North Country SPCA: Perkins Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The Perkins Enrichment Grant money was used to purchase bordetella vaccines for the dogs at the North Country SPCA.
This grant has helped us improve the standards of care at the NCSPCA by helping us further protect our dogs from the spread of disease. At the NCSPCA, we take tremendous pride in the level of care we provide our animals: Our goal is to set the standard of vet care for all animals in our community, which begins with providing top-notch care to our shelter animals.
How many pets did this grant help?
To date, 60 dogs have received a bordetella vaccine because of this grant money. By October, a full year into the grant, we expect that 150 dogs total will have been vaccinated.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Thumper came to the shelter after she was abandoned in a house with her buddy, Mystery. She’s an older dog, 9 or 10 years old, and is pretty selective when it comes to other dogs. We also noticed that she had several lumps and bumps on her body that needed to be checked out by the vet. Given all of this info, it was pretty clear to us that Thumper would be a tough sell to any adopter and that she’d likely be at the shelter for several months until the right home came along. As an older dog and as a potential long-termer, it was important that she get the bordetella vaccine — we knew she’d be exposed to many, many dogs throughout her stay at the shelter.
While at the shelter, Thumper underwent three different surgeries to remove mast cell tumors. She was an incredible patient and a lovely, friendly dog, and quickly got bumped up to “staff favorite.” She often had the run of the office and ate lunch with the staff, all the while begging politely. In early April, an older gentleman came to the shelter looking for a new companion. He had recently lost his dog to cancer and was looking for an older, quiet dog as a fishing buddy. Despite her health issues, Thumper was the perfect dog for the job! She is thriving in her new home and can’t wait for fishing season to be in full swing.
