Adopting a furry friend isn’t the only way to get involved. Since Agape launched in 2004, we have developed several specific programs to support our community and fulfill our mission:
Agape wouldn’t exist without our foster care program where dedicated families nurture the available dogs until he/she finds a forever family. While Agape is financially responsible for the dogs in the program, the foster parents provide a loving temporary home. We offer group classes to our foster families where they learn basic training skills. Through these classes they also gain a better understanding of general dog behaviors and needs.
Are you interested in adopting a dog from Agape? All of our dogs have been fully vetted including vaccinations, spay/neuter, tested for heartworms, and are current on preventative medications. Each adoptive family is supported by an Agape team member to make sure the dogs transition is stress free and a positive experience. We are proud of our 99% retention rate for Agape adoptions! Before taking the next step, please take a few minutes to read the following guide to find out what to expect from our adoption process.
Agape’s Forever Foster program supports dogs who are unlikely to be successfully adopted due to their high medical needs or senior status. By supporting their foster families on a permanent basis with the cost of their care, these pups have found their home, but their forever families do not have to worry about the cost of their care becoming a burden. Many thanks to Susie’s Senior Dogs for their support of this program, and to our forever foster families for their commitment to providing these dogs the highest quality of life, for the rest of their life.
In early 2015 Agape teamed up with Best Friends Animal Society, the Enderle Family, and The Community Foundation of Middle TN to create Agape’s Official Puppy Program. In 2016 our friends at the Pedigree Foundation joined the puppy team by making a generous donation to the program as well! Through this program, we’re dedicated to saving pregnant dogs and orphaned puppies ages 6 months and under. These puppies come to us from shelters and animal control agencies where they would have otherwise been euthanized.
Financial hardships can be devastating for a family. In order to assist people who are going through these and other difficult times, we’ve established a Community Kibble Program. Our goal is to help these families keep their pets by providing them with pet food for a short period of time. Sometimes, this food can be the difference between a person keeping a pet or having to give him or her away. The goal of this program is to prevent anyone from ever having to make this difficult and heartbreaking decision, and to avoid an animal entering the overwhelmed shelter system, where they are subject to extremely stressful conditions, and are at-risk of being needlessly euthanized.
Agape microchips all of our rescue dogs thanks to support from the Barbara J. Mapp Foundation. Microchipping saves lives by helping reunite dogs with their pet parents if the need ever arises. We strongly believe microchips are an important part of our overall mission to ensure the lifelong health and safety of our rescue animals.
New in 2020, Agape is further incorporating behavioral training into its model to positively impact adoption retention rates and owner-surrender rates in the region. The Agape team is working hard to deliver foster training to organizations in Middle Tennessee, and will work to offer affordable, accessible behavioral training to its foster families, adoptive families, and eventually all pet owners in Middle Tennessee, always using positive reinforcement, force-free methods.
We at Agape hold a special place in our hearts for senior dogs. Senior dogs are often overlooked in shelters while their younger counterparts are adopted at much higher rates. According to the ASPCA, younger dogs and puppies have an adoption rate of 60%, compared to a rate of just 25% for senior dogs.