Something REALLY exciting happened at Lawrence Humane this year – the launch of our redesigned and re-imagined Mass Street Mutts program! If you’re not already familiar with this program…Mass Street Mutts allows community members to take adoptable shelter dogs for an outing. The excursion can be a few hours or the entire day, it can be more active (like strolling down Mass Street, going for a hike, or walking on campus) or more chill (like snuggling on a couch and watching TV). Participants are encouraged to take photos of the dogs on their outings and submit a report card so we can learn more about them. You don’t have to be a Lawrence Humane volunteer or foster to participate in this program – you just need to love dogs!
Check out these incredible Mass Street Mutts adventures from the past few months!
This program has been an absolute game-changer. Dogs come back from outings more relaxed, happier, and sleep more soundly. They’re less anxious when they meet potential adopters. And we learn so much about how they behave when they’re outside the shelter walls! Of the 185 dogs who have gone on outings, 124 have been adopted. This program has literally saved dogs’ lives! And one of those dogs is Anna…
Sweet, smiley Anna is an Australian Cattle Dog with a gorgeous red, speckled coat. She was only 5 years old when she arrived at Lawrence Humane, but she had already spent 2.5 years of her life going in and out of animal shelters. A particularly sensitive soul, Anna had a number of obstacles in her way: she needed to be the only pet in a home, struggled with anxiety and kenneling, and became easily overstimulated by sensory stimuli like a TV being on. Lawrence Humane staff did everything possible to find an adoptive or foster home for Anna, but nonetheless, Anna ended up spending another 1.5 years with us. Can you imagine spending 4 out of 6 years of life in an animal shelter without a home?
Some dogs are more resilient than others to the stress, noise, and confinement that comes with being in an animal shelter. Unfortunately with as sensitive as she is, Anna really struggled in the shelter setting. Despite every attempt to get her out of the shelter and every intervention to support her mental health, Anna began to significantly decline and the conversations about her longevity became quite dire.
Luckily, before anything else happened, Anna had an opportunity to go on a Mass Street Mutts outing…and that’s where she met Emma and William. The three of them went on a hike and the young couple was smitten with Anna’s smile, infectious joy, and how she kept checking in with them during their walk. They could see how she became a completely different dog as soon as she was out with them!
Upon returning from their adventure, Emma and William spent a long time talking with our Behavior Team and Executive Director, learning all about Anna’s history, quirks, and special needs. And with no other pets in the home, they decided to try fostering her!
When Emma and William came to pick up Anna to bring her home to foster and showed up in matching “I Heart Anna” shirts,” every single Lawrence Humane staffer cried. No one had shown so much excitement about Anna or such dedication to trying to make it work with her. But Emma and William welcomed Anna into their home and lives 1000%. They gave her time to decompress and worked diligently to minimize all potential stressors. They didn’t judge her for having anxiety and instead faithfully followed her medication regimen and helped her feel safe. They put her needs first and in return Anna gave them her whole heart. From long walks and joyful play sessions, to matching hats and celebrating special occasions together, to even being able to cuddle up on the couch and watch TV – Anna, Emma, and William became a family. And after 52 days as her foster parents, Emma and William made official what they already knew in their hearts – they adopted Anna and gave her a true forever home.
In honor of Anna’s story, a generous Lawrence Humane supporter has offered to match all gifts made between now and December 31, up to $10,000! This means that your donation will be doubled and will go twice as far in helping us make sure that we can help dogs like Anna find loving families like Emma and William. Would you be willing to give an amount that is meaningful to you at this time?
If not for the Mass Street Mutts program, Emma and William wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to discover how special Anna is and open up their home to her. And if not for Mass Street Mutts, it’s likely that Anna would have declined to the point that she wouldn’t be here anymore. Mass Street Mutts saved Anna’s life, and as we near the end of the year and begin to plan for the year ahead, we want to ensure that Lawrence Humane can continue to innovate and build out more programs as impactful as Mass Street Mutts and save every “Anna” that comes through our doors.
Will you join us by making a gift to Lawrence Humane by December 31st? Your gift in 2025 helps us make sure that we are able to provide the upmost care for every animal that crosses our threshold in 2026. Please know that every gift is appreciated and will go to serving the thousands of Douglas County animals that we support every year. We hope you have a warm, loving holiday season and a joyous start to the new year!
Pet Resource Center: 9am-6pm, every day
1805 E. 19th Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
(785) 843-6835
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