2008 HOLIDAY NEWSLETTER
89 Mill Road North Haven, CT 06473 203.239.2641
Website: www.theanimalhaven.com
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday * 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
Saturday * 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
In these very tough economic
times, Animal Haven is requesting
your help if it is within your means.
To our very valued members:
Our 60th year comes to a close and we would like to
sincerely thank the community for literally keeping our
doors open for orphaned pets to enter into a safe haven.
It is a remarkable and extraordinary accomplishment to
have secured financial support for 60 years and is only
made possible by the generosity of people who truly care
about animals in need. THANK YOU for helping
thousands of adoptable homeless cats and dogs find
refuge at The Animal Haven for the past 6 decades.
Cheers to another successful 60 years!

Ask your company if they
have a matching donation
program – an easy way to double
your donation!

Think of us when planning your will or consider setting up a
Legacy Fund for Animal Haven at the Community Foundation
for Greater New Haven.

Many companies have volunteer grants. If you can help out
at the shelter in some way, we could receive much needed
funds.
Our 501 © number is 06-0735382.

Make a donation designated to The Emergency Medical
Fund so we can enter in more homeless pets. This kitten
season was EXTREMELY costly because numerous kittens
were very sick and required expensive hospital stays.
Sincere thanks to our dedicated staff for kindly caring for
our needy furry friends 365 days a year:
Shelter Manager Judy Gunn, and assistants Jason Gray,
Erin O’Connor, and Samantha Rowe.
The Board of Directors works hard to make the shelter the
best it can be but we could not do this without the ongoing
support of all of you and our hundreds of volunteers.
Together we have had a major impact in helping
homeless pets in Greater New Haven. You are most
sincerely wished a happy and healthy holiday season!
The Board of Directors: President Liz Gallagher, Vice
President Chris Gagne, Treasurer John Delaney,
Assistant Treasurer Bobbie Parenteau, Membership
Secretary Elaine Keith, Recording Secretary Sheri
Carbone, Financial Officer Jeff O’Donnell, Property
Manager Roland Parenteau, Arleen Jiskra, Jane Yant,
Charlotte Timberman, Joan Martinez and Jen Pendleton.
Our “Sponsor A Pet Program” helps defray the cost of
caring for dogs and cats who take longer to find the right
homes. Can you help support our special needs pets with
a monthly donation? You will receive a photo and more
information about the animal. Shy kitties like Marla and
Darla have been with us a long time because they need
someone willing to give the time and effort necessary to
build a trusting relationship with them.
Donations should be marked “Sponsor A Pet” and for
more information, call Bobbie at 203.239.4189.
The Animal Haven is a temporary home for
homeless, adoptable pets but sometimes for
various reasons, pets stay longer than
expected. All these pets want the same
thing – the basics of love, kindness and
respect. In return you will get pure and
unselfish love. PLEASE consider opening
your hearts and homes to one of these very
special, loving animals.

Nakia – a misunderstood dog who
desperately needs a trusting owner

Precious – the kitty who needed a
liver operation and is now healthy
and is awaiting a home of her own

Tobie – our gentle giant who just
wants to lie next to you and help keep
your feet warm

Bubba – just a mellow honey of a dog
Now is a good time to thank former Director Doris
Torre who had to resign due to other obligations.
Doris has been a valued and dedicated volunteer for
many years and was truly committed to Animal Haven.
Doris will still stay on as a volunteer!
Holiday Raffle
tickets are enclosed.
Thanks to the following who
donated prizes:
Marriott Courtyard of
Wallingford, Panera Bread,
and the microwave was donated by an
anonymous donor.
WISH LIST
Canned pet food (especially cat food), Natural
Balance dry dog food for a special dog named
Yeager, bleach, Clorox Clean-Up, laundry
detergent with bleach alternative, paper towels,
and Windex or any spray glass cleaner.
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Haunted House Fundraiser
By the time you read this, the Haunted House
will have already taken place. Hopefully you
knew about it in advance and were able to
attend. Truly a frightening experience! MANY
THANKS to our good friends Angela & Mark
Foy and Rosemary & Fran Bisaillon who are the
masterminds of this truly fun and very
professionally-done haunted house. Net
proceeds will be donated to Animal Haven.
________________________
T H A N K
Y O U
These generous people who donated an insulated doggie
door to help keep our doggies warm and toasty this
winter: Mildred Gehrke, Matthew & Joan Bushey,
Lorre Neville, Elizabeth Neville, Patricia Caldwell, John
Ferraro, William & Britt Callahan, Cheryth Townsend,
and Kelly Marshall.
Supporters who brought donations of food, bedding, litter,
etc. to the shelter:
Robert D’Errico, Alison DeMaio, Marie Ann Barnhart,
Darlene Molenaar, Beth DelGrego, Karen Hogan, Jim &
Stacy Williams, Kathy Linbeck, Rebecca Frey, Elizabeth
Martinez, Michellina Viscusi, Kathy Sharp, Maryann Hall,
Pat Cauley, Jan Cullen, Roberta Ottenbreit, Workforce
Alliance, Debbie Rosa, Mike Kuczewski, Marilyn Mather,
and Kinue Parizo.
Some very important and useful
information from the ASPCA…..
TOP 10 HUMAN MEDICATIONS
THAT POISON OUR PETS
T O:
1. NSAIDS
2. ANTIDEPRESSANTS
3. ACETAMINOPHEN
4. METHYLPHENIDATE (for ADHD)
5. FLUOROURACIL
6. ISONIAZID
7. PSEUDOEPHEDRINE
8. ANTI-DIABETICS
9. VITAMIN D DERIVATIVES
10. BACLOFEN
Businesses who sponsored WADAT: Around the Clock
Heating & Cooling, Bark Busters, Best Friends Pet Care,
Bones Dog Training, Captain Kitt’s, Coldwell Banker
Residential Brokerage, DRM Construction Solutions,
Johnstone Company, Kristina Nigro Pet Sitting, Larkin’s
Run Boarding Kennels, Law Offices of Altschuler &
Altschuler, Les’ Dairy Bar, Lucky Dog Grooming,
Middlesex Dance Center, Mya Lynn Forde Fund, Polylok
Co., Shoreline Antique Auto Connection, and The Only
Game in Town. A donation was also made “In Loving
Memory of Jeanette Marshall.”
WADAT vendors: Pawty Time Treats & Gifts,
Cassidy’s Pampered Paws, and
Ann Curcio/Natural Balance pet food.
Diane Mierz who did WADAT artwork.
Elaine Keith for her admininstrative duties for WADAT.
Auction donors at WADAT: Robbin Seipold, Janet Barrett
& Elaine Keith.
Diana Sellers for coordinating another successful Yankee
Candle fundraiser.
Joann DiGioia, realtor, at Coldwell Banker in North Haven
who made a donation in the name of William & Carol
Geleneau from the sale of their home.
Ann Westphal for taking pet photos for our website.
Ridgehill Animal Hospital, Snowflake Pet Center, and
Cosmic Cat for their extraordinary veterinary care of our
pets all through the year.
Local newspapers who advertise our events and pets up
for adoption: The Advisor, North Haven Citizen,
and North Haven Courier.
Ann & Ryan Westphal for fostering a pregnant mom, Dot,
& her 5 kittens, and her TLC to these kittens in need.
Ann & Ryan Westphal and Ed Hunnicutt for applying for
volunteer grants at their company for their many
volunteer efforts to support Animal Haven.
Tag Sale Supporters: table-renters, volunteers & donors,
particularly Carla Boucher, Melissa Tommaselli, Sharon &
Stan Rogalski, Carolyn Konopka, Sally Knapp, and
Andrew & Michelle Cicarella.
Special thanks to Joann at Coldwell Banker in North
Haven who graciously allowed us to use her parking lot
for the tag sale.
__________________________________________
VEHICLE FOR SALE
A supporter of ours has a vehicle for sale
and has offered to donate 10% of the
sale price to Animal Haven!
It is a 1999 Jeep Wrangler hard top.
She is asking $5,000.00. For more details, please call Joan at
203-281-4401.
The Animal Rescue Site is hosting a
special challenge for eligible
Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue
groups. The grand prize is a $25,000
grant, and they will be awarding many
other grants to rescue groups with the
most votes — a total of $100,000.00 in
grants for animal welfare organizations.
Vote for The Animal Haven at www.theanimalrescuesite.com
and we could win $25,000.00 to help pets in need. Think how
many animals we could help for $25,000.00!
Help us win! All you have to do is click to help rescued
animals, and then vote in The Animal Rescue Site $100,000.00
Shelter+ Challenge. Both of these actions are absolutely free!
You can vote once a day, every day, from September 29
through December 14, 2008.
Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you could be
making a huge difference for us.
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Hamden Elks Club, 175 School St., Hamden. Do your
holiday shopping under one roof with many different
vendors! So far we have: Avon, Pampered Chef, Silpada
(jewelry), Longaberger Baskets, Tastefully Simple
(gourmet and specialty food products), Mary Kay,
Designed 4 Paws (handmade items for pets and pet
lovers), Dragon Artz (handmade jewelry) and Tutti Dolce
(candy and candy gift baskets).
Raffles, refreshments. Admission just $5.00 per person.
Doggie Door Fundraiser
With the escalating costs of heat and utilities, we are
trying to make our shelter more energy efficient. In doing
so we have identified that the dog flaps are an enormous
source of lost energy. We have found an insulated dog
door and we’d like to raise funds to purchase 14 energy
efficient doggie doors. Animal Haven is kindly requesting
for people to buy a door for $260 each and we would put
up a plaque with your name on it. Please help our dogs
stay warm this winter and buy a doggie door today.
This is an excellent holiday gift!
Gift Wrapping Fundraiser:
Shop at these stores when an Animal Haven volunteer
will be staffing the gift-wrapping table.
Gift wrapping is free but donations are accepted. If you
would like to volunteer to gift wrap,
call Elaine at 488-0350 for available dates.
Barnes & Noble, North Haven:
12/12 and 12/15 5:00 to 10:00 p.m.
12/13 and 12/23 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble, Milford: 12/21 4:00 to 10:00 p.m.
12/23 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.
12/24 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Borders, Milford: 12/14 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.
12/16 and 12/17 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Pet Adoption Awareness Day at
PETCO, Universal Drive, North Haven
Second Saturday of the month: 11/8 (10 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
Last Sunday of the month: 12/28 (1:00 to 3:00 p.m.)
Pet Adoption Awareness Day at PETCO
848 Colony Road (Route 5) Wallingford
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Third Saturday of the month: 11/15 and 12/20
Pet Adoption Awareness Day at Choice Pet
Supply 53 Washington Ave. North Haven
Pet Photos with Santa – December 13
at PETCO in North Haven
Third Saturday of the month: 11/15 and 12/20
(10:00 a.m. to noon)
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - $5.00 donation per photo
Holiday Open House – December 20
12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.
Pet Adoption Awareness Day at Petsmart,
Universal Drive, North Haven
10:00 a.m. to noon
Stop by to see all our beautiful pets up for adoption and
to have some refreshments.
Second Saturday of each month beginning 12/14
Wine Tasting & Silent Auction at Aunt Chilada’s
Save the Date! March 11, 2009
Clean-Up Days at Animal Haven – help make
our shelter sparkling clean!
The 4th Saturday of every month beginning in 2009
Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Bon Ton Community Day Sale November 15
Bon Ton, Dixwell Ave., Hamden
Dear Members: The end of the year and major holidays
Buy a coupon book from Animal Haven for $5.00.
Special sales that day, too.
are upon us – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and
New Year’s. It’s the classic and traditional time for all
of us to reflect back on the year and try to forget the
difficult times and remember the good ones and what
we have to be grateful for. Taking in, housing and
caring for record numbers of homeless kittens and cats
this year has been a great challenge for us, not just
financially but emotionally and psychologically.
But what stands out in our minds are all the ways our
members and the community have come through and
supported us during this time………… from monetary and
food donations to giving of your time and your hearts,
you have once again proven to us that great good
remains in this world that sometimes seems so broken.
Seeing this, it gives me hope for the future.
May your future be all that you wish and hope it can be!
Cookbooks for sale
(reprints of the ones last year) $6.00 each
Animal Haven’s Holiday Fair
November 29, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
North Haven Congregational Church, 28 Church
St., North Haven (across from Town Greene)
Handmade, new, or craft items needed to sell. Also
needed – gift baskets or small items to create gift
baskets, and homemade cookies for cookie sale (cookies
will be sold in dozens – call for details to donate).
Kid’s entertainment needed for fair –
do you know someone who could be Santa Claus,
a clown, or do face-painting?
Contact Chris 484-9648 or chriskat32@aol.com
STAY WARM, STAY SAFE.
Editor: Chris Gagne, chriskat32@aol.com, 484-9648
The First Annual “Holiday of Hope” Gift Fair
December 7, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
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MEMORIAL DONATIONS
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
FROM
Candy & Panda 1 & 2
Alma Barnick
Jeanette Marshall
Jeanette Marshall
John Lang – beloved husband of Martha
Barbara Luedee
Barbara Luedee
Barbara Luedee
Ben – beloved dog of Tamar Sherer & Chris Cooper
Ernest Holstein
Stash
Jane Sigourney
Booties
Sally, Jackie & Titter
Bea – beloved Cairn Terrier of Jack Larson
Our sweet Bear, deeply loved and missed,
gone WAY too soon
Bear – beloved friend & companion much loved by Chris & Photis
Bear – much loved & missed by Chris & Photis
Bear – beloved dog of Chris & Photis
Bear – went to the Rainbow Bridge far too soon
Bear – beloved dog of Chris Gagne, the hard- working
editor of the Animal Haven Newsletter
Smokey & Boston Blacki,
“Our Little Boys”- much loved & missed
Smokey & Boston Blackie Jiskra
Sylvia Mazerolle
Louise Calderwood
Lou, black Standard Poodle,
beloved pet & best friend of Rod Ross
Corkey
Jeremy Bixon’s Shadow from Animal Haven
Anthony Cottiero
Mr. & Mrs. Barney T. Miller
Patricia Beauregard
Jonathan Freiman
Martha Lang
Mary Ann & William DeMatteo
Anna Didomenico
Gail Testa
Shelia Hoffman Troppe
Maria Giovannini
Judy & Phil Cronan
Marie Matthew
Chris & Margaret Durlack
Joseph & Doris Bevan
The Mierz Family
Chris Gagne & Photis Nicolaou, BJ & Katie
Liz Gallagher & The Animal Haven Board of Directors
Arleen & Joe Jiskra
Lindell & Bill Northup
Roland & Bobbie Parenteau
Steve Mierz & family
Arleen & Joe Jiskra
Roland & Bobbie Parenteau
Jim & Mary Ann Travers
Ruth Girolomo
Ruth Girolomo
Barbara Whitehouse & Robert Amatruda
Beatrice Bixon
Donations in memory of Eleanor DeMaio received from: Leonard & Lorraine Velardi, Magna-Wind, Inc.,
Rosa Thomas, Margaret Webster, and Green Acres School
Donations in memory of Estelle Rumanoff received from: Dennis Kennard, Betty Summer, Dorothy & David Lipton,
Carol & Howard Gutkin, Nancy, Jeff, Steven & heather Millett, Diane Olin, Middlesex YMCA, The Palumbo Family,
Harvey Bixon, Ken, Lorraine, Chris & Stacey Velardi, Doris Ferner, Al Warren, Jonathan Goldberg DMD,
Janet & Richard Selzer, and Ed & Barbara Kowal
______________________________________________________________________________________
You will notice some donations in memory of my beloved dog, Bear. We lost our Bear tragically in September
while we were away on vacation. Bear was playing ball with my Mother-in-law and his brother BJ in the
backyard when he suddenly stopped, lied down, and died. He was a healthy 4-year old dog! We came home
several days early from vacation and took him to the vet for an autopsy which revealed an embolism on his lung
that burst. To lose a young pet suddenly like this is just incomprehensible and a terrible shock to us. It was just
horrible and we are still grieving. Poor BJ must now grow up without his brother and best buddy. What I want
to say is that I have received SO many sympathy cards for Bear, not just from friends here but from a group of people I have never even
met in real life – friends I have met online. One card came from Canada – another from Scotland. An online pal from Iowa sent me a
copy of the book “Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul.” A co-worker gave me a beautiful photo book called “Goodbye My Friend.”
And many, many people sent cards and messages of support and compassion via email. The tremendous outpouring of sympathetic
gestures from fellow animal lovers was overwhelming to me. I was incredibly touched and amazed to know so many caring and
compassionate people who just want to offer support to someone dealing with the loss of a beloved pet. I am also eternally grateful to
my neighbor who helped my Mother-in-law deal with Bear’s body until we could get home. He is a good person and true animal-lover.
A horrible time for my husband and I was made a little bit easier by the actions and kind words of many people who care. I have
always said that animal lovers are the BEST people in the world. It has been proven to me once again. No, they are NOT “just” cats
and dogs. They are family and friends. And there are TONS of people in the world, like YOU, who understand that.
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