Polk County Humane Society: Capital Improvement Grant Report

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

The money from the Petfinder Foundation Capital Improvement Grant was used to purchase new outdoor fencing and a dig-defense product to secure an outdoor fenced area.

The grant funding was used to enhance the safety and security of the dogs in our care by:

1. Increasing from four to nine the number of dogs that can be housed during cleaning under a pavilion in times of extreme heat and cold.

2. Increasing from eight to 11 the number of dogs that can be safely housed outside during the day, including covering three pens to prevent escapes.

3. Replacing damaged panels and adding a digging-prevention barrier in a large outdoor pen used for meet-and-greets and to acclimate dogs to dog-park playgroups.

How many pets did this grant help?

More than 500 dogs that are in our care each year will benefit from the enhanced safety and security provided by the new fencing.

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

Butch is a large, rowdy American bulldog who was found running loose in a small rural town in southwest Missouri. He was taken in by the city’s Animal Control and never claimed. He spent months at the city pound before he was transferred to Polk County Humane Society in May 2021.

He was adopted in August 2021 and returned a few weeks later. When he came back, he had learned a new trick: He had learned how to climb a 6′ fence! Thank goodness for the new fencing purchased through the Petfinder Foundation Capital Improvement Grant.

The new fencing helped secure Butch so he could have some outdoor time and learn to socialize with other dogs. With time and effort, Butch calmed down and was recently adopted!

The secure fencing helped alleviate stress for Butch and kept him safe while he waited for his forever home at our shelter.