Mount Clemens Pet Store Closing After Being Accused of Selling Sick Dogs

A pet store in Mount Clemens has been forced to close after being accused of selling sick and dying puppies.

According to attorney Jennifer Measel, Little Dogz formerly known as Pollywood Pets could not afford to pay for damages after 30 customers filed a complaint. They accused the store’s owner Shelly Meyers of selling puppies with parvo. Click here for more on the story.

Muskegon: A Marine’s Loving Sendoff for the Cancer-stricken Dog Who Saved Him

The evening sky was thick with dark gray clouds.There were three volleys of rifle fire. Then silence. A bugler sounded the lonely notes to “Taps.” As friends and fellow patriots saluted, Jeff DeYoung carried his best friend Cena, a hardened Marine combat veteran like his owner, past the crowd of well-wishers as they boarded a decommissioned Navy ship in Muskegon, Mich. It was there on Wednesday where the black lab, lame with bone cancer, was euthanized. He was 10. Click here for more on the story.

Grand Traverse County Man Sentenced in Duct-Taping of Cat

photo credit: Grand Traverse Veterinary Hospital

Mykhaylo Narolskyy was sentenced today in Grand Traverse County District Court after pleading guilty to an offense of cruelty to an animal. He was given two years of probation in which he is not to behave in a violent, threatening, intimidating or harassing manner towards a person or an animal and he is to be respectful to all court employees, service and/or care providers.

In lieu of 20 days in jail, he is sentenced to 10 days of community service. He owes $575 in fines and court costs and is not allowed to own or take care of any pets during his probationary period. He is to obey all court orders including the payment of monies owed to the court during his probation.

Grand Traverse County Holds First Animal Control Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

Pancho is up for adoption at the Cherryland Humane Society

Grand Traverse County Commissioners Dan Lathrop, Cheryl Gore Follett and Bob Johnson held their first animal control ad hoc meeting tonight in front of an interesting mix of citizens and government employees concerned with the animal control issue. The ad hoc committee was formed during a commissioner’s study session on animal control on Wednesday, June 28th.

Attendees at the meeting included Sheriff Tom Bensley, Animal Control Officer Deb Zerafa, Animal Control Specialist Jaime Croel, Cherryland Humane Society Director Heidi Yates & Shelter Operations Manager Liz Williams, Treasurer Heidi Scheppe, Chief of Police Jeffrey O’Brien, Grand Traverse Police Officer Captain Clark, Environmental Health Coordinator Dan Thorell, Silver Muzzle Cottage founder Kim Skarritt and former County Commissioner Christine Maxbauer.

The ad hoc committee took a refreshing approach to the issue by allowing questions from those in attendance and a back-and-forth discussion between the crowd and the commissioners. Commissioner Cheryl Gore Follett said that she wanted to use the time to gather input from the people who showed up for the meeting.

Grand Traverse County Approves Ad-Hoc Committee for Animal Control

Emotions ran high on Wednesday during a Commissioner’s Study Session regarding the status of animal control in Grand Traverse County. County Commissioner Cheryl Gore Follette gave an impassioned speech about why she requested the study session to be schedule when asked by Commissioner Dan Lathrop why they were having the meeting. She cited an increase in dog bites and the Animal Control Division not being able to deal with all of the issues the county has including abandoned animals. She added that ALL of the animals are being ignored after hours, on weekends and holidays because of the understaffing. She has seen pictures of abandoned and abused animals in the county and said, “if that doesn’t break your heart, shame on you.” She also stated that the animal control truck was a piece of crap and that the animal control budget is a joke.

Horse North Rescue Moves Northwest to New Facility

Jessie switched his tail lazily at a fly while munching hay in his pasture, and let Debbie Frost run her fingers through his forelock. The chestnut gelding is a kinder and gentler version of the high-strung quarterhorse that first came to Horse North Rescue, Frost said.

“He was mean,” she said. “He would bite, he would kick. He wouldn’t let anyone near him.”

Jessie is one of five horses undergoing rehabilitation at the rescue organization’s new facility in Lake Ann. The volunteer-run nonprofit recently settled into its leased home after operating out of the Kingsley area for nearly 20 years. The relocation came after Frost made an offer the organization couldn’t refuse: the use of her 10-acre property and three-stall barn off a quiet country road about 10 miles north of Traverse City. Click here for the rest of the story.

This Year’s Winners of the PAW Awards: Roscommon County Animal Shelter, Cherryland Humane Society, AC PAW, Missaukee Humane Society and the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter

Zeus is up for adoption at the Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City

Northern Michigan Euthanasia & Intake Reports

These from reports released in 2017 for the year 2016.

Every year, the Michigan Department of Agriculture releases the “Michigan Animal Shelter Activity Reports” for licensed animal shelters in Michigan. Fostering-only groups do not have to report but sometimes they do as well. This report includes, among other things, intake and euthanasia information. This information has been organized for you so that you can easily check out the numbers for the animal shelters in your community. The results we have listed are for the rescues and animal shelters in our area that are on the Pet Friends Magazines shelters & rescues link. Some groups might not have reported last year or didn’t make the deadline to report this year. For the full report of the animal shelters in Michigan click here.

Pet Friends Magazine Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

It’s been a busy decade in animal welfare and rescue. The same has been true for Pet Friends Magazine. Since Pet Friends Magazine started, more than 650 stories have been posted on the website, having a reach of more than 321,000 views.

During the past ten years, the no-kill movement has been gaining supporters and Michigan Animal Shelters are killing less dogs and cats than in the past. As Nathan Winograd explains,  In 2007, Michigan shelters were killing close to 120,000 animals. In 2016, it was 29,591. That’s great progress!

Pet Friends Magazine has been an ongoing resource in lower Northern Michigan and beyond in many different areas – spotlighting adoptable pets, publishing pet-related events and doing investigative stories on animal shelters and others. Editor/Publisher Jennifer Isbell started the website at a time when animal shelters and rescue groups didn’t have much time to showcase their pets to the public and Facebook wasn’t a daily staple for the world. Animal rescuers were too busy saving cats and dogs to do much of anything else.

Pack Up Your Pets and Hit the Road with These Dog-Friendly Michigan Destinations

Going on a trip wouldn’t be the same without the entire family – especially your furry family members! In celebration of warm weather arriving for spring, we put together a list of just a few pet-friendly destinations in Michigan. So, pack up Fido and Fluffy and hit the road.

Take a weekend trip to Traverse City, where you can climb mountains of sand, play on dog-friendly beaches and spend quality time with your furry friend. Spend the day in their Victorian downtown district, home to more than 150 shops, boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Treat your furry friend to a special treat at D.O.G Bakery, on Front St. just outside the downtown district, with a variety of treats, guaranteed to satisfy even the pickiest pooch. Click here for more on the story.