Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch volunteers go above and beyond

Two months ago, Kaila Dougherty drove from her home in Bayshore Gardens and arrived an hour before the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch opened, hoping to leave with a French bulldog she had seen online at PetFinder.

“I was sitting in the parking lot watching the volunteers walk the dogs in the morning. One volunteer had a German shepherd, and she got down on the ground and kept kissing her head,” Dougherty said. “I’ve never seen that level of care at other places before. It was quite special.”

Dougherty ended up fourth in line for the bulldog, so instead of leaving with a Frenchie, she left with Wallaby, who has since been renamed Lou. Lou is a Black Mouth Cur and shepherd mix and also nothing like a French bulldog. 

“She’s absolutely a handful. I did not want a puppy that young, but she’s so much fun,” Dougherty said. 

Lou was only 3 months old when adopted. At 5 months, she already weighs about 40 pounds. Dougherty owned dogs her whole life until her job as a digital marketer for the Hard Rock kept her on the road for two years. Once she was settled down again, she wanted a new companion. 

“The two primary reasons people come to our shelter to view our adoptable animals are that they’ve seen our animals online on our website, Facebook or PetFinder or they know of us through our social media, past adoptions or references,” HSLWR Board and Executive Committee Member Cindy Jackson said. 

Dougherty found HSLWR through PetFinder, and since then, she’s kept in touch with Jackson.

“I send her pictures of Lou all the time, and she always tells me she’ll update the other volunteers,” Dougherty said. “I think in a larger facility, you wouldn’t get that kind of ongoing support that I found with them.” 

Located in Myakka City, the two buildings on the property are surrounded by six large enclosures with rolling green grass for the dogs to play and the cats to roam. Cats only live in cages if they’re sick. If stressed around other cats, they get a private room. 

The social cats can climb the tree, installed by a volunteer, on the “Catio” (cat patio). Social but shy cats can observe from one of the ledges built high on the walls. And the sleepy cats have plenty of cozy spots to nap. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

“During the day, they can go in and out. We have a cat door. We just close them in at night for safety because we are out in the country,” HSLWR Shelter Director Dani Ziegler said. “The volunteers come and hang out with them multiple times a day. Most of them spend their time outside.” 

The free range area can host 15 cats and kittens. The two private rooms are reserved for litters and loners.

The dogs are in a separate building. They, too, have doors that lead outside, but they’re kept within their own individual spaces. Space maxes out at about 40 dogs.

“There’s two or three volunteers who take Bessie out for the day,” HSLWR Board and Executive Committee Member Cheryl Johnson said. “They’ve taken her to the dog park or any park to walk her around. She can be dog reactive, but she does listen. She’s really very sweet.” 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Bessie has been in the shelter for almost two years. She has a few things working against her such as size, breed, and she can’t be in a home with another dog. She found one willing adopter, but the landlord said, “No.” 

Ziegler said “big bully breeds” can be harder to place because of size and breed restrictions among rental housing. Big bully breeds include pitbulls and boxers, and many landlords don’t want them as tenants. 

Small dogs are more landlord-friendly and typically adopted within a matter of weeks. Bigger dogs average a few months, but there’s no time limit. Rescues are housed at the shelter for as long as needed. 

Volunteers foster animals too, but Ziegler said it’s much harder to find fosters for dogs than cats. Most fosters are rearing kittens until they weigh two pounds and are about 2 months old. At that point, they can be fixed and then adopted. 

With only four staff members, HSLWR relies heavily on volunteers to walk the dogs and help with adoptions.

All animals are adopted out vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered. HSLWR will also cover the costs of any needed treatments, such as dogs who come in heartworm positive. 

Adoptions are first come first serve on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fees range from $75 to $300, depending on the animal's age. Senior dogs and cats cost less to adopt than puppies and kittens.