Fayette Humane Society: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report

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

The money was used to take in a litter of 10 pit-bull-mix puppies. They were dewormed several times, heartworm-tested, given flea control, vaccinated, and microchipped. The six females and four males will be spayed/neutered next week and will be ready for adoption in time for Christmas. We already have several pre-adoption applications for them! We also had their mom, Bridget, spayed, so her owners will not be faced with this dilemma again.

For years, our insurance policy did not permit Fayette Humane Society to accept pit bulls or other "bully breed" dogs into our system. Because so many dogs are of uncertain origin, and many who end up in shelters have some pit bull in them, we shopped around for a new policy that did not discriminate against specific breeds. However, even after we eliminated the insurance hurdle, our board was still reluctant to change its policy. After much discussion, led by one member who is the proud owner of three gentle pit bulls, we agreed to accept these dogs, provided they go into foster homes where the caregivers are familiar with the breed. About this time, we were approached by Bridget's family. Because of our new policy and the fact that we had just received the Petfinder Foundation/Orvis grant, we were able to say yes.

How many pets did this grant help?

Eleven: 10 puppies and their mother

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

They were responsible pet owners: Their cats are fixed and their dogs are up-to-date with vaccines. They have a fenced yard. They thought they could handle Bridget, a pit-bull puppy, but then the neighbor’s dog jumped the fence. Next thing they knew, Bridget was expecting 10 puppies! They reached out to a Fayette Humane Society volunteer via Facebook, and thanks to the Petfinder Foundation/Orvis grant, we were able to help save this litter of puppies.