The Kentucky Humane Society is excited to announce our 2019 Volunteer of the Year: John and Tina Dotson!
John and Tina began volunteering as foster parents with the shelter back in January 2017. Their very first foster was named Sonic, a pregnant chocolate lab who was expecting puppies.
Since caring for Sonic, John and Tina fell in love with fostering. They continued to grow their foster home, learn new skills and even took on a construction project to make room for more animals. In 2019, John and Tina graciously opened their home to 85 foster animals, including 10 pregnant dogs who delivered puppies in their home.
To ensure the comfort and safety of fosters, John and Tina have learned how to give fluids, tube feed puppies, and have studied CPR for animals in the event of any emergencies.
The Dotson’s have even renovated their home to accommodate more foster animals. Their new foster room includes concrete floors, a bathing station and a special pen for pregnant dogs when they are delivering. All of this work because they care deeply about each and every foster animal from the Kentucky Humane Society.
“I love working with John and Tina because of the compassion and dedication that they give to every animal they foster. It’s obvious how much time they put into the animals they take into their home. They do so much for these dogs/puppies and although they’ve encountered some difficult times with fostering, they’ve never given up.” Kayla Saylor, our Foster Manager says, “They always come back to help the next family, to learn more and do as much as they’re able to create a safe space for their foster babies! They are a huge part of our team and have been such an inspiration to us and many other fosters! “ – Kayla Saylor
Each year, our shelter cares for 6,500+ animals. 2,000+ of these animals must enter foster care prior to adoption.
“We are grateful for John and Tina who remain a vital part our foster program” Savannah Gregorchik, Volunteer Manager says. “The work we do with our animals would not be possible without compassionate fosters like the Dotson family.”