By Emily Fromm | Chief Development Officer
We grant KONG toys to animal shelters and rescue groups, as well as cash to build or equip outdoor play yards. Why? For one thing, toys that provide shelter dogs with physical and mental stimulation while they're in their kennels (KONGs are indestructable, stuffable and easy to sterilize) and space to run, train and socialize while they're out of their kennels are critical to keeping shelter dogs happy and healthy.
In addition, we've found that having access to toys and play actually helps homeless dogs become more adoptable. These tools not only maintain the physical and mental health that are at risk in a shelter environment, they can be incredibly therapeutic to the many dogs who arrive at shelters with serious psychological, behavioral and/or health issues. Here are just a few examples of the incredible power of play:
Magnum
Magnum, a rottweiler, had been neglected and abused before he was rescued by Stray Animal Adoption Program in Newport, Ky. As a result, this hulking boy was too frightened to interact with people. But his loving and dedicated foster family introduced him to our granted KONGs and, using the toys as tools, succeeded in getting Magnum to come out of his shell and learn to trust people. He is now happily in his forever home! Read Magnum's story.
Jeannie
Jeannie arrived at Humane Society of the Ouachitas in Mena, Ark., as a puppy with a case of chronic Demodectic mange. At the shelter, the Australian cattle dog mix was extremely excitable and developed sores on her skin from chewing on herself. She was taken in by a foster home, where she has greatly benefited from her KONG. It has provided an appropriate outlet for her chewing and she loves to play with it. She now knows the commands sit, shake, roll over, down, and her favorite one: toy! She will bring you her KONG to play with. When she finds her forever home, it will have to be one with a KONG! Meet Jeannie. Read her story.
Jacksen
This great Dane/Lab mix had severe anxiety when he arrived in the care of Ruff Start Rescue in Princeton, Minn. He had been held at a local animal control for 30 days and lost a lot of weight due to stress. He was so scared, he ran away from his foster family and even jumped their fence to get distance from them. He was afraid of loud noises and barked at other dogs. His foster parents gave him a KONG because it was the only toy he could not destroy; they also filled it with peanut butter and froze it for use when thunderstorms were approaching. Jacksen has since gained weight, is building trust with his foster family, and has learned to sit patiently for his KONG. He has also started to ignore passing dogs when the KONG is present, and is much less stressed by the sound of thunder. Meet Jacksen. Read his story.
Panda
Panda was left to die in a crate in an abandoned building. She had been there for some time before she was rescued, and was terrified when she arrived at Adopt-A-Dog, Inc., in Armonk, NY. Normally, shelter staff would socialize new dogs by bringing them to new locations and having them meet people at events. Panda, however, was just too shut-down to enjoy going off-property. Having the enrichment yard equipped by a Petfinder Foundation grant gave Panda a chance to explore new things on safe ground. She was initially scared of all the new materials, but each day she came out of her shell more and more until she had enough confidence to finally go off-property. Now Panda can go on adventures to the beach, and when her forever family finds her, she will be ready to go home with them with confidence! Meet Panda. Read her story.
Thank you for your donations, which help us improve the quality of life of thousands of shelter dogs and enable them to find loving, forever homes!
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By Emily Fromm | Chief Development Officer
By Emily Fromm | Chief Development Officer
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