams.org/beagles.

Most of the original beagles are adopted. As others arrive and become available, Young-Williams Animal Center is reminding the public that the beagles will live with foster families and will NOT be at either shelter location. Interested individuals should check young-williams.org/beagles often and fill out the meet-and-greet application on the webpage for each dog.

Those who want to help the beagles and other vulnerable animals can donate at young-williams.org/beagles in preparation for the incoming dogs. Young-Williams Animal Center covers all the costs for fosters, so contributions are crucial to care for the influx of animals.

Young-Williams Animal Center appreciates the community’s support amid the historic rescue and asks for people’s patience as staff work to secure “A Home for Every Pet.”

August 10
Foster family shares beagles’ progress on TikTok

Experienced Young-Williams Animal Center fosters Nicole and Kyle Chapman took in two beagles, now named Jillian and Juniper, and shared firsts for the dogs like playing in grass, mastering stairs and tasting cookies on the couple’s TikTok account (@chapmanfosterchronicles).

We love following their journey, and you should, too! You can watch one of the videos below and follow them for more doggone good content on the app.

@chapmanfosterchronicles Just got these two sweet girls home to foster after their freedom ride from the Envigo bust- I think its safe to say they are enjoying their start to getting to be actual dogs. ♥️ 🐾 #envigobeagles #beagles #beaglesoftiktok #rescuedog #rescue #freedom #happy #fyp #foryou #adoptdontshop #fosterdog #rescuedogsoftiktok ♬ Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd

August 9
Young-Williams Animal Center takes in 20 beagles from Virginia mass-breeding facility

Young-Williams Animal Center has accepted 20 dogs removed from a mass-breeding facility in Virginia that received multiple animal welfare violations under federal regulations and is now closed. As part of its largest operation ever, the Humane Society of the United States and shelter partners transported the animals to East Tennessee.

The beagles arrived Tuesday, underwent health evaluations and are being placed in emergency foster homes until the dogs are ready for adoption.

“The dogs made it safely to our shelter and are being paired with fosters, who will provide the extra care and attention they need as they acclimate to life outside of a breeding facility,” says Janet Testerman, CEO of Young-Williams Animal Center. “So many resources are needed to welcome rescues, and we appreciate the community’s commitment to animal welfare at home and across the country. With the assistance of our foster families, we can open up space to care for the animals. As the official shelter for the City of Knoxville and Knox County, we have new arrivals daily.”

The 20 dogs are part of a historic operation for the Humane Society because of its scope and size. The organization is coordinating the removal of more than 4,000 beagles over a 60-day period from the Envigo facility in Cumberland, Virginia, that bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation. Repeated federal inspections revealed that the company violated the Animal Welfare Act, including findings that some dogs had been “euthanized” without first receiving anesthesia, had received inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food and were living in unsanitary conditions.

“It takes a massive network of compassionate, expert shelters and rescues to make an operation of this scale possible,” said Lindsay Hamrick, shelter outreach and engagement director for the Humane Society of the United States. “We are deeply grateful to each organization that is stepping up to find these dogs the loving homes they so deserve.”

As the dogs settle into foster homes, Young-Williams Animal Center asks the community to support the shelter’s efforts by donating. Give using the form below, in person at either shelter location or mail a check to Young-Williams Animal Center, 3201 Division St., Knoxville, TN 37919.

Young-Williams Animal Center also provides all materials for free to the foster families. You can support the foster families by donating items from the shelter’s Amazon Wish List.

More than 200 pets are available for adoption, nearly 400 currently are in foster care, and Young-Williams Animal Center receives dozens more each day. Browse the adoptable animals at young-williams.org/adopt and meet them in-person at 3201 Division St., or 6400 Kingston Pike.

Want to help? Donate below!
You can also support fosters through our Amazon Wish List