How Fostering Dogs Gave Me a New Purpose
Key takeaways:
Janelle Percy started fostering dogs after hearing about a mother dog and nine puppies who were at risk.
She’s since fostered 53 dogs, gaining experience treating common canine health issues along the way.
Her rescue work inspired her to become a veterinary technician.
GoodRx for Pets: Here’s how to save on pet medications with GoodRx.
When Janelle Percy jumped into the world of fostering rescued dogs, she jumped all the way in.
Janelle was drawn into that world by a post on the app Nextdoor. It was about a mother dog and nine puppies who faced abandonment. And when Janelle saw it, she couldn’t turn away.
“The post said that a dog and her nine puppies, if they didn’t get fostered and rescued, the lady who owned them was going to dump all the puppies in the woods,” Janelle recalls.
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Janelle had volunteered at a shelter where she had seen abandoned puppies come in, and her heart couldn’t take it. She had an empty room in her house that was perfect for the mother dog and her puppies. “So, I just said, ‘OK, I’ll do it,’” Janelle explains.
Her home became a safe haven for foster dogs
In a little more than 2 years, 49-year-old Janelle and her two daughters, Skylar and Peyton, have opened their home near Minneapolis to 53 foster dogs. And in that time, she’s seen the difference a dog can make in the life of their new owner.
“It’s really rewarding to have a puppy and see them go to great families,” Janelle says, describing how one woman who came to adopt a puppy was so happy she cried. In one case, a woman even told Janelle that the dog she adopted had saved her life by sniffing out a breast cancer spot.
“It is so great to see how happy people are to have a companion,” Janelle says.
Fostering dogs sparked a new career path as a vet tech
In addition to being emotionally rewarding, Janelle’s fostering work has opened doors to a new career path. Janelle was once an Air Force pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, at one time, she also worked as a financial planner. Now, she’s studying to become a veterinary technician. Her hands-on experience with sick and abandoned dogs has inspired her to pursue that path.
Volunteering at Healing Hearts Rescue in Minnesota’s Twin Cities area, Janelle cares for dogs rescued from various states, including South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas. The rescue, which partners with Lightshine Canine in South Dakota, saves many dogs from reservations where veterinary care is limited.
Some dogs “might have parvo, and they’re really sick and could die,” Janelle says. “There’s a new medicine that has come out in the last few months that has helped a lot. So, [at the first symptoms of parvo], we give it to the dog.”
Parvovirus, which is highly contagious, can be a problem for people who foster dogs. Because of the virus’ easy transmission among dogs, Janelle follows strict protocols, waiting 6 months between fostering puppies. All of the dogs she fosters get a health checkup from a veterinarian, and most get rabies and distemper shots.
Fostering dogs means getting familiar with pet health
Caring for foster dogs involves more than just love: It requires a solid understanding of veterinary treatments. Janelle has become adept at addressing common health issues in rescued dogs and is able to provide her fosters with everything from parasite prevention to dental care.
Here are four things Janelle learned as a dog foster mom.
1. You have to keep up with vaccinations and parasite prevention
Each one of Janelle’s foster dogs receives routine care, such as a veterinary checkup, vaccinations, and treatments for parasites as needed. She says many of the dogs arrive with fleas and ticks, which she treats with baths and medications like Frontline Plus and Nexgard to prevent future infestations.
2. Prescription medications work best for deworming foster dogs
Janelle often encounters dogs with intestinal parasites such as whipworms, roundworms, or tapeworms. And she’s found that prescription medications work best for deworming.
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GoodRx veterinarians also advise against using over-the-counter deworming medications, because parasites have become resistant to them. On the other hand, these prescription medications offer protection against different combinations of parasites, helping to keep dogs safe from the health complications caused by worms and other intestinal parasites:
Pyrantel and Panacur C for roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms
Simaprica Trio for heartworms, roundworms, and hookworms, as well as fleas and ticks
Praziquantel for tapeworms
Interceptor Plus and Sentinel for broader protection against heartworms and other intestinal worms
3. Neglected dogs need dental care
Janelle says that many dogs come to her with severe dental decay because of poor nutrition and neglect. “They haven’t had good food or been treated well,” she says.
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Most of Janelle’s foster dogs that arrive with dental decay need professional teeth cleaning, and some require extractions.
4. Spaying and neutering foster dogs is essential
The rescue where Janelle works requires dogs older than 6 months old to be spayed or neutered before adoption. Younger puppies can be adopted with a contract requiring the new owner to complete the procedure at 6 months.
“We’re trying to cut down on the unwanted animals out there,” Janelle says.
Janelle keeps puppies inactive for 10 to 14 days after they get spayed or neutered to allow incisions to heal. She also gives them prescription pet pain medications such as gabapentin, carprofen, and tramadol, as needed.
Unique cases and long-term fosters
In addition to routine health issues, Janelle has encountered some unique conditions among her foster dogs. Her first foster dog, Dahlia, came to her with nine puppies. After finding homes for the puppies, Janelle took Dahlia back in because her latest foster mom moved out of state.
Janelle decided to adopt Dahlia permanently and soon discovered she had hip dysplasia. Dahlia’s condition required a femoral head osteotomy — a procedure that removes the ball of the hip joint to relieve pain.
Fostering dogs is a commitment
For Janelle, fostering dogs is a family affair. Dahlia and Dahlia’s son Clove, who is nicknamed Bud, live with Janelle permanently. But she is always on the lookout for new foster dogs in need of a temporary home, checking in regularly with her rescue organizations.
“Sometimes, they’ll put pictures out on Facebook and say, ‘Hey, this dog needs rescue. Who will foster this dog?’” Janelle says, explaining she’s had two other sets of dogs with nine puppies. “You see these pictures on Facebook, and I just can’t say no.”
Fostering puppies isn’t a quick process. Some puppies stay with Janelle for weeks or even months. And during that time, socializing the dogs and making sure they’re comfortable around people is a big part of Janelle’s role. Her teenage daughters also lend a hand in that process.
“It is kind of neat for the kids to be involved and see this,” she says.
But fostering dogs can be a messy business. “You feed them three times a day,” Janelle says. “I have pee pads down, but you are always cleaning up pee and poop.”
Janelle keeps the dogs in a room when they’re young, but as they get older, they need to roam. Once they start to move throughout the house, they have the opportunity to chew on things. “It takes a lot of time, a lot of attention,” Janelle says.
But, for Janelle, letting go is the hardest part.
“I think the shorter time you have them in your house, the easier it is to say goodbye,” she says. “Just knowing that they're going to a good house definitely helps a lot.”
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