Statements
Mission
Agape Animal Rescue is dedicated to finding forever families for abandoned and displaced dogs through our signature foster and adoption program while cultivating better communities through dog training, owner education and outreach programs
Background
Since 2004, over 1,400 dogs have been rescued and permanently placed in loving homes. Through our mission of finding forever homes for abandoned and displaced dogs we continue to break the cycle of overpopulation, high euthanasia rates and animal cruelty with our signature foster and adoption program, which has three fundamental pillars:
→ Prevention and Family Preservation. Agape prevents animals from entering the shelter system by assisting their owners in moving towards responsible, sustainable pet ownership. Agape educates those who are experiencing behavioral issues, connects to partner organizations for additional resources, and provides supplies to alleviate financial burdens to families who may be struggling to cover the costs of keeping their pet. Agape views a dog prevented from being surrendered as a life saved. We also believe dog ownership is for everyone, and that and a family provided the tools to be responsible dog owners is a happier, healthier one.
→ Behavioral Training during Foster Care. Dogs who have been surrendered or found themselves in a shelter enter Agape's Signature Foster & Adoption Program, where they are placed with a foster family until they find a long-term home. While a dog is with a foster family, both the dog and the family are supported with everything they need for every day care (food, leashes, preventative medicine), but also care that will prepare them for a smooth transition to a forever home - from obedience training to socialization.
→ Adoption. Our three-step process and dedication to finding the perfect match is the reason Agape is able to maintain its 99% placement success rate. Each prospective adoptive family must fill out an application, and discuss the process with our Adoption Coordinator who conducts reference and vet checks. As the process moves forward, there will be a meet and greet, followed by a home visit, and finally… the adoption! Post adoption, we stay in touch with our families to offer them ongoing support.
Impact
We are proud to say that our model works. Agape aims to directly save between 100-150 dogs annually and to impact an additional 1,000 through intake prevention and training each year. We are proud that we continue to see a retention rate of over 99% among our adoptive families. What really counts is that we are rescuing hundreds of dogs each year from euthanasia, cruelty, and homelessness, while enriching the lives of countless families and the neighborhoods they live in.
Agape continues to be involved with large-scale puppy mill and hoarding cases as we specialize in rehabilitating dogs from these situations. We are coming to the aid of the community more and more by giving out dog food to families experiencing hardship through our Community Kibble Program and increasing the capacity of our foster network to meet the growing need of owner surrenders and strays.
Agape is developing an enhanced dog training program for foster dogs to overcome behavioral issues during foster care that may affect their long-term success in adoptive homes and is currently investing in staff becoming certified in Karen Pryor Behavioral Training. Agape plans long-term to offer accessible, affordable behavioral training in various ways to the general public as a means of preventing owner surrenders and preserving families. Agape is also investing in virtual education offerings to continue education for foster families so that they can increase their skillsets and work harder to adopt dogs, and gain valuable skills as they give their time to Agape.
In early 2015 Agape teamed up with Best Friends Animal Society, the Enderle Family, Community Foundation of Middle TN, and Pedigree Foundation to launch our official puppy program. This program was created to save pregnant dogs and puppies under 6 months of age from shelters who do not have the resources to support them. The Puppy Program continues to thrive and ensure that mothers and babies begin their lives in a loving, nurturing environment and ultimately find loving homes.
With the support of The Barbara J. Mapp Foundation, we implemented an internal microchip program and now 100% of Agape dogs receive microchips before adoption.
Needs
Agape Animal Rescue has an ongoing need for:
1. Foster Families
2. Funding for all of its programs -- Signature Foster and Adoption Program, Puppy Program, Forever Foster Program, Community Kibble Program, Microchipping Program, Community Canine Coaching Program
3. Influential members of the community to chair or be a part of our Agape Animal Ball's planning or auction committee.
4. Board members with expertise in tech, public relations, fund development, and more
CEO Statement
As director of Agape, I have a specific vision for the organization and we are currently working through a strategic plan to make our dream of no more homeless dogs in Middle TN a reality. We are unique in nature because of our specialized one-on-one foster parent and dog training programs. We provide a network of resources, continuing education, and general support that is not always present in the animal rescue/welfare community. We will continue to expand our efforts through Middle Tennessee in hopes of lowering the number of dogs euthanized in the local county shelters. We will do this by increasing the number of dogs in fabulous forever homes who have been advantageously placed with quality homes. I have a deep level of passion for what the organization is doing. In 2002 a small yellow lab puppy rolled out of a ditch right in front of my car. Little did I know, he had five brothers and sisters lying in the ditch that also needed help. This experienced sparked my passion for animals in need and the formation of Agape was put into motion. Founding any business is challenging, but with strong board members and volunteers anything is possible. We are excited that we are increasing our fundraising and marketing efforts to change more lives in our community.
Board Chair Statement
My name is Lauren Dougalll, and I am the Board President of Agape Animal Rescue. With two pups of my own, one of which came from Agape -- I've been a longtime supporter and I welcome the opportunity to use my time and efforts to assist Agape in fulfilling its mission. Now that 2023 is in full swing, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your continued support and share a few exciting updates:
-- 2019 was full of surprises! We welcomed several new staff and board members and are glad to have a strong and dedicated team to grow throughout 2020.
-- After many years of searching and the timing not being right, Agape is finally moving into a workspace! While we will continue to operate as a foster network -- no shelter floor -- we are excited about an opportunity to use our new operating space to support our foster and adoption program, collaborative partnerships, and training initiatives. A huge thanks to the Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation (RARF) for the generous support that made this possible.
-- Speaking of training initiatives, stay tuned -- we'll be offering more resources in the coming months to save more lives, make a more meaningful impact in Middle Tennessee, and to support healthy, happy forever families by assisting pet owners with behavioral training. Thanks to our generous friends at the Pedigree Foundation, our first offering will be via our website!
We will continue to build on last year's successes, and your continued support makes that possible. We are so grateful.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Animal Related - Animal Protection & Welfare |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Educational Services |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Primarily Middle Tennessee
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Hickman |
