Traverse City Record-Eagle

Leelanau County

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  • Tyler Sipe

    Ferret Rescue

  • Tyler Sipe

    Ferret Rescue

  • Tyler Sipe

    Ferret Rescue

  • Tyler Sipe

    Ferret Rescue

  • Tyler Sipe

    Ferret Rescue
November 26, 2007

Photo Story: Family rescues ferrets

Couple opens hearts and home

BY TYLER SIPE

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MAPLE CITY -- A Maple City couple has a full house over the holidays, accommodating an additional 25 guests in their modest home.

Lori Cole, her partner, Michelle DeVos, and their daughter, Cassi Cole, 14, opened their home and wallets to create northern Michigan's only ferret rescue.

The three have owned ferrets for four years and have six as pets. The remaining 19 are quartered in Warm Fuzzies Ferret Rescue and Shelter, a nonprofit they established two years ago after finding a ferret they dubbed KoKo trekking through their front yard.

"When we saw the ferret running through our front yard, we thought someone was trying to tell us something," Lori said.

Lori said many people don't understand they need to devote about two hours each day to ferret care. And costs can run high.

"Of course people think ferrets are cute," Lori said. "But ferrets are a high-maintenance pet; they crave the human contact, they are very social creatures."

The family annually spends about $5,000 to purchase 150 pounds of ferret food a month, bags of cat litter and to pay a constant stream of veterinary bills.

Ferret upkeep chores are daunting: cleaning cages daily; vacuuming and mopping several times a week; and monthly carpet shampooing. But that doesn't dissuade the trio.

"We love them," Lori said. "Just listen to our slogan, 'Be an organ donor ... Give your heart to a ferret.'"

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    Continued ...
    Jul 2, 2010 7:20 am 1 Photo
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    The Old Mill Pond Inn is stuffed full of treasures from around the world collected by David Chrobak, an artist, gardener, caterer and originator of the Northport dog parade.

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    Jun 20, 2010 9:15 am 1 Photo
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    The Northport Lighthouse and Maritime Festival is meant to become an annual tradition in Northport, a way to bring the small community on Leelanau Peninsula's tip its own festival to celebrate.

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    Jun 20, 2010 7:30 am 5 Photos
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    The Leelanau Players will present the adult, romantic comedy "Aspirin and Elephants."

    Continued ...
    Jun 18, 2010 7:15 am
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    Two dead birds found along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore beach could signal a toxic outbreak that's claimed thousands of lake-reliant birds in recent years.

    Continued ...
    Jun 17, 2010 7:25 am
  • Friday, June 11, 2010
  • Sugar Loaf purchase on shaky ground
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    Las Vegas entrepreneur Eneliko "Sean" Smith burst onto the Leelanau County scene a few months ago with big plans and bold proclamations for down-in-the-dumps Sugar Loaf Resort. Now it's June, and Smith is back in Nevada. He's no longer allowed on Sugar Loaf property. The would-be deal is at an impasse and appears tenuous, at best.

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    Jun 11, 2010 7:30 am 1 Photo
  • Wednesday, May 26, 2010
  • Leland Harbor open house is June 4

    An open house for Leland Harbor's complex is set for June 4.

    Continued ...
    May 26, 2010 8:00 am
  • Friday, May 21, 2010
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    Political grandstanding is how critics labeled a group of Democrat-sponsored bills designed to limit corporate involvement in state elections.

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    May 21, 2010 8:02 am 2 Photos
  • Tuesday, May 18, 2010
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    Continued ...
    May 18, 2010 7:28 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, May 15, 2010
  • Some skeptical about school's shift
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    The Leelanau School has existed since the 1920s, first as a Christian Science school for boys and later as a coed, college-prep boarding school. Five years ago, it underwent a dramatic shift in philosophy and now targets students with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

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    May 15, 2010 7:30 am 1 Photo
  • Tuesday, May 11, 2010
  • Frost keeps nipping at fruit

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    May 11, 2010 8:17 am
  • Monday, May 10, 2010
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    Empire's wacky, annual asparagus bash promises some tasty plates that utilize the green stalk for soups, crepes, brats and pizza toppings.

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    May 10, 2010 7:35 am 2 Photos
  • Saturday, May 8, 2010
  • Bird facility wins initial round in clash over road
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    A Leelanau County woman who cares for sick and injured raptors has won an initial round in her battle with county officials over a narrow, dirt road that leads to her home and bird rehabilitation facility.

    Continued ...
    May 8, 2010 8:11 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, May 1, 2010
  • Business in Brief: 05/01/2010

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    Continued ...
    May 1, 2010 3:30 am
  • Speaker to appear at LWV meeting

    Leelanau County board Chair Mary Tonneberger will speak to the Leelanau Unit of the League of Women Voters on Wednesday at noon at the county government center.

    Continued ...
    May 1, 2010 3:30 am
  • Thursday, April 29, 2010
  • Cancer fund devoted to Leelanau residents
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    Diane Pare is intimately acquainted with cancer, but the disease is no friend.

    Continued ...
    Apr 29, 2010 7:47 am 1 Photo
  • Sunday, April 25, 2010
  • Hope, skepticism mingle over Sugar Loaf
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    Many Leelanau County residents hope Las Vegas entrepreneur Eneliko "Sean" Smith's purported $10 million deal to reopen Sugar Loaf Resorts succeeds. But their hopes are tinged with skepticism.

    Continued ...
    Apr 25, 2010 8:10 am 2 Photos
  • Saturday, April 24, 2010
  • Busing raises district concerns over schools of choice
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    Suttons Bay students will not have to to pay to ride public transportation to school next year, a change of plans administrators said was prompted by a neighboring district's overture.

    Continued ...
    Updated Apr 24, 2010 7:48 am 3 Photos
  • Tuesday, April 13, 2010
  • Suttons Bay eliminates busing for students

    Busing for general education students will not be offered next year in Suttons Bay Public Schools, paving the way for a possible arrangement with a local transit agency.

    Continued ...
    Updated Apr 13, 2010 7:02 am
  • Friday, April 9, 2010
  • BATA proposal on Suttons Bay schools agenda

    Roger Merriman doesn't favor a proposal to transport Suttons Bay Public Schools students to and from class aboard a public transit bus. Then again, Merriman won't dismiss a proposal that potentially could save the Leelanau County school district nearly 600,000 dollars.

    Continued ...
    Updated Apr 10, 2010 12:50 am
  • Thursday, April 8, 2010
  • Tribal Council election postponed

    Three candidates for Tribal Council were booted from the ballot, and the election is postponed until next week.

    Continued ...
    Updated Apr 8, 2010 7:25 am
  • Wednesday, April 7, 2010
  • Horse lovers organize to ease burdens
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    Continued ...
    Updated Apr 7, 2010 7:10 am 2 Photos
  • Saturday, April 3, 2010
  • Entrepreneur plans to buy shuttered resort
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    Continued ...
    Apr 3, 2010 12:17 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, April 1, 2010
  • Guest speaker at Leelanau LWV meeting

    Leelanau County Clerk Michelle Crocker will speak at the April 7th noon meeting of the Leelanau Unit of the League of Women Voters Grand Traverse Area.

    Continued ...
    Updated Apr 1, 2010 7:21 am
  • Tuesday, March 30, 2010
  • Music Man's visits enlighten kids
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    At the Leelanau Children's Center, preschoolers, parents and staff start their day in the usual way: with a sing-along led by the center's "music man," Doug Hansen.

    Continued ...
    Updated Mar 30, 2010 7:15 am 3 Photos