I am totaly against the government steppin into most anything we can handle
our selves, yet I keep hearing of ferrets getting the worst end of the
stick too many times.
 
Possibley many who buy or otherwise take possession of ferrets do not
have much education of what the animal is or what they need to live and
cohabitate with owners, the owners become disengaged from the want of the
pet, and the pet suffers intolerably.
 
Someone suggested prospective ferret owners be qualified prior to their
becomming an owner, I do agree with this.  Personally, I bought one ferret
never having had one and knew very little of how to keep one, but it never
wanted for anyting, and has a good clean home with warmth and good food,
plenty of it, and lots of affection from me and the second one I bought.
Hopefully I am among the majority that do take responsibility for my pets,
and those who abuse pets are a small majority, albeit these horror stories
tear my heart out.
 
One person wrote in news groups that to punush her ferrets she removes food
from the cage.  How insane.  Ferrets thoughts are for the immediate moment
only, seldom think in past or future events except for food and safety.
They do not have the capacity to relate some punishmnet activity with a
previous event, even if it was just an instant ago.  That is what a ferret
is, an animal, sub human, intelligent in it's own way but certainly not
ours.  No one can expect any animal to think in reletive terms a human
does, but people do.  Is the nature of people to make judgements of others,
animal and man alike, from the platform they themselves live on and from
their own life experience.
 
Again, I feel new owners need to be qualified, informed and caused to know
the animal's needs and habits and what to expect prior to taking possesion.
This can be done without government intervention if breeders and sales
outlets alike would seek to insure the safety and well being of the animals
they convey to others.  If the government is going to hold the gun makers
liable for what someone does with the gun they bought, then breeders and
sellers need to be responsible for the hell their wares (ferrets and other
animals) endure or expire tryng to endure.
 
I welcome comments.
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2810]