Pricilla’s Story

Letter from Animal Haven

The Animals in our care come in all shapes and sizes, colors and past histories; pit mixes, terriers, and tortoiseshell cats rescued from New Orleans and hurricane Katrina; black and white street cats and dogs that outgrew their owner’s expectations. They are big, small, young, old, shy, sad, silly and sweet. Our mission is to find them homes and we need your help

Dear Friend,

The Staten Island police answered the call reporting a domestic disturbance.After arresting the adults accused of child endangerment and tending to the young victims, they turned their attention to a small scrap of golden fur lying motionless in a corner.

The officers wrapped the unconscious pup in a blanket and brought it to the Staten Island Animal Care and Control where the shelter’s super-visor, Cindy DeWitt, realized the dog needed immediate veterinary care. Cindy called me and I called Dr. Terri Perkins. Cindy drove from Staten Island to Flushing Animal Hospital with this small cruelty victim.

Dr. Perkins confirmed that the six month old female Pomeranian was “flat out” and she was not sure if it would live. We may never know exactly what happened to her, but most likely she was the victim of the canine equivalent of “shaken baby syndrome” with result­ing brain and spinal cord damage.

Thanks to extensive supportive care, little Cindy Lou Hoo is making remarkable progress (We named her in honor of one of the Samaritans involved in saving her life with a surname gleaned from Dr. Seuss). Cindy can now sit upright on her own, stand to eat, and even take a few shaky steps. Her will to live is incredible and she has a cheerful and determined spirit. Dr. Perkins and her dedicated staff have brought her this far, now it is our mission to find her a home.

Of course, not all of our charges have such a dramatic story. Jam and Marmalade are two perfectly healthy, well-adjusted house cats who lost their home when their caregiver experienced health problems. Marmalade is a red female tabby and Jam, the brown tabby, is poly-dactyl. They have not led an exciting life and were not rescued from desperate circumstances. They are just nice cats that need a home, preferably together.

That’s our mission: To carefully place cats and dogs in loving homes and give lifetime care to those that can’t be placed. And by simply making a donation and sending it back in the enclosed reply envelope you too can be a part of our work.

For thirty-eight years, with your financial and moral support, Animal Haven has been fulfilling this mission from our small shelter in Flushing, Queens. In later years, the addition of a mobile adoption van enabled us to bring more animals to potential adopters throughout the tri-state area and our adoption rate increased dramatically. Now, we have the opportunity to take our mission of cat and dog adoption to a new and exciting level with the new adoption center we told you about in the last newsletter. In fact, you can still be a part of this project by having your name, a loved one’s name, or a pet’s name forever placed on its wall.
What a wonderful way to thank or remember someone.

All that we do is because of you! Sincerely,

Marcello Forte Executive Director

P.S. By simply taking a moment to make a donation to Animal Haven, you too can be a part of our work to place cats and dogs in loving homes and give lifetime care to those that can’t be placed. Just imagine in the time that it takes to wash a dish, find the remote or feed your pet, you can change an animal’s life forever.