Humane Society of the Palouse: KONG Toys Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We received the Kong Toy Grant valued at $139.90. We requested this donation for our Enrichment Program to keep our animals mentally and physically stimulated while in our care.
This grant was one of the first products we received while starting our Enrichment Program. Our goal was to ensure that each animal received some kind of stimulation each day, whether it was physical or mental. Having Kongs for every dog in our care allowed us to create exciting and beneficial treats for each dog. By offering our animals an enrichment such as filled Kongs, we noticed a decrease in barking and howling, as well as a decrease in kennel destruction (urinating, defecating, bed-chewing, etc).
During Covid-19, we unfortunately had to shut our doors to volunteers, so having the ability to enrich the days our animals in other ways was extremely important.
How many pets did this grant help?
So far this grant has helped enrich eight different dogs in our care, but it will continue to help many dogs in the future.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
We had a dog in our care named Sonic (first and second photos). He was with us from March 6 to April 27, 2020. Sonic was a border collie mix, and was extremely high-energy. Dogs like this tend to have a harder time in a shelter environment, so we work hard to find ways to enrich those animals as much as possible.
During Sonic’s stay at HSoP, we unfortunately had to close our doors due to COVID-19, which meant we could not have any volunteers or visitors. This made their stay hard for every animal, but Sonic struggled more than usual. He wasn’t able to get his regular daily exercise.
Our being able to offer him a stuffed Kong allowed him to mentally decompress and relax. We noticed an immediate difference in his attitude and the cleanliness of his kennel. Because of the Kong Toy Grant, we were able to help Sonic stay happy and healthy until he found his forever home. Sonic has since been adopted, and is living a wonderful life.
