For the month of June, we are highlighting Shelley Lawrence as our Humane Hero of the Month for her efforts with fostering animals.
About Shelley Lawrence
Shelley is from Shelby Township, MI. She is a certified and licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant but is primarily fostering animals and helping the Humane Society of Macomb walk dogs and socialize cats.
Shelley had always thought of fostering but chose to wait for concern that bringing another pet into her home could cause problems with the dog she had at the time. At that time, Shelley rescued her dog, and she had him for 14 years before eventually having to put him to sleep.
After having to put her dog to sleep, Shelley and her husband decided to start fostering.
“I was interested in fostering because I would think of all the animals on the streets with no food and not being safe,” Shelley said.
Fostering and Helping Humane Society of Macomb
Shelley and her husband have been fostering for a little over 2 years.
She also helps at Humane Society of Macomb by helping walk dogs and socializing cats.
“It’s nice they added volunteers to put away donations and make enrichment items for dogs,” Shelley said.
While there, Shelley tries to put away donations because it takes time to put the donations away. She knows that the staff need time to still be able to do their job and helping to put donations away ensures they won’t have to stop working to do it.
When Shelley has time, she also helps Humane Society of Macomb with their laundry. Animal cages always need to be cleaned, and she assists with making sure the cages are taken care of.
Current Goal and Biggest Accomplishment
Shelley’s current goal is to help remove the stigma that people believe that all Pit bull terrier mix dogs are mean dogs. “They are some of the nicest dogs we have fostered,” Shelley said.
Her biggest accomplishment is helping to save a dog named Boomer. “I protested for a dog named Boomer in Madison Heights so he wouldn’t be put to sleep,” Shelley said.
She committed herself to go every Tuesday to the police station/court along with another lady and man. “We had our own group that stood in front of the police station/courthouse, so they would see us support Boomer not being killed,” Shelley said.
She and the group of people also supporting Boomer went to every other protest they had for him. For over a year, they tried to save him. “I also went to the council meetings in Madison Heights even though I live in Shelby Township. It paid off. WE SAVED HIM!!!” Shelley said.
Shelley even got to meet Boomer after the victory because she didn’t even know him before she fought for him.
Most Memorable Moments
One of Shelley’s most memorable moments is helping a heartworm positive dog have the best few months of her life. The dog was too advanced to get treatment but not too far to be put to sleep. She was still active and happy but progressing. Shelley said her and her husband fell in love with the dog like she was their own.
Another one of Shelley’s memorable moments is being able to foster a dog from a cruelty case and watching him later be able to get a loving home.
Future Plans
Shelley plans to keep fostering to help all the animals she can to get adopted. “It makes it better for them to get out of the shelter and in a home environment,” Shelley said.
She also plans to continue helping Humane Society of Macomb walk dogs and socialize cats and do whatever is needed to help animals.