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A Letter from the President

Lately, I have been feeling like it’s the “best of times” and the “worst of times.” As we begin to celebrate the best of times at The Animal Haven -- our 75th year of saving animals – we also are experiencing the worst of times -- more pet surrender requests and abandoned animals than we ever have encountered before. Media coverage of this awful situation -- our shelter filled to capacity and our having to turn away animals -- has been considerable, and it has helped raise awareness of the cruelties visited upon these helpless beings. (You can click the links to a few of the news stories below.) Thanks to you, our generous and kind-hearted supporters, I am hopeful that this winter’s despair will soon become a spring of renewal and hope for animals. It is this that keeps us moving forward in our mission to save and provide refuge to as many homeless and abandoned dogs and cats as possible. And, it is this that makes us incredibly grateful to be celebrating The Animal Haven's 75th Anniversary this year.

Meriden Record Journal article

New Haven Register article

Fox 61 segment

WFSB segment

Linda Marino

President

Click below for information regarding The Animal Haven Legacy Society:

Linda D'Alessio Leaves

The Animal Haven

a Generous Gift

When Linda D’Alessio of Hamden, an audiologist, was struggling with cancer last year, her sister, Beth DelGrego, of North Haven, was collecting her mail for awhile. “She was getting so much literature about animal welfare,” Beth said. “She never really discussed her wishes with me but she did leave a note about the charities she wanted to honor.” We are grateful that one of those charities was The Animal Haven, which recently received a very generous gift from Linda's estate. Beth said that she and her sister had adopted cats from The Animal Haven over the years and also had volunteered on a committee "a long time ago" to formulate plans to build or renovate the original Animal Haven property. We are so thankful to Linda and Beth for their commitment to animal welfare, and we are deeply appreciative of Linda's gift to the shelter. We offer our condolences to Beth and her family on their loss.

Save the Date! Watch for our 75th Anniversary celebration on the North Haven Green, Saturday, July 15th!

Focus On: Mr. Magoo

When it comes to abandoned animals like Mr. Magoo, who is blind, arthritic and has heart disease, we are reminded that we are most responsible for those least able to care for themselves. Mr. Magoo is a sweet-natured angel whose weakened heart beats for his own angel to take him home. Will you be his lifeline?

Watch Mr. Magoo on TikTok

Pet Story of the Month: Marty

At The Animal Haven, every adoption story is a happy story. But, the adoption of a surrendered, older animal into a new, loving family is that much more special. Felicity, of Cheshire, took just one look at seven-year-old Marty on our Instagram page before she was making an appointment to meet the sweet Yorkshire terrier who had been surrendered in December. “There was just something about him that immediately connected with me,” Felicity said. When she took her “alpha dog,” Riley, to the shelter to meet Marty, she was relieved that the dogs “got along with no issues at all, right off the bat.” Felicity brought Marty home about a month ago for a trial sleepover to see how things would work out, not only with Riley, but with her two cats as well. “I knew after night one that he would never go back to the shelter,” she said. “He has been a wonderful addition to our family. He is the sweetest and smartest little guy, and I’m so happy that as an older dog, he was able to find his forever home with us.” And, so are we, Felicity! Thank you for opening your heart to Marty. 

Volunteer Spotlight

Kristen Fradiani

If you’ve ever laughed or cried over a video or photo posted to our TikTok or Instagram accounts, you can thank volunteer Kristen Fradiani, of Branford. Kristen creates some of the engaging social media content we use to promote the adoption of our rescued cats and dogs.

Kristen has been volunteering for a year, and has discovered that she lives across the street from Shelter Manager Michelle DeRosa, who also manages The Animal Haven’s Facebook page. “I’d followed [their] Facebook for years and really connected with their posts,” Kristen said. “It was clear that whoever was the voice behind these posts was speaking from the heart.”

After volunteering at the shelter three days a week, Kristen said she found that her camera was filled with animal photos. “So, I thought, what can I do to supplement the shelter’s efforts to gain exposure to our adoptable animals?” “This led me to create an Instagram page for one of the dogs, Neegan.” That, in turn, led to a request from us to create a TikTok account, which already has 1,500 followers.

Over the years, Kristen has adopted two dogs and three cats. Her dog Blue lives peacefully with cats Marvin and Jolene. “Blue was a big part of why I became involved with and am passionate about animal advocacy,” Kristen said. “The Animal Haven has people managing Facebook, Instagram, sending out e-mail communications etc. But what most don’t realize is [those activities are] just a sliver of what their duties consist of daily– cleaning the shelter, feeding animals, administering medications, going back and forth to vet appointments, walking and socializing the dogs, completing paperwork, reviewing applications, calling references, adoption appointments, it goes on and on.”



For Kristen, the benefits of volunteering are substantial. “There is no greater reward than witnessing dogs or cats you watched come into the shelter looking defeated, scared, and confused finally start to come out of their shells once they realize they’re safe. I consider each of them to be on a healing journey here, and it’s a privilege to be able to spend time with them and be a small part of that.” We similarly feel privileged to have you on our team, Kristen!