Pima Animal Care Center: KONG Toys Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The Petfinder Foundation generously donated 300 KONG toys to help Pima Animal Care keep our dogs happy, healthy and entertained while they wait with us for new adoptive families.
Shelter life can be scary for pets who've been displaced from their families and the comforts of home. As our community’s only open-admission shelter, we take in nearly 24,000 homeless pets a year, and they are all housed at our aging, noisy campus that was built in the 1960s. Treat time, volunteer snuggles and enrichment toys like the KONGs generously donated by the Petfinder Foundation help our temporary residents block out the noise and feel safe. By helping us keep our dogs healthy, entertained and happy, the Petfinder Foundation is ensuring we can save more of their lives than ever before.
How many pets did this grant help?
This grant has helped thousands of our homeless dogs.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
The first family of Finley, a 5-year-old Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix (first photo), said they were surrendering him to us because he was not getting along with their other dogs and young child. After Finley was evaluated by our staff and cleared for adoption into a child-free family, he waited 10 days to be noticed. During that time, the enrichment activity that Finley received from the granted KONG toys meant he was relaxed, happy and ready when his adopter – who also happens to be one of our volunteers — finally walked by. The volunteer went home and told his wife, Carole (she’s also a volunteer), that he’d found a promising new member of their family. Carole brought their other dog in to meet Finley and found it was the right fit! “It was the perfect match for us, because he’s a lap dog,” Carole said. “He’s starting to open up. You can tell he’s really starting to relax into the pack and find his place.”
Picture 2: Brought to us as a stray, 7-year-old Curly Sue came to our shelter with an emaciated body, overgrown nails and tangled coat. Our volunteers rallied around this sweet senior to get her groomed, up to a healthy weight and in foster care. A peanut butter-filled KONG toy is helping Curly Sue get the caloric boost and mental stimulation she needs while she waits for her forever home.
Pictures 3 and 4: Surrendered to us last December, Donnie instantly became a staff and volunteer favorite because of his fun-loving disposition and big, goofy grin. He waited at our shelter for a full five months, and the stimulation and stress relief he received from your granted KONG toys helped this 2-year-old Pit Bull mix stay emotionally and physically healthy during his time with us. Donnie loves children, and on May 2, he was finally adopted into a family with three kids who will treasure their new best friend!
