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  ANNUAL
NEWSLETTER:
December 2011
http://www.lakehavenrescue.org/
 A
message from the Director
As the director of Lake Haven I have had
more opportunity than most to see first hand
the suffering of abandoned animals. I’ve
given this a great deal of thought over the
years and although I find abandonment a very
sad and troublesome situation I know that it
can be avoided in most cases.
Most of the dogs I see at County high kill
shelters are going to fall into one or both
of the following two categories;
1. Those
over one year old and still fertile
2. Those
that are untrained and not socialized
Most of the one-plus year old fertile dogs
are in shelters because they have become
very bothersome at home. The males are
running and refuse to stay home. Owners tire
of chasing them and trying to find ways to
confine them. Some males will become
aggressive and will bite if around a female
in heat. Some previously housebroken dogs
will begin to “mark” and will even do this
in their homes. The females will also run
and refuse to be confined and can be very
messy in the house while in heat. Some will
also begin soiling in the house during this
time. Then there is the expense and work
involved with puppies and some people are
just not prepared. Of course all this can be
avoided by surgically altering your pet. So
the Low/Cost Spay/Neuter Program was started
by us 3 years ago and its working.
 Dogs that are untrained and not socialized
can end up in shelters for many of the same
reasons mentioned above. What I mean by
untrained and not socialized is; unable to
walk properly on a leash or be tethered in
any way. Not housebroken, unable to meet
another dog/cat without a volatile reaction,
and unacceptable behavior around people like
jumping-up, barking and constant licking.
All of these things are easily
fixable. To help people with proven
techniques we have created a “Self-Help”
section on our website. You will have to do
the work but we have some advice and
direction for you. On our home page you will
find a section titled Self Help for Your
Adopted Dog. I especially like the section
titled "Nothing in Life is Free" and find
that it is very effective with the bonding
process as well. Another favorite is “The
Walk” where I learned how important a proper
walk can be.
My hope is that the things we offer to
people will help to reduce the number of
abandoned animals. And always remember;
"Your dog will respond quickly and become a
happy contented pet if you reward him for
doing what you want instead of punishing him
for doing what you don't want."
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 The
Year Of The Volunteer
This year is the “Year of the Volunteer for
Lake Haven”. Because we are an all volunteer
organization, volunteers have always been
very important, but this year we want to let
everyone know that they are absolutely
essential to our cause.
This year we have been called to staff the
cat adoption center at PetSmart, due to
their budget cuts. Unless we have volunteers
in the adoption center to do the adoptions,
they will not take place. It is Important to
remember , every time we adopt one cat it is
like we are saving two because the cat in
the adoption center finds a home and now we
have space to go get another cat out of a
dangerous situation or high kill shelter.
With an easy sign up application process
online and access to an online calendar to
plug in their own schedules for helping with
cat adoptions, we have made it easy to make
a huge difference in the life of a homeless
kitty. So if you love cats/kittens but have
“no room at the inn” come express your love
of animals with us and do some good work at
the same time.
We wish to thank our wonderful volunteers
for making such a huge difference in the
lives of the homeless animals and there are
no words that can express how much we
appreciate all of them. Remember “Volunteers
are unpaid not because they are worthless
but because they are priceless.”
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Our Success Story Of The
Year (Because you helped)
 The
story of the “Court Case Dogs”
In August of 2009 a cruelty investigation
took place in Montcalm County concerning 5
Redbone and Blue Tick coonhounds. They were
just pups 3 or 4 months old. The pups were
confiscated as the investigation began.
Months dragged by and the pups grew up in
their small cages. They were not allowed out
as they were considered “property” and the
shelter was required to preserve the
evidence. Then it became years in their
small cages they yearned for human contact
and a normal “dog life”.
 In
June of 2011 they order finally came from
the prosecutor to release the dogs. After
spending nearly two years in the noisy and
dirty din of the County Shelter, Lake Haven
received notification that they were to be
released to rescues. We were asked to take
one. It was explained to Lake Haven that two
of the dogs had severe cherry eyes and we
knew that would require surgical repair by a
well qualified surgeon. When we arrived at
the Shelter we found the dogs to be so
pleasant we decided to take three instead of
one, of course we took the one with the
worst condition thinking she may not find
her
way out. Her eyes were very swollen and
inflamed and tearing constantly. When we
returned home and found out how wonderful
they are we have contacted the shelter to
insure the others find their way to Lake
Haven as well. Rescues such as these tax
small rescues time and resources.
These are exceptionally sweet and loving
dogs who never deserved to be treated this
way or to be put down after spend almost 2
years in a cage. We can not and will not let
that happen.
What Happened to the Court Case
Dogs?
Lake Haven Rescue put out a plea and our
supporters donated the $800 we needed to
cover the costs of rescue. A special
donation tool that we placed on our home
page really helped the cause and we are
eternally grateful to all who contributed.
We know it's hard to make contributions in
these difficult times but you can be assured
that these wonderful dogs benefited greatly.
We named the Blue Tick Stella. The girl with
cherry eyes is called Ruby and the other
sweetheart was called Ester. Ester was
adopted 1st then Ruby (her eyes have been
fixed) and finally Ester.
They are truly loved by their new owners and
these three lovelies truly deserved the
wonderful homes they now enjoy.
PS This rescue instilled a deep
respect and love for coonhounds to many
volunteers at Lake Haven. What a wonderful,
loving, gentle breed.
 UPDATE
FROM RUBY'S MOM:
Ruby came home this past July, and since
that time I have had the privilege of
watching a dog with a less than desirable
past finally have the opportunity to
transform into the perfect companion. After
the third week home, I began to see her true
personality come out. She was always sweet,
but her gentle nature, trustworthiness, and
loyalty came through. As I write this, she
is currently basking in the sunshine on the
back porch. She has been such a joy to have
around. I am so lucky to have found her!
 PDATE
FROM ESTER'S MOM:
I was a bit hesitant of getting another dog
after the loss of our Crafty, we ran across
the Court Case dogs and decided to come and
meet Ester. One look at her face and it we
knew we were not leaving without her. She is
such a sweet lovable dog, and it has been so
much fun watching her grow and learn. We
can’t wait to see how she reacts in the
snow. The longer we have here the more we
see her personality come out in her and
realize she is a very goofy dog. Thank you
so much!
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 She
eased the hurt
I just wanted to thank you for all you do
for the animals who are blessed enough to
find homes through Lake haven Rescue. I
recently adopted Vixen, the most perfect
kitten ever, through Lake Haven. My cat
companion, and friend of 17 years passed
away recently, leaving a big hole in the
lives of my dog and I. We still miss her
terribly, but Vixen has come into our little
home and helped to ease the hurt. She is
such a sweet girl and immediately fit
perfectly into our home. She is making fast
friends with her new doggy brother. Thank
you again!
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 We
are thrilled
I just wanted to say thank you so much for
allowing us the ability to meet Iris and her
puppies four weeks ago. We have been nothing
but thrilled with Dudley since we met him
and especially now that he is home with us.
He is doing so well and he has really been a
great puppy. He is going potty outside most
of the time and he is so loving with all of
us. The kids, my husband and I are totally
enjoying him, as well as, everyone else that
meets him too. I know you are keeping busy
with all of the rescues, but wanted to tell
you that you are wonderful at what you do
and we couldn't be happier with our new
"baby".
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 A
great addition to our family
After adopting Mio, my parents decided to
get a kitten. We returned to Petsmart and
found Puffy (formerly known as Laverne). She
was only 8 weeks old then and the only one
left of her litter. Puffy is a very
independent kitty who is incredibly smart.
She only likes crunchy treats and will never
touch the soft ones! She has a very unique
voice and is super loving. She doesn't like
to be picked up very much but she loves
being petted. Surprisingly, she tolerates
nail clippings amazingly well for a cat! :)
Puffy is the healthiest kitty and has never
been sick. She was a great addition to our
family!
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Everyone who meets her loves her
 We
are the Downs family and adopted a lab
shepherd puppy from your rescue. Just wanted
to give you an update as she is now turning
one year old. Skylar, the foster family had
named her "Sky" from the bit of white on her
nose, is dong just great with our family.
She loves going on runs and is absolutely
pooped when we get home. She loves playing
with other dogs and going to our cottage and
playing in the lake. She acts inconvenienced
when made to move off or over a bit on the
couch when one of us wants to sit down. :-)
She knows how to sit, stay, give high five,
an d
play dead. She's been through two obedience
courses and is a very smart girl. She loves
her bones too. She's naughty and likes to
dig up the backyard though she's now doing a
bit less of that. She could eat everything
and anything all day if we let her. Her
favorite treat is peanut butter and I put
that in one of her bones sometimes. She's
great with the kids and strangers as she has
such a friendly disposition. Everyone that
meets her loves her. She weighs 55 pounds
and I think she's about done growing. My
family thanks you at Lake Haven Rescue for
our beloved family member. Keep up the good
work. Hope all is well.
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 Thanks
for taking care of him
This is a picture of Hermes (was Rabbit),
the second cat we've adopted from you in two
years. He has a very squeaky meow when he
comes to you and does a head dance. He play
fights with our other cats. He falls behind
and under the couch a lot cause he tries to
catch birds. Thanks for taking care of him
for a while. Now he's got a friendly, cozy
place to get pampered.
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 We
feel so blessed to have her
First I have to say I have loved all the
dogs I have ever had in my life as they are
all special in their own way, but Indy
definitely tops my list. She is so beautiful
both inside and out. She sure loves to be
outside keeping an eye out for bunnies and
squirrels and her tail never stops wagging!
She puts a smile on my face every single
day. My daughter thanks me at least once a
week for bringing her into our home. She
wants to be out back running around with our
other beagle ‘Dasher’ and checking out all
the wildlife. But she is always ready to
come in and cuddle up on the couch with us
in the evening. It is hard for me to imagine
her previous owners did not want her. They
sure did not realize what a gem of a dog
Indy is, and they are really missing out! We
feel so blessed to have her in our lives and
are so thankful to you and Lake Haven for
rescuing her and placing her into our home.
We love her so much and cannot imagine our
home without her! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you!
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 The
lively bunch
The gray one is Muffin and the one on the
pillow is Nimo. We are having to work a bit
more with Nimo he's a little unsure of being
handled but coming around nicely. They are
the sweetest kitten and the mama is really
sweet and very smart.
Just thought you might like to see a couple
of the kittens and how they are doing. Flo
and Dori won't stand still long enough to
take pictures ! They are a lively bunch
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 Happy
Howl-days
I adopted Chester the beagle from you guys a
few months ago and he is doing wonderful in
his new home. He has found his way into our
hearts, our family’s and nearly everyone in
my neighborhood. I regularly keep in contact
with his foster mom, Diana, and send her
stories of how he’s doing.
I refer everyone I know who is looking for a
pet to your shelter, and a good friend from
work may be adopting from you soon. Thank
you for all of your hard work to help
animals! Happy Howl-days!
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 The
perfect addition to our family, we love this
dog.
Our family had been looking for the perfect
family dog for a little over 2 months,
visiting various shelters to try to find
"the" dog for our family. I filled out an
application online, and told Cheryl just
what we were looking for (a dog less than 2
years old that would be great with kids).
She sent me pictures of Skye, a husky/ lab
mix puppy that was 5 months old. We met her
on adoption day at Petsmart, and immediately
fell in love with her. I was expecting her
to be hyper and a little ball of energy
because she was only 5 months old, but she
is the BEST dog I have ever owned or even
been around. She goes to the door already to
go potty outside, she listens amazingly
well, and after working with her for a
little over 10 minutes she learned to "sit".
We renamed her "Nala" because she is the
same golden color as a lion, and spoil her
already. She thinks she is a giant lap dog
and loves to put her head on your lap and be
petted. She loves to be praised and played
with, and is so sweet around my 2 little
kids. We all LOVE this dog, she is the
perfect addition to our family!
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 Feels
good to have a dog again
Here is a picture of Harley (used to be
Carolyn). She is a very wonderful dog and we
love her very, very much. She loves her new
home and loves to play with her toys and go
for her daily walks. She was very good on
the long ride home to PA. She was worth the
long ride to get her. She had her first
check up and all went well. She's keeping us
on our toes and it really feels good to have
a dog in the house again. Thanks again for
everything and all that you do to help
animals find good homes.
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 I
Couldn't Have Asked For More
Prudence is one of my favorite four legged
daughters! I adopted her from Lake Haven. I
have a large dog and wanted a loveable,
cuddly kitty to add to our family. I seen
Prue at a pet store and fell in love with
her. I went home and picked up ScoobyDoo (my
large dog) so I could see if she didn't mind
dogs. Scooby put his head in her cage, gave
her a large kiss and she just looked at him
and went back to sleep. That was all I
needed to know. I brought her home that day!
Since then Prudence has been such a joy to
have. She looks up at me when she wants
anything, and if I do not pay attention, she
genitally pets my arm. (she still has her
claws). She enjoys her treats every morning,
she has been my alarm clock. She wakes me up
every morning at 6:30am for this treat.
Prudence is just an Awesome kitty!! She
loves her belly rubbed and chasing her
feather toy. I couldn't have asked for a
better family member!
Thank you Lake Haven!!
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 We
are lucky!
We've had Breeze (Formerly Stella) 4 months.
She is shy by nature and her first few weeks
she was startled by the smallest of things -
such as leaves blowing across the lawn. She
now has adapted to her new surroundings, the
sites, noises and smells. We have certainly
noticed that sniffing is her favorite thing
to do (being a Coon Hound).
A funny thing she does is rescue her dog
toys from the vacuum by putting them in her
bed. Guess she figures that noisy thing is
going to suck her toys away. We have
several grand children 2 to 3 years old.
Breeze initially was quite nervous of them
but now enjoys chasing and being chased by
the children.
We are lucky to have such a pretty and
docile pet. Thank you so much!
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 He
Loves Us & We Love Him
Here are some pictures of Rambo (King) he is
a part of the family now. He adjusted fast
and well.
 He
is loose with no leash, he sticks with us
and wants to be where we are at only. Even
when he sees a deer he chases and comes back
in a few minutes. He listens well and is a
great dog. He gets along well with other
dogs and cats. He loves us and we love him.
He eats well and like treats.
Thanks for all.
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 A
Joy To Have Around
I would just like to say thank you for our
great little pup.
His name is Turtle and he is a
wonderful dog.
He is very well behaved and mild
mannered.
He loves going for walks in the woods
and loves to find a good stick to chew on.
He is a little too spoiled, but he
loves to sleep on the bed, and we love it
too.
Turtle is a very smart dog, he loves
to play with other dogs, and he even likes
cats.
 He
loves to wake up in the morning and go for a
walk, if he doesn't get his two walks each
day he'll let us know that he wants to go.
He has grown up to be a great looking
dog, we just love his speckled chest and
paws.
He is about 11 months now, and he's
such a great dog and a joy to have.
Thanks for our great puppy!!
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 The
Happy Boy And The Lucky Family
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to
tell us her story and answer all the
questions we had about handling her and
adapting her to my old cat, Gus.
We tried the treat by the door trick
and it worked!
Pixie pushed the door open, and while
there were some tense times including some
hissing and growling.
After a little chasing, the two went
into the bedroom.
It was really quiet for a moment and
she came bolting out.
After that it seemed like they'd
established dominance, and have gotten along
great since.
I was really concerned about a month
long process, but I credit her quiet and
loving demeanor to much of it.
While we expect there to be some
tough times, we wanted you to know she's
doing well.
Thank you for all you do!
I'm so glad we picked Lake Haven!! We
look forward to sharing many pictures and
stories about our kitten family with you.
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 It
Seems Like Destiny
I want you to know that Kaiah (formerly
Ramie), an American Eskimo dog, is the best
thing that happened to me!
She loves her new home and has
settled in quite nicely.
Attached is a picture of her and also
one with my older Eskie, Keeper.
Kaiah is an affectionate goof.
Her clumsy nature makes my husband
and I smile.
She sometimes misjudges her jump onto
the sofa - her favorite spot.
She has graduated from basic
obedience and reliably sits and lies down on
command and walks on a loose leash.
We take daily walks and occasionally
visit the nearby off-leash dog park, where
she can run and explore to her heart's
content.
She's a smart girl who is so grateful
to be in a safe, loving home.
Thank you for finding her for me;
It seems like destiny!
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 King
Of The Roost!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing
Boone into our lives! He is so much fun &
such a smart, sweet boy :). He is settling
in to his home nicely
and has quickly become the king of
the roost. We have large picture windows at
the back of the house in the living & dining
room where he loves to watch the squirrels
and birds. His favorite stuffed toy is
shaped like a jack & has a squeaker in it he
hasn’t managed to pull out yet – he grabs it
& squeaks it & prances around when he is
ready to play fetch. The lad has been
growing & is so curious about everything. In
short, we are nuts about him (& visa versa).
You did such a good job capturing his
personality in the pictures you posted on
your website.
Thanks again, & we’ll keep in touch.
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  Seasonal Helpful Hints
With the holiday seasons upon us it’s important to keep your four legged
loved ones safe! Here are a few tips to keep
you and yours happy and safe this holiday
season!
-
Be mindful of cold weather products such as de-icing products, salt, and
anti-freeze! When walking your pet
outside during the snow and ice be sure
to wipe their paws and undersides
thoroughly when returning inside. This
will ensure your pet is safe from any
skin irritations or more serious
conditions.
-
Keep all holiday decorations out of reach such as tinsel and ribbon.
Ingestion of these materials could cause
serious health complications for your
pet.
-
There are lots of beautiful holiday plants out there but many of them are
dangerous to your pets if ingested. Keep
lilies, mistletoe, ivy, holly, and
poinsettias out of reach!
-
We all love our fur friends very much and want them to enjoy some of the
same yummy treats we do but keep in mind
that turkey bones can be very dangerous
to our pets and could cause
obstructions. Holiday sweets such as
chocolate are dangerous too! Keep the
yummies out of reach of your furry
friends.
-
With the holidays come lots of visitors and/or out of town trips. It’s
important to ensure your pet is properly
tagged and micro-chipped in the event
they become spooked during this holiday
season.
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Lake
Haven would like to thank the many
veterinary clinics that participate in our
spay/neuter program. We all know how
important it is to spay/neuter in order to
prevent pet overpopulation and to keep our
pets healthy. Visit our website for a
detailed listing of these veterinary
clinics.
Byron Center
Byron Center Animal Hospital
(616) 878-7387
Southkent Veterinary Hospital
(616) 878-3386
Caledonia
Southkent Veterinary Hospital
(616) 891-9070
South Crossing Vet Center
(616) 554-0400
Cascade
Family Friends Vet Hospital
(616) 575-6520
Cascade Animal Hospital
(616) 949-0960
Dorr
Dorr Veterinary Clinic
(269) 793-7387
Fremont
Fremont Animal Hospital
(231) 924-4940
Grand Haven
Grand Haven Animal Hospital
(616) 846-6700
Prelesnik Animal Hospital
(616) 846-4673
Grand Rapids
Plymouth Road Animal Clinic
(616) 456-9212
Red Barn Veterinary Clinic
(616) 455-4850
Safe Harbor Animal Hospital
(616) 942-8148
Schmitt's Animal Hospital
(616) 791-2011
Westwood Hills Animal Hospital
(616) 453-8259
Greenville
Town & Country Animal Hospital
(616) 754-4992
Holland
Ottawa Animal Hospital
(616) 399-2540
East Holland Veterinary Clinic
(616) 392-1835 |
Howard
City
Howard City Animal Hospital*
(231) 937-4396
Hudsonville
Georgetown Animal Hospital
(616) 669-3612
Jelsema Veterinary Clinic
(616) 662-6230
Jenison
Chicago Drive Veterinary Clinic
(616) 669-0501
Jenison Animal Hospital
(616) 457-9200
Kentwood
C-SNIP*
(616) 455-8220
Lowell
Animal Hospital of Lowell
(616) 897-8484
Middleville
Thornapple Vet Medical Center
(269) 795-9817
Rockford
Rockford Animal Hospital
(616) 866-9589 Shelby
Companion Animal Vet Service
(616) 231-861-4353
Sand Lake
Sand Lake Veterinary Services LLC
(616) 636-4100
Walker
Kelley’s Animal Clinic
(616) 453-7422
White Cloud
Animal Wellness Center of White
Cloud
(231) 689-0630
Wyoming
Animal Medical Center of Wyoming
(616) 531-7387
Wyoming Animal Hospital
(616) 538-9700
Zeeland
Zeeland Veterinary Hospital
(616) 772-4930 |
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There are so many to thank, words can't
explain our gratitude.
Every job here at Lake
Haven is of equal importance. The fosters,
volunteers, shelter staff, transports, and
laundry and cleaning , bookkeeping, computer
entry, website maintenance, newsletters and
so much more are essential to Lake Haven's
success. We thank each and every one of you
for your part in helping homeless animals
find their forever homes. We are like a
football team, with each person important
and dependant upon the other , and all
working together towards the touchdown, the
ADOPTION !!!
 A
special thank you goes out to the PetSmart
in Grandville MI for allowing Lake Haven to
showcase our animals in their adoption
center. Lake Haven has been rated number two
in the nation and number one in the state
for animal placement via their Love-A-Pet
program. Thank you PetSmart.
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 Lake Haven's Wish List
This wish list of items would help us
provide the best possible animal care while
enabling us to do our jobs better and save
money so that we can dedicate our resources
directly to the pets who are relying on us:
|
|
- Purina Dog Chow
- Purina Puppy Chow
- Purina One Cat Food
- Paper Towels
- Gently Used Blankets
- Gently Used Bath Towels
- Cotton Balls
- Wire Dog Kennels
- Wire Exercise Pens
- Dog & Cat toys |
- 33 Gallon
Garbage Bags
- Tall Kitchen Bags
- Hand Sanitizer (waterless)
- Bleach
- Liquid Laundry Soap
- Q-Tips
- Dish Detergent
- Wire dog crates (all sizes)
- Pet Carriers (all sizes) |
Even the smallest items are greatly
appreciated! They may be dropped off at:
PetSmart, 4645 Canal Avenue SW, Grandville
or at the shelter in Newaygo (231-652-7507).
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