September to Remember
Leah's Story
Leah, our Adoption Center Operations Manager, is reflecting on her 19 years with BGWCHS. She’s seen how time, our team’s hard work, and a community’s love can transform the lives of shelter pets. Trust us—this is a firsthand account you don’t want to miss.
“We’ve come so far” is something that I remember hearing our director Lorri say to me and other staff members over and over again, and as the years have gone by those words have finally started to ring true. What I couldn’t always see in the moment is clear in hindsight, and the goal of our mission is more tangible than ever.
Nineteen years ago when I visited the shelter for the first time to volunteer, I met a beautiful American Bulldog named Bella. The staff explained that she’d been searching for a home for some time, but because she needed an expensive surgery with a long recovery time, no one had stepped up to adopt her. The staff gently explained to me that if no one adopted her, they would have to make a “hard decision”. When I returned to volunteer the following week, Bella was gone. I understood that the staff there were making impossibly hard decisions every single day.
I recognized early on that the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society had a mission that I wanted to be a part of. So, when I joined their staff I jumped head first into the tumultuous sea of compassion and chaos that they were all treading water in. There were endless intakes, seas of fearful eyes in cardboard boxes, motherless puppies crying for milk. Summers were the worst. Crates full of new arrivals were stacked high waiting for “evaluation” when we all knew very well that every cage was already full. Our director would say, “We’ve come so far,” but it didn’t always feel that way.
Adoptions and reclaims are what bring hope and happiness into our days. We love watching new love stories develop and seeing joyful reunions! As years went by, these became more and more frequent and the light at the end of the tunnel began to flicker. The best feeling was getting updates on pets who had gone into their forever homes. Families who had lost beloved members were once again whole because we were able to help them find the companionship they thought they’d lost forever.
Even though we had come so far, we couldn't always save them all. Years ago, a sweet senior Beagle named Gretchen came to us, emaciated with advanced heartworm disease and mange. She was so timid and gentle, but in all reality, we knew that the chances of her finding a home were very slim so we made the decision to let her go. I remember thinking that one day we would figure out a way to reach the people with the biggest hearts, the deepest pockets, and arms open and waiting for the unwanted. We had come so far, but we still had so far to go.
Now, years later, our team is stronger than ever and we’ve proven to our community that we will be good stewards of their trust and resources. We have a higher adoption rate than ever and our outreach keeps expanding. Years ago, it seemed like a pipe dream that in a year we would be able to treat 70 dogs for heartworm disease, 60 puppies for Parvo, or send 400 neonatal kittens into foster care so that they could have futures as beloved pets. Now, that is our reality! We’ve come so far. Thanks to our community and supporters, lives that couldn’t have been saved before are saved every single day.
In 2024, things look much different than they did in 2007. There are still challenges and overpopulation is a never-ending, looming reality. The difference, however, is that when a pet comes to us injured, abused, neglected, or struggling, we can rely on our community to help us save them. We can offer resources to help prevent accidental litters or to help families keep the pets they love. We can fundraise and pound the pavement to make second chances possible. We get to hear things like, “You helped me find my dog 15 years ago and he was the best thing that ever happened to me,” or “The cat I adopted was so scared and skinny when I took her home, but look at her now!” And I can’t help but think that we’ve helped save a few human lives along the way as well.
Animal sheltering work is never done. We don’t get to clock out at 5 pm and go home with a completed to-do list. There will always be needs and we will always struggle. In a snapshot of time, it may feel as chaotic and overwhelming as it always was, but if we can just back up a little bit and look at the whole picture as more of a time-lapse rather than a still-life image, everything becomes clear. We have come so far.”
-Leah Lawrence, Adoption Center Operations Manager
Nineteen years ago when I visited the shelter for the first time to volunteer, I met a beautiful American Bulldog named Bella. The staff explained that she’d been searching for a home for some time, but because she needed an expensive surgery with a long recovery time, no one had stepped up to adopt her. The staff gently explained to me that if no one adopted her, they would have to make a “hard decision”. When I returned to volunteer the following week, Bella was gone. I understood that the staff there were making impossibly hard decisions every single day.
I recognized early on that the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society had a mission that I wanted to be a part of. So, when I joined their staff I jumped head first into the tumultuous sea of compassion and chaos that they were all treading water in. There were endless intakes, seas of fearful eyes in cardboard boxes, motherless puppies crying for milk. Summers were the worst. Crates full of new arrivals were stacked high waiting for “evaluation” when we all knew very well that every cage was already full. Our director would say, “We’ve come so far,” but it didn’t always feel that way.
Adoptions and reclaims are what bring hope and happiness into our days. We love watching new love stories develop and seeing joyful reunions! As years went by, these became more and more frequent and the light at the end of the tunnel began to flicker. The best feeling was getting updates on pets who had gone into their forever homes. Families who had lost beloved members were once again whole because we were able to help them find the companionship they thought they’d lost forever.
Even though we had come so far, we couldn't always save them all. Years ago, a sweet senior Beagle named Gretchen came to us, emaciated with advanced heartworm disease and mange. She was so timid and gentle, but in all reality, we knew that the chances of her finding a home were very slim so we made the decision to let her go. I remember thinking that one day we would figure out a way to reach the people with the biggest hearts, the deepest pockets, and arms open and waiting for the unwanted. We had come so far, but we still had so far to go.
Now, years later, our team is stronger than ever and we’ve proven to our community that we will be good stewards of their trust and resources. We have a higher adoption rate than ever and our outreach keeps expanding. Years ago, it seemed like a pipe dream that in a year we would be able to treat 70 dogs for heartworm disease, 60 puppies for Parvo, or send 400 neonatal kittens into foster care so that they could have futures as beloved pets. Now, that is our reality! We’ve come so far. Thanks to our community and supporters, lives that couldn’t have been saved before are saved every single day.
In 2024, things look much different than they did in 2007. There are still challenges and overpopulation is a never-ending, looming reality. The difference, however, is that when a pet comes to us injured, abused, neglected, or struggling, we can rely on our community to help us save them. We can offer resources to help prevent accidental litters or to help families keep the pets they love. We can fundraise and pound the pavement to make second chances possible. We get to hear things like, “You helped me find my dog 15 years ago and he was the best thing that ever happened to me,” or “The cat I adopted was so scared and skinny when I took her home, but look at her now!” And I can’t help but think that we’ve helped save a few human lives along the way as well.
Animal sheltering work is never done. We don’t get to clock out at 5 pm and go home with a completed to-do list. There will always be needs and we will always struggle. In a snapshot of time, it may feel as chaotic and overwhelming as it always was, but if we can just back up a little bit and look at the whole picture as more of a time-lapse rather than a still-life image, everything becomes clear. We have come so far.”
-Leah Lawrence, Adoption Center Operations Manager
Donate Today
for 3x the Impact
Leah's story is part of our September to Remember campaign. We’re on a mission to raise $40k this September to unlock a matching donation from our friends Stan and Susan Mathews. Thanks to them, every $10 you donate turns into $30. Whatever amount you can spare today, big or small, will make a difference for shelter pets!
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"There are many worthy causes that don't have all the resources to accomplish all they want to do. We support the shelter because they make such a difference in our community. The innovations introduced by Lorri as director, the love and caring shown by the staff and volunteers, and the innocent lives saved are sufficient to inspire our donations."
- Stan and Susan Mathews |
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Questions about donating? Email or call us at 270-783-9404. To contribute by mail, please send a personal check or money order made payable to the BG/WC Humane Society to:
BGWCHS Attention: Lorri Hare P.O. Box 1456 Bowling Green, KY 42102 |
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Contact Us
Adoption Center
270-783-9404 Humane Society
270-842-8572 Clinic*
270-745-8646 Community Cat Hotline
270-715-0937 Fax
270-783-9474 |
Hours of Operation
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday | 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Wednesday | CLOSED Saturday | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Sunday | 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm *Veterinary services are not available every day. Please call ahead to confirm that a Vet is available. Our Vet normally does examinations on animals between 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Other services may be available between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 1924 Louisville Road
Bowling Green, KY 42101 After-Hours EMERGENCY Line 270-202-9136 |
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