Guilford County Animal Shelter: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

We received a box of KONGs and used them as enrichment toys for some of the dogs who have been at the Guilford County Animal Shelter for a longer period of time, as well as some of the dogs going through therapy, like our friend Toby, who was a suspected burn victim. They loved them!

We were able to provide a safe, more sanitary toy to some happy dogs at the shelter. The KONGs we received are durable, easy to clean, and lots of fun for our pups! This enrichment allowed the dogs something to keep them occupied while spending time in their kennels, between being walked and taken out to play by volunteers. This caused the dogs to become less stressed in their cage, and less destructive with other toys once they got outside.

How many pets did this grant help?

This grant helped more than 100 dogs at the Guilford County Animal Shelter, and is continuing to help more! As the dogs are adopted, the KONGs are cleaned, sanitized, and given to other dogs.

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

Toby, a suspected burn victim, arrived at the Guilford County Animal Shelter in April 2014 with third-degree burns covering over 50% of his body. We immediately began treating him and were pleasantly surprised by his quick recovery and how much hair he was growing back in just weeks! Of course, with the healing process brought lots of itching and skin irritation, so we wanted to soothe him and make his recovery as comfortable as possible. One thing that really helped keep his mind off of his skin was the enrichment we received from you — a KONG with a small frozen cheese treat inside. He absolutely loves them and it keeps him busy and distracted until the whole ice cube inside is gone. Toby, and the staff at the Guilford County Animal Shelter, thank you!