The Lawrence Humane Society is celebrating 75 years with a weekend of fee-waived adoptions, community stories about shelter pets and more.
Hearing someone mention “the Lawrence Humane Society” might conjure images of the pet resource pantry, volunteers walking adoptable dogs up and down Mass Street, or even folks flocking to the 19th Street building for Clear the Shelter Day to meet their new best friend.
Seventy-five years ago, the humane society looked more like a group of folks running an animal welfare program from their own homes.
“It’s kind of wild that it started in someone’s home, and police officers would bring stray animals and, you know, they would take care of them as best they could,” said Elina Alterman, the chief development officer of the humane society.
Irene Armstrong, a founder of LHS, started banding animal lovers together in the 1950s after her co-worker died and their dog needed a new home.
“Irene brought home the springer spaniel named Toby Lou,” a shelter webpage reads. “He was the first in a long line of dogs who were cared for in the Armstrong’s home on 424 Indiana Street.”
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On March 27, 1951, Armstrong, her group and the city completed the incorporation process to make the “Douglas County Humane Society.” The group eventually evolved into the Lawrence Humane Society and purchased 4 acres of land along 19th Street, where the shelter is located to this day.
Friday, March 27, is the humane society’s 75th anniversary, and they’re marking the occasion with a spring- and summer-long bash.
The first festivity on the docket is a weekend of fee-waived adoptions for all cats and dogs, courtesy of Hill’s Pet Nutrition. LHS is a hometown shelter for the company, which provides all of the food for the shelter animals.
Fee-waived adoptions for all cats and dogs will go from noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, March 29.
As a special edition of Pet of the Week, here are some pups looking to land with a loving person or family. All information about the animals is provided by the shelter. Some descriptions mention Mass Street Mutts, LHS’ version of a doggy day out program.
These dogs are currently at the shelter
These dogs are currently in foster care
75 years, 75 stories
“A lot of animal shelters don’t have the support that we have,” Alterman said. “… The fact that we’ve had that for 75 years, and because of that support, we’ve been able to grow to what we are now, is also really phenomenal.”
Alterman said folks regularly reach out with stories about LHS’ impact on their lives.
She especially enjoyed photos that a community member shared of her parents, who had volunteered at the humane society decades ago. The shelter wants to encourage that storytelling spirit with their “75 Stories for 75 Years” campaign.
“Lawrence Humane is much more than a building,” their newsletter reads. “The story of Lawrence Humane is made up of thousands of meaningful moments … From adoptions and reunions to volunteering and fostering, we’d love to hear about the experiences that meant the most to you!”
The shelter is asking folks to submit those photos and stories at this link.
Alterman said they’ll decide how to share those back to the community once they evaluate the submissions.
Here is some more LHS anniversary news:
• Folks can join a bingo challenge now through Tuesday, March 31, and win an LHS sticker for a down, across or diagonal bingo. People who get a blackout get a shelter T-shirt of their choosing. Download a bingo card here and send your completed version to ealterman@lawrencehumane.org.
• The Quinn Foundation is matching up to $75K for LHS donations. People can make donations until Thursday, April 30 to count toward the match. Learn more at this link.
The humane society will announce more events, including new merch, a “Be Kind to Animals Week” and a spay/neuter initiative in the coming weeks. Stay in the loop by signing up for LHS newsletters at this link.
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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.
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
