Royalty Dog Rescue: KONG Toys Grant Report

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

The Kongs were used for several of our rescue dogs who were either on kennel rest or were former puppy-mill dog moms who needed to learn how to play with toys to help them not be so stressed.

This grant helped us as we were able to provide a new experience for our puppy-mill dogs and for those who were on kennel rest due to heartworm treatment.

How many pets did this grant help?

6-8

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

Peach and Dory (first and second photos), King Charles cavaliers, were rescued from an Amish breeder in May of 2016. They were 3 and 4 years old and had spent their entire lives living in small kennels where their only purpose was to produce puppies. They were surrendered to our rescue vet and ordered to be killed, as they were not producing enough litters. Peach and Dory were not only afraid of humans, but had never played with toys. What a joy and pleasure it was to watch them enjoy their Kongs — especially Dory, who was very shy! Peach and Dory were adopted by the same family. Not only are they now comfortable with people, but they love playing with toys!

Alexander (third photo) was a Black Russian terrier who was surrendered in July at the age of 5 years old when his owner could no longer care for him. Alexander had lived with his owner from the time he was 8 weeks old and he had a very rough time adjusting to being away from her. The Kong toy provided him with comfort and he had so much enjoyment playing with it. The toy helped him bond with his foster family and, when he was adopted, we sent the toy with him so he and his new dad could spend hours playing together.