South Suburban Humane Society: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

The KONG products were used to enhance our ongoing Kennel Enrichment Program. Through the program, we actively try to keep dogs healthy and happy by keeping their minds engaged. We address the five senses, with a focus on something different each day, and KONG day on Mondays is the biggest hit! The donated KONGs were used for the dogs in our care and staff fills them with peanut butter and kibble.

Our Kennel Enrichment Program is having the long-term impact of keeping our dogs healthy and happy for adoption. The KONGs are a big part of this, and we believe that they directly contribute to faster adoption rates. When a dog is enjoying his KONG in his cage, he presents better to potential adopters. We have been adopting out long-term residents recently and we believe the Kennel Enrichment Program -- and particularly the KONGs -- are to thank!

How many pets did this grant help?

60

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

Rachel (first photo) and Zoe are two dogs who particularly loved their KONGs. As a pit bull and a black Lab/pit mix, respectively, both were much harder to adopt than some other dogs. Since it was harder for them to find homes, it was imperative to keep them healthy and happy for longer periods of time. The KONG donation helped to do this and both were adopted!