Fetching Tails Foundation: All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration Grant Report

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

All the money we received from this grant was used to provide professional training to dogs in need of extra help with socialization and manners before they were ready for adoption. They either had never lived in a real home before or never had any guidance and structure in their previous living situations, so we wanted to provide them with formal training to help them gain confidence, learn proper house manners and boundaries, and reach their full potential to be the best doggies we knew they could be.

This grant allowed dogs who needed it to attend a board-and-train program with SFK-9 Training. The dogs were able to receive around-the-clock work on their manners and socialization and, most importantly, learn what life in a home setting should be like, as they lived with the trainer in her home while going through the program. This also benefited our organization as a whole because the dogs' initial fosters were able to help save other lives by fostering other animals while these dogs were living at the trainer's home. All five dogs who went to SFK-9 thanks to this grant have been adopted and are thriving in their forever homes. The trainer worked with the adopters and reviewed everything that the dogs had learned, and is willing to help out with the dogs if the families need it in the future.

How many pets did this grant help?

5

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

Our grant was able to help five dogs: Jemma (first and second photos), Barron (third photo), Kaylee (fourth photo), Mia and Cole. All the dogs were super special and did amazing with their training programs. We were especially proud of Jemma. She is a very loving and affectionate dog with people she trusts, but was picky about whom she would allow to approach her and would show signs of nervousness with some people at adoption shows. She is a young and very active dog and appeared to have only lived outside before we rescued her, so she was a bit of a diamond in the rough, and we decided to have her attend the board-and-train program so she could shine like the jewel we knew she was!

The trainer worked with her on household manners, basic commands, and also on socialization with people so she could be more comfortable meeting strangers. Jemma was adopted by a lovely couple who has previous experience with her breed. They worked with our trainer and Jemma before officially adopting her, and have continued to provide her the structure and positive outlets for her energy that she wants and needs. Without the formal training, it could have been a long wait to find Jemma the perfect home, but thanks to this grant, we were able to get Jemma the help she needed to really come out of her shell and thrive so she could find her forever family and enjoy a very happy life now.

*FYI: The provided photos are by our volunteer photographer Tracey Fenolio. The people in the photos are volunteers with our organization. We post adoption-day photos of the dogs and their new families on our Facebook page when adopters agree to have a photo taken and published.*