South Lake Animal League dba: The Animal League: KONG Toys Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The Kongs are being used as enrichment toys by providing mental and physical stimulation. We add a little snack, treat, or a bit of peanut butter to the Kongs and the pups are so excited when they see us coming down the row with goodies!
This grant helps us to provide mental and physical stimulation for our shelter pets while they wait patiently to find their forever homes. We often receive pets who have been neglected, abused, abandoned, or otherwise need our assistance. They are often scared upon arrival, not being familiar with our facility or our staff. Within a few days, they usually settle in, but the use of the Kong toys helps the pets to develop trust with our staff and helps them to overcome their initial fear of people. Each pet's personality blossoms and increases their likelihood of adoption.
How many pets did this grant help?
We received the grant in late October. We estimate 150 animals have been helped with your donation.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Hocus is a 2-year-old, 65 lb. Lab mix who came to us a few months ago. We have been working on his manners, but he is so excitable and energetic that he often cannot focus long enough on our training sessions.
We had hoped that he would like a doggie friend to play with in the kennel, so we paired him with a like-size dog, but found that he prefers to be the only dog in the kennel.
We found that if we gave him a Kong about an hour before we wanted to work on his training, he was able to direct his energy to the Kong, which hade a very calming effect on him.
We have now been able to take him out into our play yard and he is making good progress with his basic doggie manners. Prior to this, when a potential adopter would come to visit, he was too hyper and was often passed over. We have high hopes for Hocus, as he has a potential adoption this weekend. Keep your paws crossed for this big guy and send good vibes his way!
