Hi All!
 
Anne, you forgot the sanity that you lose.
 
Ok, I used to be able to afford to run a shelter, but it seems that ferrets
aren't as loved as they should be here.  (Hey, the shelter is down to 67!)
 
Oh, and hundreds of others, once you are done at Anne's, please come to my
shelter.  I don't care if you form an orderly line or not, just don't riot.
 
I will gladly turn over the shelter kids, along with supplies, which
includes: 37 water bottles that get changed daily, 49 litter boxes that
are changed daily, two cases of cheap paper towels, 3/4 ton of wood stove
pellets (heck, I got through 160 lb.  a week), storage containers, and all
the mid west cages, oh, and the blankies, hammies and toys.
 
Please bring a note that you are becoming a shelter, so I can forward it on
to my mortgage company, they would be most happy to hear that they will be
receiving funds before the vet, or the store where I buy some of the food,
or the local feed store where I buy wood stove pellets.  I do believe the
local print shop will be very disappointed though, there income will go
down.  The water department in Cleveland, will be unhappy also, my water
and sewer bill will go down.  Gee, what will I do when I don't have 20
loads of ferret laundry to do?  Read a book?  Soak in a hot tub?
 
Like I said, I used to be able to afford a shelter, but when people who
start shelters close because they don't realize the work, time and amount
of money involved you very quickly get to the point that you cannot afford
to run a shelter.
 
Being 501 (c) (3) is nice, you save sales tax, but the donations do not
pour in.  Fund raising takes time and money, I don't have either.  So if
the hundreds of others have any ideas, better yet, run a fund raiser for
your local shelter.
 
Ok, I am done on this subject.
 
Nice post Anne.
 
Jean
Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 3195]