Agape Animal Rescue has been making a huge difference in animals' lives since 2004. This team of dedicated volunteers runs a foster and adoption program for abandoned dogs in Tennessee and the surrounding states. Dogs in need are placed in loving foster homes until they each can find a new forever home. With a foster parent, each dog can be given a safe space to play and learn invaluable social skills and obedience training with more individual love and attention than they can get at a formal shelter facility.
Agape Animal Rescue also works hard to improve animal welfare within the community through several important services:
Agape Animal Rescue's adoption process helps keeps return rates as low as possible. It's crucial to find the best pet and owner match to give each dog the most fulfilling life possible.
The process can take anywhere from 1 week to 1 month from start to finish. While that's longer than many same-day adoption facilities, Agape Animal Rescue's foster program and involved adoption process ensures two things:
These two great benefits mean high success rates and plenty of happy families!
If you're interested in giving a sweet dog a new home, have a look at Agape Animal Rescue's website where all dogs in need of adoption are listed. Each pup comes with great pictures and a detailed biography describing their background and personality. You can immediately see which animals may suit you better than others, as some will have specific needs, such as a home without children or other pets.
From here the adoption process is as follows:
Congrats on your new furry friend!
Adoption fees at Agape Animal Rescue are as follows:
Those fees includes a state-regulated $25 refundable fee that's reimbursed after your dog has been spayed or neutered. Another $25 will be reimbursed after your dog graduates an obedience training class post-adoption. On average, Agape Animal Rescue spends $350 or more per dog while they're in foster care, so these fees don't even make up for the cost of the rescuing these animals.
Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!
In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.
Because shelter dogs are full of love!
Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?
I can't say for certain, but yes.
Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:
Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:
These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.
You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.
Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.
If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!
If you're looking to adopt a new dog, our Dog Adoption Guide is a must-read. It has everything you need to know about bringing a shelter dog home:
And we're adding new guides all the time.
