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The Save Five Series
You Might be a Crazy Cat Lady if...
Cat Women of West Michigan, the Secret World of Cat Rescue
December 1, 2017 @ 8:19 PM

If Steve Nyenhuis could afford it, he’d own ten acres of land and take in rescue dogs. The reality is he’s on a fixed income and living in an apartment so the Viet Nam vet can only dream of owning a sanctuary for homeless dogs. But those limitations didn’t stop him from helping an 8-month-old puppy in need of a new home.

“I just happened to be there and said, ‘I’ll take the dog.’” 

Last month Kelley Jean McKay, a social worker intern, was working at the apartment complex where Nyenhuis lives. She recalled several residents telling her there was a puppy outside who wanted to come in. McKay, who has a soft spot for animals, went and got the pup and brought her to her office.

When she ...

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August 2, 2017 @ 2:55 PM

 

I’m coming out of the closet … as a crazy cat lady! Most people who know me probably won’t be surprised. Maybe I’m the only one who is surprised. Believe me, it wasn’t part of my master plan.

As a writer, I have been writing about my cats for years. The strays, the fosters and the foster failures. I didn’t fail as a foster parent because I fell in love—I watched countless cats that I loved leave for new homes. The ones who stayed with me were the shy kitties who didn’t present well in a cage at adoption events. The curmudgeons.

Recently, I put my stories together into a book, You Might be a Crazy Cat Lady if … . It’s my attempt at taking the stigma out of caring about ...

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February 24, 2015 @ 2:21 PM

 

Dog 281 and More Than a Number

 

This month my second novel is being released. Usually the cover of a sequel book looks similar to that of the book it follows. Not so with More Than a Number, the sequel to Dog 281

I liked the cover of Dog 281, but I can’t tell you how many times I heard, “I couldn’t read a book with such a sad cover.”

I found myself responding with, “It has a happy ending or don’t judge a book by its cover.” 

The reaction to the cover differed depending on the gathering. It didn’t bother attendees at the Pet Expo, especially those in rescue. People at non-pet events, such as the Women’s Expo, were usually the ones who found the cover too sad......

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February 25, 2012 @ 8:24 PM

 

The release date for Dog 281 is March 5, 2012. 

Books will be available March 9-11 at the West Michigan Women's Expo at DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'll be at the Splattered Ink Press booth (#321) with Tricia McDonald who writes the Life with Sally columns and books.

Books will also be available at the West Michigan Pet Expo on March 31 and April 1. The expo is at the Deltaplex, 2500 Turner Ave., Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tricia and I will be at the Cats and Dogs Magazine booth.

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January 5, 2012 @ 11:39 PM

 

Dog 281 was inspired by my sister’s black Labrador retriever, Frasier, who disappeared from Montcalm County in mid-Michigan in 2001. She did everything she could think of to find him:

·      She hired a pet detective.

·      She put up hundreds of posters with the word REWARD in bright red letters.

·      She distributed postcards with Frasier’s photograph and description.

·      She frequently checked the county shelter as well as shelters in surrounding counties.

·       She ran a “Lost Dog” ad in the local daily ...

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