KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Young-Williams Animal Center will soon be looking for forever homes for another batch of beagles rescued from a mass-breeding facility in July.
YWAC took in 20 of the more than 4,000 beagles in need of homes earlier this month. On Friday, it announced it would take in another 29 beagles through September.
"We know so many of you have fallen in love with the beagles’ story, and we are pleased to share that Young-Williams Animal Center will receive nearly 30 more beagles through September," it said.
The newcomer beagles won't be at the shelter locations and will instead be placed in experienced foster homes until they are ready for adoption. YWAC said it has set up a special page on its website at this link with updates for people interested in adopting one of the beagles. Even if you are not interested in adopting, Young-Williams will be updating the page with news about how some of the beagles are doing.
If you'd like to apply to adopt a beagle, you can visit this page to fill out a meet-and-greet form. The demand for these beagles is high, and an application does not guarantee approval for adoption, but YWAC said there are hundreds of other animals in need of loving homes that are ready for adoption.
YWAC charges an adoption fee of $40 for dogs six months and older, and $250 dollars for puppies less than six months old. All adoptions include spay/neuter procedures, microchipping and registration, a preliminary exam, initial core vaccines, deworming, and more.
The center is also asking for donations to help cover costs for foster families, saying it will also help prepare for new arrivals.
"We are so appreciative of our community for embracing the beagles and following their journey, as well as those who have donated. Finding 'A Home for Every Pet' wouldn’t be possible without you!" Young-Williams said.
More than 4,000 beagles were rescued from a Virginia breeding and research facility in July. Two Virginia senators urged the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to close the Envigo breeding and research facility after learning about the mistreatment in April.
Envigo is a contract research facility in Cumberland and the most recent animal welfare violations stem from two inspections in November 2021 and March 2022. They said the facility performed unnecessarily painful medical experiments on dogs and puppies, including euthanasia without sedatives.
The senators said that nearly 200 dogs were euthanized according to medical records, many of which were not given any anesthetic.
Inspectors also previously said housing violations at the facility injured dozens of dogs. Seventy-one dogs were injured when body parts were pulled through the wall of the kennel, investigators said.
A spokesperson for the company previously said Envigo is working to improve conditions at its Cumberland facility with a goal of pairing a caretaker per 100 dogs. The dogs rescued from the facility amounted to the Humane Society of the U.S.'s largest operation ever.
“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.”