Thus far in 2024, we have served over 7,000 animals by giving them a place to stay, providing much-needed veterinary care, matching them with loving homes, helping feed them through our pet pantry, and so much more. And we couldn’t have done any of it without the support from our generous community! We hope you’ll take a moment to pause, read these amazing animal stories, and feel great about the impact you’re making in the world. These are just a few of the thousands of animals we were able to help this year and we can’t wait to do even more in 2025!
Jason and Renae experienced the worst day of their lives when two of their three dogs perished in a fire. The third dog, Athena, survived, but came to Lawrence Humane with severe burns. Jason and Renae’s commitment to Athena was absolute and unfailing, and we knew that we had to do all we could to help keep this loving family together.
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, and keeping her safe and happy was their focus no matter what challenges beset them.
This incredible family overcame one of the worst tragedies any of us could ever imagine, but came out on the other end stronger and more resilient…and that’s all because of the love of a dog named Athena.
And if you love this beautiful story of love, resilience, and commitment – will you please consider making a gift to Lawrence Humane to celebrate the powerful bond between pets and people? Your gift helps us make sure that we are able to provide the upmost care for every animal that crosses our threshold in 2025. Please know that every gift is appreciated and we couldn’t do this work without our community’s support! 
By and large, neonatal kittens are the most vulnerable population in animal shelters, which is why Lawrence Humane has worked so hard so build up our kitten care program over the last few years. But then Treble arrived and presented a whole new challenge that we had never experienced before…
This day-old kitten had the most severe cleft palate we have ever seen. While we were able to tube-feed him for the first 5 weeks of his life, when it no longer became safe to do so, we were left with the question of how were we going to make sure that Treble was safely fed while he grew old enough for surgery?!
Luckily, we had the support of our incredible partners at Orphan Kitten Club, who not only shared with us their feeding method, but also gave us a grant to cover the cost of Treble’s specialty surgery! Trust us – you won’t want to miss all the details and learning more about Treble!
Gibson was just a puppy when he and his siblings were transferred to Lawrence Humane from a rural shelter. He had a lot of ups and downs during his stay with us and there were times his future looked bleak, despite every single intervention from Lawrence Humane staff. He finally received some relief in the form of a foster home and what we learned about Gibson during his time in foster care was incredible!
If you haven’t already, make sure you watch the video below about Gibson! At Lawrence Humane, we believe dogs are so much more than their challenging pasts. They are so much more than how they present in an animal shelter, when they are stressed out and scared. And that is why we will never stop advocating and trying to find the best path forward for every animal that comes through our doors!
As the only animal shelter in Douglas County, Lawrence Humane staff are used to seeing animals in all types of health conditions come through our doors. But we had never seen a cat in the kind of deplorable condition that Bowie was in when he was brought to us.
Bowie has an extreme case of Cerebellar hypoplasia (CH), a neurological condition that affects a cat’s balance and mobility – essentially the feline version of Cerebral palsy and there is no treatment for it. Bowie is completely unable to stand, walk, or sit upright on his own. This also means that he can’t use the litterbox, eat, or drink on his own. Bowie desperately needed help and the kind of care he had not been receiving up until that point…
Read all about Bowie, his happy forever home where he gets to be a typical cat, and how the Humphrey Fund helped Bowie get his new wheels!
Earlier this year, a resident of Old West Lawrence walked out of his front door ready to take his dog for a walk…only to find a severely injured shepherd in his front yard. Over the next several weeks, Lawrence Humane staff worked tirelessly to help this dog, who we named Nash.
Nash’s healing journey was long, but he showed us that he was up for the challenge…and along the way we got to discover what a sweet, funny, loving dog he is. The Lawrence community rallied around Nash and his sweet happily-ever-after is everything we could have ever wanted for this beloved shepherd boy! While we may never know how he ended up in the situation he was found in, we do know that the rest of his days will only be filled with love.
We hope these stories bring a smile to your face and some joy to your day. These animals’ stories are proof that no matter how dark things may seem, it can always get better when we come together in support of one another.
All of us at Lawrence Humane feel so fortunate to get to care for the animals of Douglas County. And we are so grateful for your support because YOU are the reason that animals like these have such bright futures! Please consider a gift to Lawrence Humane before the year is out. Your donations make a huge difference right here in our community and help us ensure that animals like Nash, Bowie, Gibson, Treble, and Athena never have to experience hunger, pain, or loneliness ever again.
Thank you for being part of our animal-loving community! We hope you feel the impact of your gifts to Lawrence Humane and will continue to support us so that we can serve even more animals in 2025 and in the years ahead!
Pet Resource Center: 9am-6pm, every day
1805 E. 19th Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
(785) 843-6835
© 2024-2025 | a 501c3 organization