Toledo's Pet Bull Project: COVID-19 Operation Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The funds we received from the Petfinder Foundation covered the routine medical expenses of some of our new foster intakes. This included initial wellness exams; distemper, rabies, and bordetella vaccines; and heartworm tests.
This grant allowed us to ultimately bring more dogs into our foster program than we otherwise would have been able to. Due to COVID-19, we saw an increase in the number of surrenders and strays in our area, while simultaneously experiencing a decrease in our revenue when we had to cancel revenue-generating programs during lockdown. By covering the routine medical expenses every dog incurs upon intake, this grant ensured that providing quality medical care to the dogs in our program would not limit the number of dogs we would serve. In the three months since we received the Petfinder Foundation grant, we have taken in 19 foster dogs, and six of those dogs were helped by this grant.
How many pets did this grant help?
6
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Hodge (first photo) is a little Jack Russell terrier who had a serious fear response, especially with men. He expected to be held whenever he wanted and would hurl himself at you. He was a lot of dog in a small package. With his foster mom, he learned how to walk on a leash, and how to sit calmly and wait for permission to climb up on laps. He has since been adopted into the perfect home. His name is now Jack, and he was adopted by a woman who had lost her Jack Russell of 13 years about two months earlier. There is a doggie door for him in every room and they walk together three times a day; it was simply meant to be.
Tulip (second photo) is a 3-year-old female who joined our program after living outside with no food, water, or shelter. Tulip has healing scars on her face and body from past abuse. Since becoming a foster in our program, she has overcome worms and has put on weight nicely. She has learned to share with the other dogs and how to trust humans again. She loves swimming in her pool and playing chase in the yard. Tulip is currently up for adoption on Petfinder. Meet Tulip here.
Joplin’s (third photo) foster mom says she was a happy-go-lucky girl from the start, and adapted to new routines quickly. Joplin loves to play and likes belly rubs, and her foster mom says that Joplin is probably the smartest foster dog she’s ever had. Joplin is currently up for adoption on Petfinder. Meet Joplin here.
Vega (fourth photo) is a 12-year-old female Pekinese who was found in a box in a field. She had lots of bad teeth and had to have many pulled. She is slowly starting to eat dog food. Vega is also deaf, so her foster is working to teach her gestured commands for “come,” “go to crate,” and “outside.” She loves to lie in her bed as a lady of leisure. Vega will go up for adoption once she has been spayed.
Copper (fifth photo) is a bloodhound who was severely overweight and weighed in at almost 140 lbs. when he entered our foster program. He and his foster family have been working to get him healthy, and he has already lost 20 lbs. At first, he refused to eat dog food because he was so used to human food, but now a special prescription diet is helping him work on good eating habits. Copper will go up for adoption when he has achieved some more health goals.
Tonka’s (sixth photo) foster mom says he was perfect from the start; he has a magnetic personality with every person he meets. He is still working on his attention span on walks. Tonka is a cuddler and loves to hang out on the couch. Tonka helps out in his foster parents’ shop and has become quite the greeter! Tonka is currently up for adoption on Petfinder. Meet Tonka here.
