The goal of Lake Haven Rescue is to:
-
Provide temporary shelter for homeless cats and dogs.
-
Ensure that at time of entry to Lake Haven, animal receives needed medical care.
-
Place animals in responsible and loving homes.
-
Educate pet owners and the public to proper animal care and the urgent need to spay and neuter their pets.
Lake Haven Newsletter 2023
Message From the Director
Happy holidays and my message of gratitude:
First, let me start by saying I am very grateful for all of our success. We have been doing serious rescue since 1984 when we built a large new garage and pole barn on our Newaygo homestead. At that time there were free puppies and kittens signs everywhere, and most were not being altered. I began my rescue and my connection to Fremont Animal Hospital, gathering volunteers along the way and by 1990 we became a licensed Michigan Shelter and it was “game on”. Our success is a result of a very dedicated and unique bunch of volunteers, Veterinarian’s, adopters, and donors or supporters. We are all different, but all united in one thing, and that is to ease the suffering of homeless animals and, provide them with the best of medical care. Keeping them safe and warm until we find them permanent and appropriate homes for each one. My volunteers always bring true meaning to the words “it take a village” cause it does and nothing works unless we all come together. Our fosters are caring and wonderful selfless people whom truly love what they do. I have many adoptive families that stay in touch with the fosters because they understand that they truly care about the animals they are adopting out. All volunteers are deeply appreciated, without them, there would be no individual care for animals who have already been very neglected. All volunteers are valued regardless of what they do, some foster, some do events, some do paper work, some clean but all is essential to make it work. Some have been with us for years and that said, special thanks to Pam Maniscalco for her efforts to make it up north in rain and snow to do Paperwork and deliver supplies to those in GR. To Fran Coon for her efforts to keep the Shelter clean and help care for the animals passing through there. To Sue Tol, who started over 25 yrs ago and does anything that needs doing. To Deb Culbertson and Danielle Tuttle, between the two of them they have cared for and adopted out literally hundreds of kitties, and have done it so well. Special thanks to Molly Eddington who is putting this newsletter together and is a foster and adopter as well. Molly has been with us since the 5th grade, she has been a MSU grad for several years now. Speaking of newsletters I have a special thanks for Dave Snyder who started the newsletter over 10 years ago. Dave also keeps all the printers and computers running no easy task considering who is using them. He also installed the security system at the shelter and helped with the remodel. In addition he fosters difficult dogs, as he trained dogs in the Air Force and is pretty darn good at it. Thank you to Jillian who sifts through hundreds of applications, sends them out for references and gets them to me all completed ready for a decision. She also fosters with Lyle’s help who is always at the ready to provide a little muscle when help is needed. Thank you to Jerry and Nancy Kiel whom have been our Mr. and Mrs. Santa for years, along with Gary and Donna Ranger who managed the bake sale, handing the reins to Brenda Hamilton this year. Thank you to Barb Vanderwall for her grant writing skills, and her efforts to keep the spay/neuter program going until covid hit and we no longer had a vet to continue. We hope to revive that program very soon.
I also apologize to those whose names are missed, your time is important to us and you are valued no matter what you do. If you foster a litter of kittens once a year, or bake for the sale, foster a pup or dog once in a while, transport a cat or dog somewhere it needs to go... it all needs to be done and every little bit helps. You are valued and appreciated. It does take a village to make it all work.
Our veterinarians are a very intricate part of who we are and what we can do. Without skilled veterinarians we can’t do anything. We are very fortunate to have the Plymouth Rd Vet as a rescue partner and they are wonderful with the animals. They are doing the bulk of our surgeries since Dr. Russell retired. The vets there are highly skilled and they are great surgeons. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for a really friendly quality clinic. They have a beautiful brand new clinic at the corner of Plymouth Rd and Leonard. We also use Fremont Animal Hospital , owned by Dr. Marie Breuker. She is an excellent veterinarian and surgeon and has done wonderful work for us. Dr. Sam Ciatto of Animal Wellness center has also helped us along the way. All of our vet’s services are instrumental in our survival and ability to help an animal in need.
And where would we be without adopters, who patiently wait while we get animals ready and access what they need. And then there is all the paperwork and they wait again for that. Some are so grateful that they stay in touch with us with pictures and stories on our ADOPTED FROM LAKE HAVEN page on Facebook. If you have not joined, please do and send us updates as it is our reward for our work. Just go to the ADOPTED FROM LAKE HAVEN page and click on follow and you answer three simple questions and then an admin will let you in. Please send us pics and stories we all love to hear how our fosters are doing.
And then we have our donors whom have been supporting and encouraging us in the work we have done. Without them we would have not been able to accomplish all we have and for such a long time. They are participating in every rescue that takes place without even being there. I will be forever grateful for every one of you.
With a grateful heart, wishing all a wonderful holiday season,
Cheryl McCould (Director)
Kitten Rescues
This was my ninth summer fostering for Lake Haven. Every year has its highs and lows and every year is an adventure but some really stand out. I got a call from a woman needing help. She was on her way to work and watched the car in front of her strike a cat. She stopped, trying to catch this poor baby and get it to a vet. The cat led her to an old building and a junk pile. She heard kittens crying. In the junk pile were five tiny kittens. Unfortunately, this mama had severe injuries. Her last act was to bring help for her babies then she laid down and passed away. The woman collected the kittens and called me. How could I possibly say no to those tiny babies?
Then, someone brought me four kittens found under a deck. Made a litter of 9, 3 weeks old, with no mama cats. Bottle feeding 9 kits every 3 hours is a lot of work and uses up a ton of kitten formula. I did a post on my Facebook page of these adorable babies to share their story. That’s when the supporters of Lake Haven stepped up in a truly epic way. Cans of formula and cases of canned kitten food started to be delivered to my door. Every day more arrived !
Thanks to the generosity of these people all nine babies thrived and were able to go to wonderful homes just in time for Thanksgiving. I will miss them all terribly but I know, thanks to Lake Haven supporters, and the last act of a loving injured mama these kitten are going to live happy, healthy, spoiled lives.
- Debbie Culbertson (Foster)
Beau
Here’s my foster fail, Beau, living his best life last weekend on our camping trip in Wyoming. We’ve had him for a little over a year now but we recently moved out west. He came into Lake Haven last year with an old broken hip injury. He had a FHO surgery when he came in and he is doing great. He is pain free and hiking with us all the time now. We couldn’t have asked for a better dog to come on all of our adventures with us. He also ended up being a mix of some of my favorite breeds which was a surprise to us! (Mostly Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd). I love him so much and am so thankful he came into my life.
- Molly Eddington (Foster)
Life and Love
Life and Love has lead us to our Lake Haven brood of these three. Yeah, my hubby agreed to just one, our first sweet, wonderful Pibble A.Z. Then we foster failed with our Pibble mix 10 old girl, Sissy. She’s the dog above all and my very, very best girl. A backyard breeder’s moneymaker and eventual discard. I tell her daily how special she is; as I feel she lived 10 years hearing nothing of the sort. Then enters our special needs foster, the beautiful Labradoodle, Lizzy Lou. Lake Haven and Cheryl McCloud have given our lives a path, a purpose I would have never imagined. While our time as fosters may be at an end, oh what a wonderful ride it’s been. Give when you can. Foster if you feel you can. And always, ALWAYS look to adopt, first.
- Donna Ranger (Foster)
#1 American Foxhound Title
“I finally got Jane’s pictures from her last races of the season in September! Both her times were matched for personal bests!! Look at her rip up the turf! Still holding on to the #1 American Foxhound title.”
Amazing little dog , dumped at county shelter with her 3 brothers. County Shelter closed down and with no where to go so Lake haven took them all in. She hit the Jackpot when adopted by a wonderful skilled employee of our favorite Vet Hospital, Plymouth Roads Vet Clinic. She has done marvelous things with this dog.. who knew we were harboring a champion.
- Rachaelyn Woods & Cheryl McCould (Director)
Bonded Siblings
Happy gotcha day! Can’t believe it’s been 1yr ago today. They have brought us so much joy, laughter and tons of cuddles! Two siblings who just adore each other! They are so bonded.
- Julie Rossback
2 Kittens Are Better
A rare moment of quiet and solidarity. My babies left to right top to bottom, George, Barbara, Gizmo, and Garrett.Note we always tell people that having two kittens is better and Jenny did it twice !
- Jenny Server
Puppies and Puppies
Usually we do not have a lot of puppies, as our spay/neuter program we ran for 12 years worked so well. This last year, we rescued 2 pregant mom dogs who produced 13 puppies each. First was Sophie, a Labradoodle, who we took in pregnant. Second was Delta, who was truly unique. We received 27 puppies from her total. The first time we got 7 puppies surrendered from the owner. The second time he called, he had 7 more and we refused to take the puppies unless he also surrendered Delta. When we got her, we soon found out she was pregnant with 13 puppies. Delta was a Plott Hound bred to a Blood Hound. All these pups were so cute but so much work. Thank you for your help, Fran Coon and Amanda Delong. We had wonderful adopters. I have photos of Labradoodle pups, Lily and Lucy, formerly Sabrina and Shirley, adopted both by Kristy Hoekwater, Sully with Kelly Mattews, Sawyer with Jen Gaynor, Silas with Julie DeHaan. Sara Jane and Starr with Natilie Kent. Deltas pups were: Cocoa adopted by Kelsy Basta, Lollypop with Mike Slancik, Hershey with Dana Hop, Whopper with Emily Nail and Willie Wonka with Kamryn Rice.
- Cheryl McCould (Director)
Frizzle (Sophie)
Alicia and Daryl Dimon, are previous adopters of Vanna, an older hound mom dog. Whom had a huge litter of pups at Lake Haven. When they lost her last year they contacted us for another older hound mom. I told them about Sophie (now Frizzle) that she was skinny and timid, and would need a lot of patience, and that she loved other dogs. That did not scare them a bit and they came and adopted again. It was not long when they saw Reba and called to see if I thought they could be a match, I agreed it would be a great idea. DARYL SAYS , “Frizzle has started acting more like a dog, we jokingly refer to Reba as ‘Frizzles therapy dog’. It breaks my heart how afraid she is of so many things, but she is out with us laying in the living room with other people and the TV on. This warms my heart to no end. They love relaxing on ‘their’ king size bed. Lots have changed for them in the past year. I don’t even want to think about where Frizz was a year ago. But now and for the rest of her life she is comfy and well taken of. Thank you Lake Haven for giving these dogs the chance they deserve.”
- Cheryl McCould (Director) & Darly Dimon
Puppies Are Fun But Seniors Are Treasures
Jonah came to us as an unclaimed stray, 7-8 yrs. He was very thin and slightly timid. He won me over immediately with his quiet demeanor. I would go an sit in the exercise area with him, watch him play with the others and call him to me. He always came right away, then sit in front of me and make direct eye contact and wait for me to say something. We had some great conversations and he hung on every word. Such a great dog intelligent , obedient and loyal and n one came looking for him. I always wonder why people don’t recognize the absolute treasure they have. But we found someone who treasures him now, and he looks at Sue Lockwood like he did me.
- Cheryl McCould (Director)
Max
Max lost his owner when he passed away and no one in his family could take him in. At approximately 8-10 years old he was classified as a senior. Which means, he needed a full dental., which all small dogs at LH seniors get. He loves to be active. House trained., sleeping in bed with you, and following you around. Loves car rides and walks. He loves playing fetch. Enjoyed someone that is home a lot. Likes a buddy dog to keep him company when you are gone. Sweet boy that just wants love. Danielle Pattyn adopted him and is loving him today.
- Cheryl McCould (Director)
In Loving Memory
Thankful for Our Volunteers
Thanks to all who helped to give us a record success for our event of Pics of Pets with Santa, and Bake Sale. Special thanks to Nancy and Jerry Kiel, who were Mr and Mrs Santa, and Jerry looks more like the real deal every year. They always bring their own elves and we appreciate the help. The bake sale overseen by Brenda Hamilton, and Jennifer Miller was a huge success. Bakers out did themselves this year. Cookies made by Ter Sterk were fabulous as usual, they are like a work of art. Danielle Nims cat face cookies were a huge hit, along with Karen Ettingers awesome little breads. I had a brownie that was really good, and everything there was made by someone with a great heart. Special thanks to Danielle Tuttle for the construction of a gorgeous sturdy cat tree which we raffled off for over 200.00. Awarded to Beth Wolf. She also brought pets for adoption, as did Deb Culbertson and Rose Jorden. Thank you to Jillian and Lyle for their support. I can’t possibly thank everyone but your help was appreciated by all if you were there. And thank you to TRACTOR SUPPLY for having us....it is a great place to shop !!
Thanks to our veterinary partners.
There are many rescue groups in the West Michigan Area, and all have different capabilities and talents. Lake Haven has always enjoyed a wonderful reputation for healthy, friendly and well cared for pets. That is only because we have the most highly skilled Veterinarian’s that I have ever met. They are a dedicated and committed group truly concerned for their patients, whether they are owned or strays. The real credit of our success lies with them because of their skill and efforts and without them we would not even exist. Our relationship with Fremont Animal Hospital dates 35 plus years now, Plymouth Road Vet Hospital is 20 years. We are also grateful for regular assistance from the skilled clinic Cedar Springs Animal Hospital. We highly recommend all these clinics if you value high quality care.
Fremont
Fremont Animal Hospital
231-924-4940
White Cloud
Animal Wellness Center of White Cloud
231-689-0630
Cedar Springs
Cedar Springs Animal Hospital
616-696-1212
Grand Rapids
Plymouth Rd Vet Clinic
616-456-9212
Adopted Lake Haven Pets
Some of you might know some of these or maybe you adopted one (or more).
Supplies Donation Wish List
Animal Needs
• Fancy Feast Kitten Pate (turkey or chicken)
• Adult Fancy Feast Classic Pate (chicken or turkey)
• Adult Cat Purina Sensitive Stomach (dry cat food)
• Purina kitten chow
• Ceramic Bowls
• Puppy Feeding Bowls
• Revolution (Cats)
• Kong Brand Toys
• Iam’s Kitten Food
• Iam’s Hairball Formula Adult Cat Food
• Blankets
• Meijer Unscented
• Scoopable Litter w/Baking Soda
Facility Needs
• Bleach & Liquid Laundry Soap
• Paper Towels
• Outdoor Pooper Scoopers
• Tall Kitchen Bags
• 33 Gallon Black Trash Bags
• Stamps
• 24-lb Copy Paper
• Packaging & Scotch Tape
• Banker Boxes
• Workforce Printer Ink W/F 3620
Gift Cards
• Amazon
• Walmart
• Staples (For Office Admin)
• Meijer
Money donations can be sent via the online donation link on our website www.lakehavenrescue.org
Drop off items at: Lake Haven, 551 Pickerel Lake Dr, Newaygo, MI 49337
OR Call 231 652-4115 if you can’t drop things off.
Donating by Credit Card or PayPal
Please Consider Donating to Lake Haven! Lake Haven is a recognized 501(c)3 organization, so ALL donations are tax deductible.
DID YOU KNOW: All of our support at Lake Haven comes from donors and volunteers. This includes the director of Lake Haven who receives no income for animal rescue. Because Lake Haven is an all volunteer organization, operating from a donated shelter building and foster homes, 100% of all donations received benefit the animals themselves.
HOW IS THE DONATION MONEY USED: All donations collected go into the general animal rescue fund. This fund is the mainstay of our organization. It is how we pay for all medical expenses of animals that come into our program. It also pays for their food and comforts, heat and air conditioning.