JACKSON MICH. — If you ever want to understand the goodness of a person...
watch the dogs they choose to save. Most people choose the easy ones. Laura Steenrod chooses the broken ones.
If you ask Laura what she does, she might tell you she runs a nonprofit.
But if you ask the dogs…
she’s something closer to a lifeline.
Laura is the founder of Love From Louie, a nonprofit rescue that specializes in dogs that would not survive in the shelter system.
Dogs with serious injuries.
Dogs others have given up on.
Dogs like Hiccup.
Katie Easton-Ring adopted Hiccup six months ago. And when she first saw him…
she says she just knew.
"I just really felt a tug at my heart to bring him home."
Hiccup had been through more than most dogs survive.
"He was hit by a car. He had his right front leg was severely broken, his left shoulder was crushed, and the leg was unable to be saved. Two vertebrae broken in his neck and his jaw broken."
But today… Hiccup is not just surviving.
He is inspiring.
Hiccup is just one of the nearly 250 dogs Laura has helped since starting Love From Louie.
Laura says it all began with one dog.
"Louie was a dog that I met at Jackson County Animal Control. I couldn’t fathom why there was a pure-bread neutered beautiful yellow labrador laying broken in the shelter that nobody had come to look for."
Louie would live to be thirteen.
But his story changed Laura’s life forever.
"So many people ask themselves, what is my purpose? There's never a day I wake up and ask myself that because I know exactly what my purpose is and this is it. To change and save as many lives as I can before mine is over."
Chris Gorton adopted one of Laura's Dog rescues. Chris says, the dog, Hiccup, was found in the most unlikely places.
"Danny was found tied to a post at a Detroit police station, and her papers were left under a rock, and she got a call from one of the officers there at this station that knew Laura, and said, Hey, I don't think this dog is going to last in the system. Would you take her? And so, they jumped in the car, and they went and caught her."
Danny is now living her best life. Even if she is missing a leg. Chris says it's all because of Laura.
"Laura is a good neighbor, because she says yes and others say no. Laura says yes to dogs that basically get thrown away. That's kind of what happened to Danny, and we couldn't be happier, and I'm so grateful for her love."
And now the community is stepping up to help Laura keep saying yes.
Later this month, supporters are hosting a fundraiser called Struts for Mutts, a fashion show to support the rescue. Amy Fracker is helping to organize the event.
"It's all about the power of one person and the impact that one person has on her community and the lives of dogs we all have that within us may not be today, but it's inspiring."
Because for Laura, every dog matters.
"What’s not to like about a dog. They are your confidant, your best friend, your companion, sometimes the only thing in a bad day that goes right. Because there’s nothing you can do to ever make them not love you."
And when love is that unconditional…
sometimes all it takes is one person willing to return it.
Laura Steenrod thank you for being a hero to so many dogs.
You are this week’s Good Neighbor.
And if you would like to help Laura or learn more about the Struts for Mutts fundraiser, visit their Event Brite site at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/struts-for-mutts-tickets-1982921751337
