Just 13 years old when she started volunteering at Old Dominion Humane Society (ODHS), Meghan Cohn has continued her work with the rescue dogs for six years. She found her niche in fostering pregnant dogs and caring for them and their litters. The teenager has fostered 14 pregnant dogs and their pups, which totals about 112 puppies.
Cohn, of Stafford County, has a special place in her heart for pregnant dogs, especially after learning that they and their litters were the first to get euthanized in many shelters. ODHS is a no-kill rescue that saves many pregnant dogs, and Cohn wanted to help make them comfortable and cared for until they were eventually adopted.
“These pregnant moms and their puppies can’t survive in a shelter environment,” Cohn said. “Nursing moms is one of the easiest types to foster, because the moms handle the puppies and take care of them completely on their own until four weeks. That’s when the puppies transition from nursing to eating puppy food.”
Cohn needed a space to keep the “mom” dogs and their babies that was separate from everyone inside the house. Newborn puppies aren’t yet vaccinated and are susceptible to disease and infection. She researched how she could make a “maternity ward” for these furry friends in her house. Cohn found that cleaning out the garage, setting up a playpen and making a comfortable space for the first couple of litters worked well. Then, there was a glitch in the set up when one nimble mom was able to hop over the pen, and Cohn had to go to plan B. It just so happened that a free kennel on the Facebook Marketplace was available at the time. Ever since the kennel was installed in the garage, Cohn has found that the rescues thrived.
Watching the puppies grow is fascinating to Cohn. When they’re born, the pups are 100 percent dependent on the mom for everything—food, warmth and teaching them how to go to the bathroom. Newborn puppies aren’t able to go on their own until three weeks old and need the mother to stimulate them to do so. By six weeks of age, the puppies are amazingly doing everything by themselves.
“There really isn’t much to it,” she said. “I leave the mom alone to nest and decompress and hand-feed her high-value food, such as chicken, to help her build trust in me. The moms are dewormed, if needed, and treated for any issues, which is the same for all dogs that arrive at ODHS. ODHS has support groups for just about everything, and when I’ve had any questions during the entire process, I was able find answers in the chat group.”
Since Cohn was 13 when she started volunteering at ODHS, her parents drove her to the Fredericksburg facility. She said it was just like having them drive her to any sports practice. In the end, she traded in her sneakers and sports for volunteering at the rescue and was able to help a few days a week.
In fact, fostering and volunteering has brought the family even closer together. Cohn always has a new dog story to talk about when she comes home. Her dad is frequently at the rescue to help when something needs to be fixed. It’s even helped her become more independent, and now she’s adept at installing her own washer and dryer from watching him replace those at the center.
With fostering, it’s easy to become attached to the dogs and puppies, but Cohn keeps it in perspective. “I haven’t kept any of the moms or puppies I’ve fostered, because the more I keep the less I can foster,” she said.
A 2022 graduate of Mountainview High School, Cohn displayed her love of dogs and volunteering by wearing a visible ODHS T-shirt under her graduation gown. While she loves working with dogs, she’s still undecided about what occupational direction she’ll take. She currently works in logistics and handles hazardous materials at BallistiX Coatings & Sealers in Fredericksburg.