Pet Refuge, Inc.: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

Pet Refuge has many large dogs who take a little longer to place due to medical restrictions and high energy levels. Our volunteers work hard to make sure all dogs get four walks a day and enrichment time morning and night.

Some dogs really need something to chew on during kennel time. KONGs are perfect for this. Overall, a peanut-butter KONG is probably the favorite activity for our dogs.

How many pets did this grant help?

Pet Refuge brings in approximately 125 dogs a year. All of these dogs will have opportunities to utilize KONG toys for enrichment.

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

Blake is a dog who has become very special to everyone at Pet Refuge. He came in from a local animal control agency along with his brother. At his initial vet visit, it was discovered he had pulmonic stenosis. A cardiac consultation was done and he needed balloon valvuloplasty.

After a successful surgery, he returned to our kennels and had to remain calm and quiet for a few weeks. Without the KONGs, we would have never gotten this sweet and high-energy boy to remain calm.