In May 2023, Jason and Renae experienced the worst day of their lives. Due to some challenging life circumstances, they had found themselves unhoused and living in a camp in North Lawrence with their three dogs – Athena, Persephone, and Yeti. Any time Jason and Renae had to be away, they did exactly what we would want responsible pet owners to do – they safely contained their dogs by crating them inside their tent. Unfortunately, on one horrible day, someone set fire to their tent while the dogs were crated inside. Because Yeti and Persephone were in wire crates, they couldn’t get out and tragically perished in the fire. The only survivor of the fire was Athena, who had been in a plastic crate that melted, allowing her to escape the flames that engulfed the tent.
When Athena arrived at Lawrence Humane for emergency care, she had significant second degree burns on the majority of her body, signs of smoke inhalation, and pieces of plastic crate melted onto her. She was in a great deal of pain and at risk for serious infections, so the Lawrence Humane veterinary team got straight to work. They gave her a cool bath to bring her temperature down, clipped her wounds to remove pieces of plastic, put her on antibiotics to mitigate infection, and managed her pain with proper medications. Athena remained in our care for a number of weeks while she healed, and when Jason and Renae came to visit her we could instantly see how much they loved her. While it clearly broke their hearts to see Athena in such pain, they didn’t want her to feel like she had been abandoned. It was obvious that Athena came first, which only strengthened our resolve to help this loving family stay together.
The day that Athena got to go back to her family was a joyous one, but it wasn’t without traumatic impact. Jason and Renae knew they wanted more for Athena – living in the camps came with many dangers and while they wanted a home for themselves, they especially wanted a safe home for Athena. With Athena at the forefront of their minds, they began the difficult journey towards sobriety, employment, and housing. And in Spring 2024, we received word that Jason and Renae were eligible for a rapid rehousing program that provided temporary housing while working towards the ultimate goal of a permanent, safe home. But there was one catch…pets weren’t allowed.
Lawrence Humane staff have never wavered in our commitment to Jason, Renae, and Athena, and in order to help support their ultimate goal of safe, permanent housing together, we agreed to board Athena at Lawrence Humane while Jason and Renae went through the program. Athena stayed at Lawrence Humane for several months – lovingly cared for by Lawrence Humane staff who knew how hard it was for Jason and Renae to be apart from Athena. Every single Friday, Jason and Renae would take the bus to Lawrence Humane so that they could spend time with Athena, always reassuring her that she hadn’t been abandoned or forgotten about. Finally, after several months of painfully being apart from Athena, Jason and Renae were able to pick her up and take her home…to their home. Their safe, permanent home that they worked so unbelievably hard to obtain so that they would never have to be apart from Athena again.
The bond between people and their pets is special, and it is something that all of us at Lawrence Humane are committed to preserving. Athena’s welfare was more important to Jason and Renae than their own. She was their motivation, their drive. Currently, Jason and Renae are both over a year sober, back in school getting their degrees (his in addiction counseling and hers in nursing), are working, and enjoying their home with Athena…and her new doggy brother, Ares!
By providing care and love for Athena, Lawrence Humane was also able to help Jason and Renae turn their lives around. And by helping Jason and Renae, we could ensure that Athena was able to stay with her family and not be surrendered. As an organization, Lawrence Humane’s commitment isn’t limited to only animals…we are committed to the pets AND people of our community.
And that is because of your support.
As we near the end of the year and begin to plan for the year ahead, we want to ensure that Lawrence Humane is able to help as many pets and pet owners as possible. We care for over 7,000 animals per year and that number is only growing. We are committed to ensuring that every single one of these animals has a loving home that is able to meet their needs – whether it be a new, adoptive home or an existing home with loving owners who need just a bit of help.
Will you join us by making a gift to Lawrence Humane by December 31st? Your gift in 2024 helps us make sure that we are able to provide the utmost care for every animal that crosses our threshold in 2025. Please know that every gift is appreciated and will go to serving the thousands of Douglas County animals that we support every year.
We are so thankful for your partnership! Your support is what makes it possible for us to ensure that families like Athena’s are able to stay together no matter what tragedies befall them. You help us keep families whole.
