Young-Williams Animal Center

Young-Williams Animal Center is a partner of Best Friends, working together to save the lives of dogs and cats in communities like yours across the country

The Best Friends Network is made up of thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations, and other animal welfare groups — all working to save the lives of dogs and cats in communities like yours across the country.

From Young-Williams Animal Center

Our vision is A Home for Every Pet.We hope to achieve this through innovative approaches to sheltering, adoption, spay and neuter, and public education about animal welfare.We are an open intake shelter and turn no animal away.We took in nearly 12,000 animals in 2015, but that number has declined every year since 2010 - a direct effect of our public spay/neuter program.This consistent decrease has enabled us to improve the quality of care for our shelter population through the years, namely the implementation of our Animal Compassion Fund to provide veterinary care to sick or injured animals.

Knoxville, TN 37919-3365
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How is your community doing when it comes to lifesaving? 

Our partners support each other and inspire their own communities to increase lifesaving of dogs and cats across the country.

Every partner has one common goal: to save the lives of homeless pets.

How Is Your Community Doing?

Animals in Tennessee need your help

You can make a world of difference in the lives of cats and dogs in your community when you work with Young-Williams Animal Center and Best Friends to support homeless pets and save more lives.

woman smiling with a dog

Adopt a pet

When you adopt a homeless dog or cat you’re saving the life of a loving and loyal animal. You’re also making space for other pets to find families of their own.
Adopt a Pet
woman holding two kittens

Foster a pet

Fostering a pet is a short-term commitment with long-term impact. By opening your home to a dog or cat for even a few days, you can save lives.
Foster a Pet

Heartwarming stories from our partners

Just like Young-Williams Animal Center, shelters and rescue groups around the country are saving the lives of homeless cats and dogs. Read more about their lifesaving work. 
Dog gets some love at the Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia

No-kill animal shelters: The new normal in America

From a large shelter in Las Vegas to a smaller one in rural Georgia, U.S. animal shelters are steadily moving toward no-kill.
Steady progress saves more lives
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Renee Skipper holding a cat in front of a kennel

How a journey home to Alabama saved dogs and cats

When Lisa Barrett returned to her hometown on assignment for Best Friends, she proved that when it comes to saving pets’ lives, yes, you can go home again.
Great things happening at Dothan Animal Shelter
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Yellow Labrador type dog on a leash

Groups nationwide deliver for pets in need

Four stories show why Best Friends Network Partners truly are the best.
When compassion and collaboration come together
Best Friends Magazine
Best Friends logo

Who we are

Best Friends Animal Society  works alongside thousands of animal shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations to save the lives of cats and dogs across the country and to make the entire country no-kill in 2025.

The Best Friends Network is comprised of thousands of animal welfare groups from every single state, all working to save the lives of pets in their own communities.

Ranging from animal shelters and rescue groups to spay/neuter and trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) organizations, they collaborate with Best Friends to save even more lives in every corner of the country.

Best Friends provides marketing help, fundraising events, webinars, grants, and other resources so that, together, we can Save Them All.

Interested in becoming a partner? Visit bestfriends.org/network »