Songfacts®:

• Emmylou Harris runs a dog rescue shelter from the back garden of her property called Bonaparte's Retreat. This song is the true tale about a black lab mix named Bella who the singer rescued from the Nashville Metro pound, and provided Harris with company when she was on the road. She explained in 2011: "She goes on the tour bus with me now, along with another one of my rescues. I think of all the years on the road I wasted without a dog. They make it so much more pleasant. I'm making up for lost time now, that's for sure."
• Emmylou told UK newspaper The Independent about Bonaparte's Retreat: "It's a fenced-in part of the yard and there's a little house at the back which we built for the dogs to sleep in at night," she smiled. "There are rugs and lamps in there, it's air-conditioned and heated. Really, it's one of the greatest things I've ever done. Dogs have such a capacity for joy. No matter how tired you are, or whatever else is going on, they make the day better."