Copper's Dream Animal Rescue: Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The Thundershirts have been used for high-anxiety dogs in foster care in our rescue group.

The Thundershirts have been great to have on hand to lend to foster parents with dogs with separation anxiety. Oftentimes the dogs in the rescue's care cannot be left alone in a crate (because of crying in the crate) or outside of the crate (because of destruction in the foster home due to anxiety). But Thundershirts have really lessened this anxiety in the way that swaddling calms a baby.

How many pets did this grant help?

So far about four or five (we've used them on the ones with high anxiety), but we will definitely be using them on more as they come in from the shelter.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

My family’s current foster dog, Copper, could not be left in a crate at night without trying to escape (to the point of causing himself to bleed by trying to scratch and bite his way out of the metal crate). He had broken out of three metal crates by ripping the metal bars off with his teeth (we woke up to blood all over his white face and muzzle). He had also scratched his way out and literally pulled his toe nail off in doing so (see photo). We started to use a Thundershirt on him and he is now silent and relaxed in his crate at night; when we come downstairs to the crate in the morning, he is calm and rested.