WINTER / SPRING 2002 NEWSLETTER

This month I would like to take the time to thank all our volunteers, who come and help out at the haven. I won't have room to mention everyone but here are a few:
The D'Amato family of Amityville, with their 4 children, who help with the construction, feeding and cleaning up after the animals.
Liz & Gail who help clean and feed the rabbits every week. Marie Caruso who has made contacts at Supermarkets and Bakeries so that we may pick up the breads, veggies and fruits for the animals as well as making special contacts to aid in the fund raising efforts for the farm. Jeanette Kudla, who is disabled, has made catnip toys for the cats.

Marie & Jeanette who help the animals in many ways

Alexis and Maggie who help with the rabbits and horses

Alexis Skinner, (11 years old) who not only adopted rabbits, but has sponsored 6 rabbits in the sponsor a pet program, helps with the animals on weekends. Plus many more people who are not able to come on a regular basis to help, we thank you too.

This is Rob helping Rich trim the goats hooves

This little goat has to relearn how to walk

A few months ago we took in this little goat from a family who didn't want her anymore. Her hooves were so badly overgrown that she could not walk. (She was walking around on her knees) Goats hooves like your fingernails constantly grow. They must be trimmed every 2 months. Her hooves were close to 6 inches long. You can't trim the hooves back to where they should be all at once. They become very tough to cut and the inner frog (the soft part that is in the middle of the hoof) grows with the hooves and toughens up. You can't cut into that frog. It would be like cutting your nails back so far that it would hurt. It is a gradual process. You can cut off maybe ½" per week. At this point we have them down to within 1 inch of where they should be but within the next few weeks we should have them back to normal. This poor animal has walked on her knees for so long that she walks in a high stepping manor and usually reverts back to her knees. It must her hurt so much but she keeps trying. With love and therapy we will get her walking normally again. It is a long road to recovery for her.

This little bunny has been sponsored by Seaford Elementary School
2 of the feral cats we recently took in had kittens. As soon as the kittens are weaned they will be put up for adoption. Then the mothers will be spayed. We have had over 70 feral cats trapped, tested, vaccinated, spayed or neutered and most released again with the help of SAVES and Donna Peck of Babylon.

Chelsea and her 3 kittens
Lilly and her kittens are on the front cover

If you know of anyone who would like to give a kitten a good indoor home, please contact me. Kittens were born April 9th and April 12th.

Funds are slow in coming in to help the animals. Please remember that all your donations are tax deductible. We do not take any salaries or administration fees, all funds donated go 100% to the animals for their feed and medical attention. Any reconstruction is presently being done with donated wood and fencing and volunteers help to construct the pens and shelters. Please reach into the depths of that old wallet, every penny counts. Remember $10 buys a bag of feed to keep 1 goat or lamb alive for 25 days, although your larger donations are greatly appreciated also.

Winter fortunately was a mild one. A few cold days but nothing compared to last year. The unfortunate part was that since nothing really froze for any extended period of time, lots of parasites survived thru the winter and that is rough on the animals. We are out there early this year trying to get every animal doused with parasite killers. Parasites drain the animals of the nutrition they need so it is important that they receive the medication that they require.

We got most of the sand distributed into the needed pens for the horses and pigs but on heavy rain days, we still get flooded out. Hopefully after every rain the sun will come out quickly and dry up most of the flooding.

This is the Golden Pheasant that we took in, isn't he beautiful. The female peacock has been adopted so once again, we have no peacocks.

We are still waiting for the judge to sign the papers to release the 2 SPCA horses so we can adopt them to loving people who have been waiting patiently for them.

We are in need of people who want to help in our on-going fund raising efforts. We would like to raise $ 75,000 in order to improve the quality of life for the animals here at the haven. Such as building a cattery, purchasing a filtration system for the duck's pond, build better shelters for the animals and many more needed things here at the haven. So if anyone out there can help in putting together a large fund raiser, please call us.

The Antique Auto Show did not go thru, so we therefore, are planning a large garage sale, Chinese Auction, Folk Art Sale with paintings donated by L. Lehtonen for the haven and a Tupperware show on Saturday May 25th with a rain date of Saturday June 1st. Please come and join us here at the haven.

We also want to express our sincere appreciation to all the people who have contributed to help the animals
This little goat we call Sally Field

The flying Nun since her ears stick out

We also need volunteers to help us to feed the animals, and to help clean up after all the animals on a daily basis.