Driftless Humane Society: Kia Pet Adoption Grant Report

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

This year, Driftless Humane Society (DHS) has been struggling with low adoptions and has seen a dramatic increase in surrenders, especially of dogs in need of behavior modification and training. Adopters understand the commitment it takes to adopt a high-needs animal, but many people are more willing to take on this challenge if we can eliminate the adoption fees.

This August, we partnered with the Clear the Shelters initiative to find forever homes for our dogs and cats during one of the peak months in the shelter world. Eliminating the adoption fees moved more animals to forever homes and allowed our animals to be more accessible to underserved populations that may otherwise struggle to pay the fee.

Our greatest success was moving our longest-stay animals to new homes, such as Tigger, who had been at DHS since February and whose mental health was deteriorating. Hers is our greatest success story, and it is shared in more depth below.

How many pets did this grant help?

The grant helped 27 cats and eight dogs in August 2023.

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

Tigger (first two photos) is a sweet and spicy cat who was surrendered to Driftless Humane Society (DHS) in February 2023 because she was stressed in the home that she shared with two other felines. The anxiety caused by these other cats and a new human baby caused her to experience frequent UTIs and peeing outside the litter box.

Tigger’s need for a quiet home with no other cats kept her at DHS longer than anyone expected. Tigger began to gain weight and, despite having a larger enclosure and added enrichment, her mental health was deteriorating.

The Kia Pet Adoption Grant allowed us to waive her adoption fee in August, and this was the boost she needed to find her forever home. She was adopted after being at DHS for 168 days. This grant gave her a second chance!