Pet of the Week puts a spotlight on a furry friend who is available for adoption at the Lawrence Humane Society at the time of the article’s publication. According to ASPCA, dog adoption numbers are down nationwide, which adds additional strain on shelters that are already struggling to accommodate high volumes of animals. Lawrence Humane is no exception.

Through Pet of the Week, readers can learn about a pup before they visit the shelter. The featured furball is selected by shelter staff members, who provide all details on the animal’s personality and history.

Fritz isn’t fond of sitting through county staff meetings, but he’ll take a pup cup any day.

Fritz is a 5-year-old, brown pit bull who arrived at the shelter as a stray in August. In his five months of waiting for a forever home, he’s gone on a few Mass Street Mutts adventures, including one to the Douglas County Appraiser’s Office.

“We started out with a staff meeting. He is very polite and respectful of people. He did get a little bored during the meeting though,” one of the people who took him for an outing wrote. “… He wanted to go for a ride in a Sheriff’s car, stop and smell the flowers and visit the fountain in South Park.”

They ultimately made their way to Lucky Dog, where Fritz’s patience was rewarded with treats and a pup cup.

Fritz’s current foster parent runs an in-home daycare, and he’s proven there’s very little he can’t handle when it comes to his roommates. He gets along with kids from infants to teenagers, as well as other dogs, puppies, cats and kittens.

“He also loves his foster mom’s kids and hangs out in their beds all day while they’re in school, waiting for them to come home,” Elina Alterman wrote via email. Alterman is the chief development officer at LHS.

Fritz is a top-shelf love bug and low-energy dog that enjoys lounging on the couch, sunbathing and car rides.

According to shelter staff, he’s easy to train because he’s highly treat-motivated, but he’s already got potty training down. He doesn’t destroy the home when he roams and can also be kenneled for short periods during the day and overnight.

Meet Fritz

As Fritz is in foster care, interested adopters can arrange a meeting by emailing LHS’s adoptions team at adoptions@lawrencehumane.org or by calling 785-843-6835.

Fritz is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. His adoption fee is $150.

Pet of the Week stars and where they are now

These furry friends could use a foster home while waiting for adoption:

• Brutus, valiant protector of small children, is no longer in a foster home. The shelter staff say they really need to find him a foster home or adopter.
• Unflappable Cardi B. is not the drama — she wants to be someone’s peace, be it a foster parent or an adopter.
• Snoozy Susie is waiting for an adopter who she can take naps alongside forevermore, but she’d still appreciate a foster parent in the meantime.
• Eanid is at the shelter and ready to meet her foster or forever Wednesday Addams.
• Flycatcher, the shepherd mix who lives up to his name, is waiting to be adopted. The shelter would love to find a foster for him in the meantime.
• Ruby and her speckled tongue are waiting for a foster home or adopter.

These pups are living it up in foster care and hope to find their forever families soon:

• The sweetest senior bean Adzuki is fit as a fiddle and waiting for an adopter.
• Kiba has been thriving in foster care, where he is waiting for an adopter.

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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

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