Elk County Humane Society: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

We received new Kongs for our shelter animals' enrichment. This allowed us to replace the worn-out ones we had been using.

The grant allowed our shelter to continue to use Kongs as enrichment for the dogs housed in our facility. Proper enrichment ensures that dogs in shelters maintain good mental health and allows for less stress.

How many pets did this grant help?

Since we disinfect the Kongs and reuse them, any dog coming through our shelter is helped by having these new Kongs. On average, we house 10-15 dogs at a time.

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

One dog helped by the grant was Doug. He came to us through a program we have to bring dogs up from the South. Doug was with us about 45 days. He had a lot of energy, and even his long walks did not always burn that energy off.

Giving him Kongs with treats or peanut butter in them gave him activities to focus on and helped him to burn his energy by engaging his mind. Attached are two pictures of Doug at a summer library program. He accompanied shelter volunteers and board members to talk with the kids about proper care for pets.