Pooch's Partners Animal Rescue: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

The product was used for the entertainment and training of shelter dogs.

We found the KONG toys were beneficial for mental stimulation. When stuffed with treats, the Kongs help calm our dogs by providing them with something to work on while they are kenneled. The toys also make a great training tool for the dogs who are just learning about toys or those who need to burn off extra energy by chasing a bounced KONG. The benefits showed through during adoption events, as we found the dogs who benefited from the KONG toys appeared much happier and approachable to potential adopters.

How many pets did this grant help?

15

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

We used the KONG toys with a litter of nine puppies. The toys help them to learn to share and socialize with other rescue dogs. All nine puppies have been adopted. One of our dogs, Benny, benefited greatly from the KONG. Benny was found with his two littermates at about 12 weeks old in a cardboard box on the side of the road. All three puppies were timid, but Benny was the worst of all. After receiving two rounds of shots and dewormer, the puppies were made available for adoption. Benny’s brother and sister were adopted immediately. Benny, on the other hand, was so terrified of people that he was just about catatonic around humans and peed all over himself whenever anyone touched him. We used the KONG toys to help build trust with Benny. We found that the KONG helped reduce Benny’s anxiety and he is now able to interact with humans more. Though Benny is still very timid, we believe the KONG has been instrumental in Benny’s emotional recovery from whatever he experienced as a young puppy. Today, Benny is still waiting for his forever home with the right person who will give him the time to be himself, but we have hope that his day will come soon. Meet Benny: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/37094814