West Valley Humane Society: Kia Pet Adoption Grant Report

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

This grant lowered the adoption fees of dogs that were considered less desirable due to breed, color, age, or medical history. The reduced fee helped these animals get adoption appointments they may not have otherwise had. Once they had the adoption appointments, many of the dogs were adopted right away.

A shorter length of stay at the shelter reduces stress and is better for the physical and emotional health of each animal. This grant helped lower the length of stay for some of the dogs who would historically have the longest lengths of stay.

This helped us move more animals through the shelter. Our dog kennel space is almost always full, but when dogs get adopted, we can accept more from other facilities and/or surrenders.

How many pets did this grant help?

74

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

This February, an animal control officer received a welfare call in regards to a blue pittie who appeared to be in poor condition. This sweet girl was removed from the property after a quick assessment showed the dog had been severely neglected.

Thankfully this pup in need was brought to West Valley Humane Society and, after a microchip scan, we found out that the dog’s name was Molly. Molly had been rehomed by the person registered on the microchip and although it is hard to fully determine all the details of her story, it’s apparent that Molly had been severely neglected.

After a quick assessment, the shelter placed Molly in protective custody and started actively pursuing an animal cruelty case. Staff members set Molly up in a comfortable kennel and got her ready to be evaluated by a veterinarian.

Even without the vet’s opinion, we could tell Molly was incredibly emaciated. Molly had extreme muscle loss and sometimes fell over while walking due to that muscle loss. She also had a gaping wound on her rear end and a split at the end of her tail.

It was immediately apparent that Molly was sweet, loving, and affectionate. Despite her immense suffering, Molly had an amazing personality that made all of us at WVHS fall in love with her. We knew she had a long journey ahead of her, but couldn’t wait to see her fully recovered and in a loving home.

Once the vet was in the next morning, our clinic staff got straight to work! Molly’s medical exam showed that she had tartar and gingivitis, along with several fractured teeth. Several of her teeth had pulp exposed and cheatgrass was embedded in her palate. Molly’s ears had discharge and a bad odor emanating from them and needed treatment.

Most notably, several muscle groups had experienced extreme loss. Those muscle groups included her jaw, shoulder blades, chest, spinal, hips, and quadricep muscles. Eight ribs were exposed and visible at ten feet. Her Purina body condition score ranked one out of nine. Her ideal Purina body condition score was five out of nine. Molly weighed 33 lbs. when she should have weighed between 50 and 55 lbs.

Other injuries included a four-by-three centimeter wound at the base of her tail with muscle tissue exposed, a five-centimeter area on her tail that was red and ulcerated, some minor wounds through her body, and cheatgrass embedded in her coat.

Unfortunately, due to the severity of neglect and Molly’s poor body condition, the cost of care was incredibly expensive. The total cost of Molly’s medical care was $6,241.50. This total includes all medical care, as well as boarding for hospitalized care.

Molly was such a trooper through all of her care! She remained the sweetest, most loving and affectionate dog our staff had ever met! Her favorite things to do were cuddle, watch movies, receive love, and eat. Because she had been so starved for so long, she loved food and ate whenever the chance was presented to her.

Molly came to us in February and was adopted to a wonderful and loving family in the middle of May. In her several months at the shelter, she gained an incredible 20 lbs. Her wounds healed very nicely and were hardly noticeable. We were so happy to see her at her best.

We truly believe that the Kia Pet Adoption Grant helped Molly get adopted. Because of the lower adoption fee, we know Molly became more accessible to the public and therefore had a higher chance of being welcomed into a perfect family.