Employee Spotlight: Tia Ezell

An employee who has worn several hats during her 8 years at Lawrence Humane, Tia rolls with all the wild punches that working at a shelter can bring. We are thankful for Tia’s dedication to our organization and animal welfare.

What is your favorite thing about working at Lawrence Humane?

I have two stories - there’s one I get to tell every year, about summertime at the shelter. Summer at LHS is so incredibly hectic, with sometimes as many as 40-50 dogs, cats, kittens, etc. coming in daily. It can be a struggle for staff to feel like we can all stay afloat but every single summer, I am nearly brought to tears at least weekly with the outpouring of support and offers to help from our fosters. On days when I cannot even imagine how we’ll be able to place all the animals we receive, our fosters always come through for us. It’s just incredible! Words cannot bein to describe the gratitude we have for all of them.

Tia's "heart" dog - Lillian

My second favorite story is about my first adoption from LHS - Lillian. Lillian was a beautiful chocolate pit mix that came to us as a stray after likely having puppies for the majority of her life. She was a senior pup when she arrived to the shelter and she was so scared. I had been loving on her every second I could with no intention of adoption. But when I heard she was headed to an offsite adoption event, I just knew I couldn’t let her go. I ran up to the front desk to place a hold on her and adopted Lillian later that week. She came home to live with my three cats and my little Schnauzer and she was just lovely. She was my everything, my “heart” dog, and I was so lucky to have her in my life for the next six years. She passed away in 2020 and is truly missed. I would like to encourage anyone and everyone to adopt in her honor - you never know when you’ll find true love in a shelter when you least expect it.

What is the hardest thing about working at a shelter?

I’m going to be real cliche here! The hardest thing about work is not taking them all home with me. I won’t tell you how many pets I have. I don’t think it’s embarrassing at at but it’s still a secret ;)

Describe what your role is at the shelter and what you do!

I’m currently the Foster and Transfer Manager here at Lawrence Humane, so I have a really cool job that intertwines both people and animals. I coordinate all animals headed into foster homes for various reasons - typically animals in need of foster care are underage (too young or small to be spayed or netuered and placed for adoption) or struggling behaviorally which means they are fearful/timid, shut down, or very stressed in a kennel. Some foster animals, especially those that are underage, require quite a bit of care in the foster home and at the shelter so I work with the medical team to ensure we can get everyone healthy as quickly as possible and into their forever home. In addition to the foster program, I also facilitate all the transfers. The transfer program is such an exciting part of my job! Our community is so supportive of the concept of adopting, and our shelter in general. This means we are able to assist shelters all over the Midwest (and beyond!) with placing their animals for adoption here in Lawrence! Typically organizations that request assistance struggle with a variety of issues - a lack of funding, adopters, and community support overall. I have met some of the nicest, hard-working people advocating for pets in tiny towns all over Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Some of the most incredible pets that might not have had a chance otherwise have made their way to Lawrence. Last year, we were able to assist almost 1,000 animals from other shelters.

Tia has chickens and ducks in her backyard!

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love watching KU basketball, gardening, corralling our crazy chickens, walking my dogs downtown, cooking all kinds of food, and hanging out with my family any chance I get!

Want to become an LHS foster?

1. Fill out an application at lawrencehumane.org!

2. Applications are checked about once a week. Once you’ve been approved, you will be added to our email list and you can request to be a part of our super fun Facebook group!

3. We regularly release emails and posts about animals who need a foster home but you do not have to wait to hear from us to start fostering! Whenever you’re ready, send Tia an email with a few details about your household (other pets, kids, etc.) and we will find you a match!