Double your donation!
To celebrate Anna and our Mass Street Mutts program, a generous Lawrence Humane supporter has offered to match all gifts made between now and December 31st, 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.
Would you be willing to give an amount that is meaningful to you at this time?
More about 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 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, 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!
And we won't lie to you...when Emma and William came to pick up Anna to bring her home to foster and showed up in matching “I Love 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.