Ruff Start Rescue: KONG Toys Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We received 35-40 Kongs of varying sizes and shapes. These Kongs were provided to some of our foster homes who have foster dogs who may require additional mental or physical stimulation to keep them occupied, are destructive of their toys and/or property, or who suffer from separation anxiety.
This wonderful donation allowed many of the dogs in our care to receive additional positive stimulation and prevented or diminished behavioral issues in these animals. We strive to find positive tools to help transition our rescued animals from high-stress situations into our loving foster homes. Kong toys have been a wonderful stress reliever and mental-stimulation tool for these animals. We have also saved a little bit of money by not needing to purchase as many less-durable toys.
How many pets did this grant help?
30 thus far!
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
One of our foster families tells us: Jacksen (first and second photos) is a Great Dane/Lab mix. He had some anxiety when he arrived. He was being held at a local animal control for 30 days and lost a TON of weight due to stress. He weighed 48 lbs when we got him! He was so scared he ran away from us and even jumped our fence to get distance from us. He was afraid of loud noises and barked at other dogs. We used the Kong because it was pretty much the only thing he did not destroy. We also filled it with peanut butter and froze it for the times when storms were approaching. He has already gained a lot of weight and is building trust with us. He also learned that the red toy meant peanut butter and he sits patiently for it. Jacksen also started to ignore dogs that were walking past if I had the Kong present, and the sound of thunder is now giving him a lot less anxiety. Meet Jacksen: https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/31200119/
Hunny the beagle third photo) was adopted by our family. In foster care, she really struggled with kennel anxiety and fear of people. We used the Kong with peanut butter in the kennel and she LOVES it. She eventually was willing to go into her kennel when asked. She is also a very strong chewer and we use the Kong because of its durability.
