Paws Humane Society of the Chattahoochee Valley: KONG Toys Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The products we received from the KONG Toy Grant were used with dogs in our shelter who are awaiting adoption or transport.
Kong toys help our animal care technicians with training; they offer comfort to dogs who have a harder time adjusting to shelter environments and also provide entertainment during the evening hours after our facility closes.
It is a daily practice to load the toys up with peanut butter and give them to the dogs just before closing time. Even the most spirited of the dogs in our care receive comfort from the treat these toys provide, as evidenced by the way these toys are often found being snuggled by the recipient when our animal care technicians arrive early each morning to begin caring for the dogs.
When the dogs are adopted, we typically send their beloved Kong toys with them to their forever homes.
How many pets did this grant help?
100+
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Luna came into our shelter as a stray from Columbus Animal Care and Control. She was VERY shy! So shy that she wouldn’t eat. As giving a Kong filled with peanut butter is a daily practice in our shelter, each night before leaving an animal care technician followed this same practice with Luna.
After the second day in our care, Luna began taking the Kong toy from the hand of the ACT. Even though she still wasn’t touching her food, she cleaned her Kong toy! After the third day, Luna finally began to eat her food, but our staff was very grateful to have the Kong, as it seemed to offer Luna the comfort she needed and helped her become accustomed to shelter life.
When Luna was adopted, we made certain to give her Kong to her new family and explained her love for it. On our first follow-up call to check on her, we were told that she wasn’t eating. The adoption counselor advised the adopter to fill Luna’s Kong with peanut butter and assured Luna’s new mom that she would likely come around once she got used to her new surroundings.
On Luna’s third day in her new home, her family called to tell us she had begun eating and seemed to be warming up. They also told us that wherever Luna went, her Kong accompanied her — with or without peanut butter.
