The Best Tennessee Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2026

Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue

Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue, a 501c3 charitable organization based in Middle Tennessee, is run primarily by volunteers. Proverbs is totally dedicated to all animals they rescue. All medical care, regardless of cost, is provided as is training when necessary. A cradle to grave dedication is established by the care provided to neonates all the way to seniors who may need hospice care. Every animal rescued is cared for like a cherished family pet. Funds for medical care and food are raised by a variety of events, such as bake sales, golf scrambles, and participation in large media campaigns such as The Big Payback or through regular donations on our website.

Lucky Farms Animal Rescue

Lucky Farms Animal Rescue is a nonprofit dog rescue focusing on Giant breeds such as Great Danes and Saint Bernards. Giant breeds have a hard time in a shelter environment and are much harder to adopt out. We also have a squishy face division focusing on English bulldogs and French Bulldogs. We rescue, rehab and find amazing homes for these deserving dogs

McKamey Animal Center

McKamey Animal Center (MAC) opened its doors in 2008 with the mission of Saving Animals, Helping People. MAC's vision is to eliminate animal overpopulation, cruelty, and neglect by creating a culture of compassionate care, community engagement, and advocacy for animals by providing programs and education that support people and companion animals.

East TN Pit Bull Rescue

East TN Pit Bull Rescue was started by our dear founder Wendy Martin Jackson. Wendy loved this breed and fought hard against BSL, misinformation, and ignorance about this breed. Since Wendy's passing, we are continuing her mission and legacy to stand up and fight for this breed.

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping giant-breed, mixed-breed dogs in need. We value dogs of all breeds, but we specialize in what the name says: big, fluffy dogs. We have volunteers all across the eastern half of the United States who work to help homeless big fluffy dogs find a home to call their own. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue works to save Great Pyrenees, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands and their mixes from euthanasia. We also have a fair assortment of honorary fluffies who don't fall into the traditional fluffy mold but are with us anyway and we love their tiny/non-fluffy selves as much as the others. Our dogs come in to rescue for many different reasons. Many were abandoned at high kill shelters. Some were turned in by owners who could not properly care for them and still others are failed livestock guardian dogs. Regardless of their origins, our goal for every dog we have is the same: a safe, happy home where each dog is a well-loved member of the family. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville Humane Association

As an entirely gift-based not-for-profit, Nashville Humane relies on contributions from supporters like you to do the work necessary to protect homeless, adoptable, and at-risk pets in Nashville, throughout middle Tennessee and across the globe. Simply put, we've been doing this a very long time. None of the amazing work that we perform daily for pets and their people would be possible without your support. We're not a government agency; we don't have the support of a giant national umbrella organization. We're a small, local shelter that is dedicated to saving lives.

East Community Action Network (East C.A.N.)

We are an all-volunteer, grassroots organization serving the East Nashville area of 37206, 37216 and 37216 (up to Dickerson Pike and Briley Pkwy). We fund-raise to facilitate healing and hope for the stray and forgotten dogs on the streets of East Nashville. We depend on our fellow neighbors to provide a safe haven while these dogs recuperate and search for their forever homes. We provide full veterinary care to the dogs we accept into our program. We do not have a shelter or facility.

Rural Animal Rescue Effort

Rural Animal Rescue Effort (RARE) is a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit Organization based in middle Tennessee with a mission to rescue neglected and abandoned animals in rural areas with extreme overpopulation of companion animals.

Humane Society of Dickson County

The Humane Society of Dickson County was founded 30 years ago during a time of desperate need. In shelters across the country, millions of animals were dying, and in rural communities with no local solution for unwanted pets, the situation was dire. A grassroots movement in Dickson County, Tennessee, quickly grew with the mission to educate the public about spay/neuter and ensure every dog and cat has a safe home. HSDC is now an active and visible part of Dickson and the surrounding counties, providing a safe haven for homeless animals and adopting out more than 1000 pets annually. The HSDC is a no-kill shelter, with a large network of foster families and close partnerships with area animal rescue groups. The generosity of community and corporate donors provides 99.75% of funding for shelter operations, including veterinarian costs, utilities and pet food and supplies. The HSDC has become the local leader and advocate for homeless pets in Dickson County, but the future will depend on the strong support of caring individuals and businesses who believe all pets deserve a forever home.

Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

Providing Lifetime Homes & Care to Senior Dogs Senior dogs, especially those with medical problems or disabilities, face a much greater chance of euthanasia at shelters than younger dogs because it is difficult to find adopters for them due to their shorter additional life expectancy and unknown veterinary costs. Most of these wonderful senior dogs are able to live happily with a good quality of life if given a chance. They make wonderful companions because they are mature, calm, and loving. It can be more difficult for them to settle in and, once they do, it is difficult for them to move again. For this reason we strive to find them forever foster homes where they can live out their retirement years as a beloved family member. Even once they've found their forever homes, we commit to providing them high-quality vet care for life.

Whiskers Fund

Founded by Heather Raco, Whiskers Fund works to help animals in desperate situations and match them with the perfect home. Our rescue is 100% foster based and facilitates adoptions across the entire United States.

MidSouth Animal Rescue League

We are a Memphis, Tennessee based rescue, but several years ago, moved 30 miles outside of town to a large piece of property as we grew and wanted to do more and help more animals. We are a foster based rescue, we do not have a physical shelter that is open to the public. Most of our foster homes are in the Memphis area, considered the greater Mid-South area, which can be confusing, but is a tri state area of Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. We are not a shelter - our animals are fostered in volunteer's homes throughout the Mid-South area. We are staffed completely with volunteers, and try to respond to everyone as quickly as we can, but due to the volume of calls and emails we receive, we are not able to get back with everyone.

Mercer Animal Rescue & Sanctuary

Mercer Animal Rescue purpose is to rescue, socialize, rehabilitate, and find forever homes for abused, neglected, abandoned and unwanted dogs, cats and horses. We rescue dogs from high kill shelters and the streets in the over-populated south. We transport them to the northeast states or the Chicago area where we hold adoption and fundraising events. All our potential adopters are pre-approved by submitting an adoption application and home checks are sometimes required. We want to make sure our dogs go to the best possible homes since they have not always had the best life. But it's all about the future‚ right?

Pet Community Center

We want every pet to receive the high-quality veterinary care they deserve. Providing affordable and accessible veterinary care services is the key to our success. Pet Community Center (PCC) operates The Phran Galante Center for Pet Wellness a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinic in Nashville, TN run by highly skilled veterinarians, clinicians, and nonprofit professionals. As of the end of 2023, we have served over 125,000 animals. Additionally, PCC is tackling barriers to veterinary care and provides outreach and support to pet owners who live in veterinary care deserts. The results of PCC's work include lower pet homelessness rates, lower shelter euthanasia rates, and improved public health and quality of life in neighborhoods across Davidson County.

Music City Animal Rescue (MCAR)

Music City Animal Rescue is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that rescues abandoned, abused, or neglected animals in and around the Middle Tennessee area. We are a foster-based home network of highly dedicated individuals that care for the animals in our homes until they can find their forever families. This network is dedicated to the complete care and placement process. From the moment an animal comes into our program, it is treated as part of a family. They are socialized not only with other humans, cats, and dogs at the appropriate time. We NEVER euthanize to make room for more and all of our foster homes are dedicated to seeing each and every animal through their journey to their forever home.

True Rescue

The foundation of True Rescue stands firm on helping voiceless animals find love & support from their human companions. Our mission works to support and collaborate with other rescue organizations, so we formed our 501(c)3 organization to provide sensible solutions. This animal rescue and others like us could not continue our important work without the support of our network of rescues, volunteers, and donors like you!

Nashville Metro Animal Care and Control

Paws to Care

We Save Lives According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (ASPCA), approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year, and of those 6.5 million, 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized. Our goal is to work within our community to raise awareness, rescue animals, and create the resources and opportunities for our local animal shelter to become 100% no-kill through the involvement of our local community. We Save Lives TOGETHER We save lives through the work of volunteers. We take photos of the animals to promote adoption. We contact rescues about the dogs & cats they will accept. We take animals to the vet, pay for their health certificates and rabies vaccinations, transport animals, foster animals until they can be transported to a rescue, and constantly look for ways to help animals and save their lives. Many times our volunteers have other full-time jobs, and do this in their free time. On average we move 20 animals out of the shelter every week. We are limited by time and space, but with your help we can change this!

Adopt a Golden Knoxville

Dyersburg-Dyer County Humane Society

The Humane Society is a low-kill shelter and operates as a Bissell Pet Foundation certified facility. The Dyer County/Dyersburg Humane Society was established in the 1980s with a vision to provide respectfully humane treatment to animals in Dyer County. Fulfilling its purpose, the shelter works with local rescues to rehome animals, as well as hosting a multitude of adoptions events throughout the year. Funding for the Humane Society is provided through city and county taxes, as well as private donors.

Focus on Cumberland County Animal Safety (FOCCAS)

SOS Beagle Rescue

The SOS (Save Our Snoopies) Beagle Rescue is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of beagles by sheltering homeless or abandoned dogs and adopting them to loving homes. Our chapters are located in New Jersey and Tennessee. We do not, however, have an actual shelter or public facility for you to visit. All of our beagles are in foster care or with their owners.

Operation Education

Best Friends Sanctuary

BFS is the only shelter in Fentress County. We are a nonprofit, no-kill organization run by volunteers, grants, and fundraisers. We have a Fix Fentress program where we give vouchers to the ninety-eight% low-income citizens for spaying/neutering. Each month, we take vanloads of adoptable animals to shelters in OH, GA, NY, PA, New Jersey, and within our state, which have been vetted, spayed, and vaccinated. Our vet bill can run up to $5,000 a month. Our small shelter continually stays overcrowded.

C.A.R.E.S. (Companion Animal Rescue & Education)

CARE was created by a group of caring individuals that saw the necessity of creating a haven for all companion animals in need. We will pursue all options for the companion animals of Jefferson County, Tennessee, and help pet parents build relationships and find solutions that foster forever families. We will pursue a no-kill status and aid other welfare agencies in the same pursuit. We will approach others with kindness and remain deeply loyal to being a champion for all animals whether they are within our building or within another facility. We will embody the CORE VALUES of Companion Animal Rescue and Education and build a reputation founded on making a positive impact for four-legged and two-legged animals alike. CORE VALUES: Compassion, Selflessness, Kindness, Commitment, Hopefulness, Resourcefulness, Reliability, Progressiveness, Loyalty, Transparency, Dignity

Warren County Tn Animal Shelter

Our department has a wide variety of duties, including handling and containing aggressive, abused, or unfriendly animals that pose a danger to the citizens of Warren County. We also try to address the problem of unwanted or abandoned animals. We do our best to achieve this through adoption, rescue, or relocation of the animals picked up. However, some animals are euthanized due to the nature and temperament, or physical condition, of those animals.

All 4s Rescue League

All 4s Rescue League makes contact with pets and their owners in their own homes. This allows us to assess need and form a plan of action on an individual basis. We are very proud of the positive impact we have on the lives of the pets and people we serve. Learn more about what we do, who we help, and how we work every day to promote positive change.

Real Good Dog Rescue

Founded in 2004 by Lisa Trenthem, Real Good Dog Rescue ‘s goal is to reduce the number of animals euthanized in area shelters, primarily the Memphis Animal Shelter. We also occasionally accept owner-surrendered puppies or dogs, depending on the circumstances. RGDR utilizes a team of volunteers who foster animals while they await their new families and forever homes. Some volunteers devote their time to working at adoption events or tackling large and small projects

Memphis Rottweiler Rescue

Memphis Rottweiler Rescue, Inc. [MRR] is a 501c3 nonprofit organization located in Memphis, TN. There are no paid employees at MRR. We are run solely by volunteers.

All Heart Animal Rescue

We are a 5013c non-profit, foster, and volunteer-based organization located in the Memphis, TN area. Our organization strives to help animals that have been left to fend for themselves to become healthy once again. Once they have received the proper care, we find them loving new families to adopt them.