Terry Lawrence, a retired elementary art teacher, has dedicated many years to a mission close to her heart: providing senior dogs with a loving, stress-free home during their final years.
Lawrence has adopted more than 50 animals from the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, where she served on the board for 25 years and has had a relationship for nearly 50.
Her efforts have earned her recognition as a 2024 Journal Review Shining Star.
Currently, Lawrence’s household includes four dogs — Punkin, Muppet, Dolly and Elmo — and four cats: Igor, Forty, Moussie and Amigo.
“I believe if they get a new life, they ought to get a new name,” she said, noting that she renames all her rescue pets.
Forty earned his name because he was Lawrence’s 40th rescue pet.
All of her dogs are mixed breeds with unique characteristics. Punkin, also sometimes referred to as “Punkie” appears to be a pug mix and is probably her calmest dog.
Elmo is the most energetic and greets guests excitedly when they come to visit.
Her cats mostly keep to them selves, except for Igor, a tuxedo cat that sprawls out on his back inviting people to pet him.
Lawrence’s property, with its large backyard, provides plenty of space for her rescue dogs, like Elmo, to run freely and play.
Her dedication to senior animals comes with challenges, but for her she says the animals are her therapy. When she gets stressed, she finds her self at the shelter visiting all of the animals, especially the cats.
Lawrence reflects on all of the pets she’s had to say final goodbyes to, “It doesn’t ever get easy after, and I’m probably at somewhere like 40 or 42, something like that. I have eight, so it’s probably more than that.”
“I also, I have a very firm belief in God and pet heaven.”
She finds comfort in two books, “Dog Heaven” and “Cat Heaven,” which she reads to remember why she does what she does.
“They always make me cry,” she said, “but I also know that they’re probably going to a better place from where they are.”
As Lawrence has gotten older, her criteria for adopting senior dogs has changed.
“They have to get along with cats. They have to get along with each other. They can’t be so active or big that they can still pull me around because I’ve lost my ability to pull back, kind of,” she said.
When it’s time for the final goodbye for one of her pets, the shelter offers her compassionate support. They allow Lawrence to sit with her pet in the back of her car as they pass on.
Having never married or had children, Lawrence’s family is her pets. She hopes that her efforts caring for the rescue animals she takes in encourages others to adopt even one pet from the shelter.
