Statements
Mission
Founded in 2004 by Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Emmylou Harris, Bonaparte's Retreat is a small, foster-based 501(c)3 nonprofit dog rescue organization, and was the first private animal rescue group to partner with Metro Nashville Animal Care & Control. Our focus is on rescuing the shelter dogs who are often overlooked or deemed unadoptable--especially senior dogs, larger dogs, special needs dogs, or dogs in need of imminent medical care or surgery. Our mission is to prevent these wonderful animals from being euthanized and to place them into permanent, loving homes.pasting
Background
Bonaparte's Retreat is named for one of founder Emmylou Harris's own beloved dogs. For ten years, Bonaparte traveled on the road with Harris and was her constant companion. When he died suddenly in 2002, she was heartbroken. But her personal loss became the genesis of Bonaparte's Retreat, founded to honor the memory of her beloved companion. An animal rights supporter and lifelong dog lover, Harris first rescued dogs deemed unadoptable from the Nashville Humane Association. Today, Bonaparte's Retreat focuses on rescuing dogs whose time has run out at Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control as well as municipal shelters in surrounding counties.
Impact
Our most significant impact is our focus on rescuing the neglected and forgotten shelter dogs, those who are overlooked or considered unadoptable?senior dogs, large dogs, special-needs dogs, or dogs in need of imminent medical care or surgery. We tell their stories to engage the public & educate them about why these animals are still worthy of adoption. We invest in their medical care initially (or perhaps for life) & care for them for as long as it takes to place them into forever homes. In 2018 and 2019 to date: We hosted or participated in 46 events, fundraisers, promotions, & outreach efforts to promote our adoptable dogs & raise awareness about shelter dogs & our organization.52 dogs rescued from shelters & 47 adopted into forever homes. Of those, 23 were either senior dogs or required medical care, surgery, recovery, and/or long-term care. All our senior dogs are now in permanent homes. Received 69 new volunteer & foster applications. 36 active volunteers worked over 3000 hours while dog walking; fostering; providing enrichment, training, & feeding; assisting at events; & performing administrative assistance.Celebrated 15-year anniversary in 2019.Continued partnerships with Metro Nashville Animal Control & municipal shelters in surrounding counties. Membership in Safe Coalition, animal welfare agencies working together to help Nashville's pets, whose missions is to build and sustain a community that saves all healthy & treatable cats & dogs in Metro Nashville. Continued partnership with Best Friends Animal Society's No More Homeless Pets Network participating in national adoption events with reduced- or waived-fee adoptions. Hosted adoption events throughout the year at local merchants and venues.Participated in Tails of the Trail Home for the Holidays promotion, waiving adoption fees.Partnership with Mod Squad Martha, a portion of whose specialty food product line benefits our organization. Entered partnership with Bark Squad?Nashville's white-glove concierge service for dogs?and its Bark Squad Gives Back program, which donates 10% of all revenue from merchandise sold to us.Founder Emmylou Harris threw out the first pitch during our participation in Tail Waggin' Tuesdays fundraiser at The Nashville Sounds, an event that brought in more patrons and their pups than any night during summer 2019.Partnered with Belmont University's student-run record store, Boulevard Records, to bring dogs to store events as stress relievers for students during critical exam times.Participated in annual fundraisers, The Big Payback & Giving Tuesday.Founder Emmylou Harris was featured in the July 2018 Johnny Was catalog along with a story about Bonaparte's Retreat.Founder Emmylou Harris & Bonaparte's Retreat featured in October 2018 issue of Southern Lady magazine, in "Champion of the Underdogs." Partnered with the YWCA's domestic violence program to develop HEALING PAWS, a SHIP-type program (Strategic Humane Interventions Program), to provide humane education & opportunities to work with & train dogs for parents and children recovering from domestic violence (now on hiatus). Continued short-term foster initiative to provide our adoptable dogs with "weekend sleepovers" & "homes for the holidays"?so that the dogs stay in real homes for a night or several nights & the individuals hosting the dogs learn what fostering might be like in real time.Bonaparte Plush Puppy?Thanks to Molly Bedell of Two Old Hippies, the creation of squishy, fluffy, stuffed plush puppy, named Bonaparte, helped raise funds from sales at Two Old Hippies store & at Nashville's dog-friendly Hutton Hotel.Nashville Eagle Scout Tyler Schoenecker, with Troup 92, selected Bonaparte's Retreat for his Eagle Project. He hand-built & assembled a full complement of agility equipment?resources for our shelter dogs to teach them fun agility skills to enrich their daily lives as they wait for forever homes.
Needs
Our most pressing needs are: 1) To increase the number of dogs we rescue from shelters & adopt into permanent homes. 2) To recruit & retain foster parents & foster homes. We cannot succeed at the former without the latter. And 3) Develop outreach programs to educate the public on shelter dogs as the best adoptable companions.
CEO Statement
What sets Bonaparte's Retreat apart from other rescues is our focus on & devotion to rescuing dogs overlooked both by other adopters & many rescue groups: large dogs, senior dogs, or dogs with medical needs who require ongoing care or immediate specialized vet care or surgery. Because of this, Bonaparte's Retreat may not rescue & adopt out the highest number of dogs among middle Tennessee rescue groups. Instead, we give these neglected, hardest-to-adopt dogs a home environment--& then we nurture, rehabilitate, care for, & love them as if they are our family pets for as long as it takes to find their forever homes.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Animal Related - Animal Protection & Welfare |
| Secondary Category: | - |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Primarily the middle Tennessee area.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Robertson |
