Maryland SPCA, Inc.: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

Enrichment is critical to keeping pets mentally and emotionally healthy while they are in a shelter environment. Stimulation helps burn energy and manage stress, making an animal more attractive to potential adopters. The Maryland SPCA (MD SPCA) endeavors to provide every dog in our care with some kind of mental stimulation daily.

Faced with increased expenses for food and other supplies, we rely almost exclusively on donated toys and puzzles to stock our enrichment program. Typically, these are provided by individuals who research our wish list and make single purchases through Chewy, Amazon, or another supplier. It is rare to receive a bulk gift of enrichment activity toys.

The Petfinder Foundation’s grant of 29 KONGs is one of the largest donations we have received. On average, dogs entering the MD SPCA stay 22 days. Thanks to their durability, these toys will provide stimulation for many pets moving through our shelter this year.

How many pets did this grant help?

372

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

Lucy is a sweet pup who transferred to the MD SPCA from one of our sister shelters, Baltimore County Animal Services (BCAS) on April 23, 2026. She is estimated to be about a year and a half old and was spayed before intake. The BCAS team described Lucy as “loose and wiggly” and interested in people. Our animal care technicians and behavior team say that she is exuberant and a cuddler.

At about 18 months old, Lucy is usually on the move. She participates in playgroups with other dogs, where she loves to chase and run after a thrown tug toy. While playgroup is a wonderful activity for Lucy to release some of that energy and learn important social skills, we can see during her walks that it is not enough. Her KONG toys are excellent outlets followed by calmer cuddle time.

Lucy is currently available for adoption; you can meet her here.