By Rebecka Jones, Staff Writer
The Origin of Young-Williams
The Young-Williams Animal Center originally started as the Knox County Animal Welfare Center in 2001, when demand for animal services increased. As a result, attorneys Lindsay Young and Mark Williams, along with private citizens who shared their passion for animal welfare, began a campaign to build a newer and larger center for animals.
Fortunately, the city and county funded the kennel holding areas while a newly organized board of directors funded the adoption floor. Young-Williams Animal Center then moved into a bigger facility in 2004. In 2010, Young-Williams Animal Village opened and became a home to a secondary adoption floor and the Young-Williams Spay/Neuter Solutions. Their mission became to “lead the community to end pet homelessness, promote animal welfare and enhance the human-animal bond.”
In 2018, Young-Williams Animal Center maintained a save rate of 90% by saving all medically and behaviorally treatable animals. However, this percentage doesn’t mean that there aren’t other ways the community can support the animal shelter.
How You Can Help
There are several ways anyone, especially students who need a furry friend or want to help animals feel loved, can keep the mission of Young-Williams alive: adopting, fostering, volunteering, or donating.
Young-Williams desires to match people and families with the right pet without the burden of complicated processes. They provide information on a pet’s temperament and health status, as well as opportunities to meet the pet before making a decision. If you have any interest in bringing an animal home, go to the Young-Williams website (https://www.young-williams.org/), click on the “Adopt” tab, and follow the instructions.
Adoption gives homeless animals a place to feel loved and cared for. Many of these animals can come from cruel homes or the streets, so they need nurturing more than ever. However, if adoption seems like a tough commitment, there are other options Young-Williams provides that support the animals.
Fostering is less of a commitment than adoption, but it’s just as impactful. Young-Williams’ foster program provides animals with temporary housing and opens up shelter space for thousands of pets who need care. Although fostering is not permanent, giving an animal the experience of a loving home can change their life forever. Locate the “Foster” tab on their website if you are interested.
For the animals who are waiting for a loving family to take them home, volunteers are very important. These are the people who help animals feel loved at the shelter by socializing, feeding, playing, and bathing them. Volunteers only need to be sixteen years of age, complete an online form and orientation, go through training, and commit to volunteering. This will give students a great opportunity to not only support these homeless animals, but also get a feel for a work environment. Moreover, volunteering is a great way to get volunteer hours for the Tennessee Promise scholarship. You can find more information under the “Volunteer” tab on their website.
Lastly, Young-Williams is always in need of materials such as pet food, beds, toys, and more. If people cannot afford to adopt, foster, or volunteer, they can support the shelter by donating pet supplies. If you would like to donate to the animal shelter, find the “Wishlist” tab on their website.
Student Experience
Imaginary Gardens Editor-in-Chief, Emma Harrison, shares her experience of adopting her dog Knox from Young-Williams, saying it “was the best decision of [her] life.”
“It was my senior year of high school, and I had been going through it,” Emma explains. “On a search for a friend, I came across the Young-Williams’ account on Instagram. After scrolling through all the furry friends on their website, I saw Knox (aka Khaza at the time). I was hooked.”
When Emma went to visit Knox at his kennel, she developed an immediate connection to him. She saw him waiting for someone to love him, so she took him home and helped him.
“More importantly, he helped me,” Emma shares. “Now, we’re best friends. There isn’t anything I do where Knox isn’t involved.”
Help Today
There are many ways we can help our community today, but adopting and supporting homeless animals is significant to raising a generation that loves the beautiful creatures of the Earth. Young-Williams can provide you with a best friend, as it did for Emma, that will stay by your side and love you back, so do not hesitate to contact the animal shelter and provide a lonely animal with a home today. Your love and care towards these beautiful animals can change the world.
