‘We’ll figure it out’
12/31/2025
Two friends, who are both dog lovers, took several steps beyond caring for their furry friends. They established a nonprofit foster rescue, host a dog “pawdcast” and installed microchip stations for lost dogs.
Kara Berhow and Holly Kilstrom began fostering rescue dogs 13 years ago. The pair established a nonprofit, Oh My Dog Rescue (OMD), in November 2022. Since then, they have rescued 720 dogs.
They obtain dogs from various situations. Abandoned dogs that need homes. Owner-surrendered pets. Dogs pulled off the euthanasia list from various animal shelters.
When they first established the nonprofit, they thought they would ease into it. Instead, they took in seven dogs from a condemned home.
“All the dogs were severely matted. We needed to take them to be sedated and shaved at the vet,” Berhow recalls. “Yet, each dog found incredible homes. It was the launching point and our motto — we’ll figure it out.”
OMD pays costly veterinary bills before dogs are adopted out. They rely on donations and assistance through their “Mutt Mafia.” Dog lovers are contacted when a dog is brought in. The Mutt Mafia is alerted through all communication methods, via texts, social media, emails and phone calls to find a foster family. Usually, a dog spends about three weeks in foster care.
They say dogs staying with foster families is more beneficial than dogs sitting in a shelter. One way OMD differs is that the foster families decide where to place the dog for adoption.
“Our foster home parents get to know dogs,” Kilstrom says. “They determine if they are good with kids or if they chase cats. We can figure out which home that they can thrive in. If they were in shelter, it’s hard to know.”
Because of the emotional aspect of taking in death-row, abandoned and unkempt dogs, the pair started a podcast to share their stories and answer common dog-related questions. The OMD Pawdcast is dog-related on a variety of subjects.
“It started as an outlet. Rescue work is stressful,” Kilstrom explains. “We wanted to be real about the rescue world. We spill the truth and reveal all the little details.”
So far, they have recorded 82 Pawdcast episodes, chatting about common dog problems, nutrition, wellness and more. They featured guests from animal shelters, veterinarians, a pet psychic, a prison dog program and more.
They applied for a grant, and with the endowment, began installing microchip scanning stations. If someone finds a lost dog, they bring it to the station to see if it is chipped. This saves on community resources by keeping dogs from going to “dog jail” and out of animal control units. So far, they have installed 10 stations outside the Des Moines suburbs.
Both Berhow and Kilstrom are longtime dog lovers. They created a community through their Mutt Mafia, which consists of passionate, caring dog lovers.
“Like-minded dog people are good humans with a common love for dogs. If we can help these creatures who love us, then we can return the favor back and give them their best life,” Berhow says.
To learn more about the OMD Pawdcast, or about fostering, adopting or sponsoring a dog chip station, visit ohmydogrescue.org. ♦
