This is the Dog!: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

We were very excited to receive the KONG toy grant this summer! Pets in our care are kept in foster homes until they are well enough to go home with their forever families. This summer, our organization was notified of a mom dog with close to 10 puppies living under a storage unit at a local elementary school. For dogs that we encounter on a daily basis, much like this family, the Kong toys are invaluable in incorporating them successfully into foster homes and weaning puppies from their mother.

We have always utilized Kong toys to help dogs in our care during kennel training to prevent boredom and separation anxiety. Our rescue is based in a rural part of southeast Florida, near the Everglades, and a lot of animals who come into our rescue are injured or suffer from tick-borne diseases and need extensive surgery and treatment. The Kong toys are indispensable during their recovery time.

How many pets did this grant help?

To date, more than 20 pets have benefited from the Kong toy grant and we are so grateful!

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

Our foster boy Honky Tonk has a blast playing with his Kong. He’s a big fella, about 90 lbs. with a head the size of a basketball. Prior to being rescued, he had suffered an injury to his back leg; it’s likely that he was hit by a car. It has already healed on its own and the vets do not think he is a candidate for surgical correction at this time. He loves to play, but will not be running any marathons any time soon. 🙂 While we were waiting for vet reports to come back, he was a happy camper playing with his Kong toys! Here is a link to his Petfinder profile: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/35024586rn