Wilmington Area Humane Society: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report

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

This wonderful grant paid for veterinarian bills for dogs from the dog pound who would have been euthanized if we had not taken them in. The funds covered the vet check, fecal, heartworm check, vaccines including rabies, bordetella, distemper-parvo and either a spay or neuter plus their first heartworm and flea preventative.

The six dogs whom the grant assisted would not have had a chance at life and loving homes. We are a small, rural shelter operated by volunteers and receive no government support. Donations, fundraisers and adoption fees are what support us, so this grant allowed us to save six dogs that we probably would not have been able to help otherwise.

How many pets did this grant help?

6

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

Missy, a Lab mix, was posted for adoption on Petfinder on Feb. 14, 2016. She is a representative of many of the dogs that we take in from the dog pound. A number of them are hound or Lab mixes who range in age from around 7 months to 1½ years of age. Many are underweight, not house-trained and have not had manners training. WAHS is one of two organizations allowed to pull dogs for adoption from the dog pound. Those who are not pulled are euthanized. Unfortunately, because they come from the dog pound, we do not receive information about the dog’s circumstances. In Missy’s case, she was on the shy side when we first met her. She obviously liked people and, over time, she got more comfortable and gained confidence. More of her personality emerged and she loved to run around in our outdoor yard area. Volunteers enjoyed playing with her and worked with her on some basic manners such as sit. Missy was adopted on March 18. The first picture is the day that she arrived at the shelter. The second one is after being at the shelter for a while.

On behalf of Missy and the five other dogs whom the Petfinder Foundation and Orvis helped, thank you so much! This grant is important to the lives of six dogs and to the families who have given them loving homes.