The Animal Foundation: KONG Toys Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
One of our goals at The Animal Foundation is to give every adoptable dog a KONG, every day. On any given day, we have an average of 150 dogs available for adoption. That’s a lot of dogs and a lot of KONGs! Fortunately, we have wonderful volunteers who help us stuff our KONGs with peanut butter and freeze them (and afterward, clean them!). We deliver the stuffed KONGs to all our adoptable dogs, which helps contribute to their well-being while they’re in our shelter. (See photo of freezer with peanut butter KONGs lovingly stuffed by our volunteers.)
The KONGs granted by the Petfinder Foundation enable us to reach our daily KONG goal. We made this our goal because we understand the benefits of KONGs for dogs while they’re in our shelter: They help relieve boredom and stress, stimulate thinking and motivate behaviors, and encourage natural chewing to self-soothe. We also use KONGs as a tool for training and a means to promote quiet time in the kennels.
How many pets did this grant help?
750
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Bella, a 4-year-old bully mix (first two photos), arrived at The Animal Foundation on Dec. 26, 2018. She was a gentle, affectionate girl who was overlooked for adoption too many times. Although she did well with children, she could be a bit “bossy” with other dogs, which made finding a forever home (and even a foster home) challenging.
As we do with all the animals in our care, we aimed to make Bella’s stay here as happy and comfortable as possible. We noticed that Bella was reassured by having her toys around her, including a white stuffed lamb and a KONG, so we made sure to always have these items in her kennel.
Bella was overcome with delight when her new frozen peanut butter-filled KONG was delivered each day. After receiving it, she would hold it in her mouth and wiggle excitedly and proudly around her kennel. Once she had settled down and eaten all the peanut butter, she’d snuggle up on her bed and cuddle her KONG, then doze off into a satisfied slumber.
We know how much dogs value these daily delicacies. Not only do they provide a tasty treat, they provide mental stimulation and encourage physical activity. Bella was able to adapt to shelter life (which isn’t always easy) because we were able to provide her with enriching toys such as KONGs.
We’re thrilled to report that Bella found her forever home on Feb. 28, 2019.
