By Caroline Mora
Stephanie Palmer has been teaching English at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) for the last 24 years and more recently has been heavily involved with fostering animals and spending her spare time volunteering at her local shelter.
Palmer volunteers for an organization called Priceless Pets. They are a no-kill shelter, meaning that once an animal is rescued or surrendered, it will wait as long as it needs to in order to be adopted or fostered, without fear of euthanization.
“I feel like we just had a dog adopted who had been there for like 680 days and he finally found his forever home,” Palmer said.
It is a common practice in animal shelters to euthanize animals depending on the likelihood of them getting adopted. However, sometimes they are also put down to “free up space” for incoming rescues.
“[Priceless Pets] rescues dogs and they spay and neuter. They have an intake center and a vet clinic in Chino Hills and they have four adoption centers,” Palmer said.
Palmer spends most of her time working at the Costa Mesa adoption center, but she also volunteers at the clinic in Chino Hills. The organization rescues all types of animals including dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs.
Palmer not only helps out around the clinic and shelter, but she fosters as well. As of late, she has seven dogs she is fostering. Caring for even one dog is a large time commitment, but she makes it work with seven.
“It feels like a full-time job. You have to be very organized and patient,” Palmer said.
This is a full-time job Palmer wouldn’t mind doing though, because of her love of animals. Palmer’s mother had a heart of gold, which she had instilled in her when growing up with animals in their home. Growing up with the knowledge of how to care for animals, and learning about how large the need for shelter is for domestic dogs and cats drove her to find some way to help out.
“[Because] people just see them as objects and they throw them away. And they don’t spay and neuter, which is a problem,” Palmer said.
The opportunity came in the summer of 2022 after an animal testing facility was shut down and there were almost 4,000 beagles left without a home. These beagles needed to be fostered and adopted, and after seeing an advertisement about the dire need for caretakers for these animals, Palmer decided that she would foster one of those beagles.
“It is non-stop. There is always a need. It’s fulfilling, it brings me a lot of joy, it gives me a purpose.”
In this line of work, Palmer had learned the hard way that there are a lot of awful people in the world who do unthinkable things to animals. However, she has also gained a new understanding of the lengths some will go to save animals as well.
“There are so many amazing people who do wonderful things for animals and people, who are just so dedicated and so positive.”
When asked if students at FVHS could volunteer at Priceless Pets, Palmer immediately said yes. The shelter is always on the lookout for dog walkers, people who can take the dogs out to the play yard, or help in the cat rooms. Socialization is a key part of caring for animals so there is always a way to lend a helping hand.
Another way to help out, if you are unable to volunteer or foster, is to donate supplies to your local animal shelter.
“We always need food, towels, blankets, any kind of dog bedding, cat trees cat litter.”
These supplies are essential to running a shelter and ensures that all animals are comfortable and healthy.
If you are willing to do more than donate, consider fostering or adopting a new companion. Shelters have all breeds of dogs and cats, purebreds and mixed breeds if you’re looking for specific characteristics.
Most animals in foster care are crate-trained as well. If you cannot be with your animal all the time it is a good idea to leave them in a crate. For a lot of dogs, crates can also represent a sense of security or a safe space if they need it.
Palmer’s advice to those who would like to foster or adopt a rescue animal is to stay patient and open-minded. These animals are scared or have been through traumatic situations and need time to adjust.
“A lot of rescue dogs want to be loved but they don’t know how to ask for it or receive it.”
To learn more about Priceless Pets and its mission you can visit pricelesspetrescue.org
