>From:    Kymberlie Barone <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Shutting shelters down
>I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever attempted to shut a shelter
>down for being a very bad place - be it a ferret shelter or any kind of
>shelter.
 
The simplist answer is to have complaints called into the county, state or
city department of animal control.  If it is a cat collector, a ferret
shelter with cramped cages and feces piles taking up half the cage, a bad
pet shop or dogs barking and without food or water, to launch an
investigation, the "policing" authority is the one to call.  Unfortunately,
many animal control officers have little or no training with species other
than cats and dogs, so what we consider unacceptable (cedar chips, poor
quality diet, small cages, etc.) might be acceptable because the Animal
Welfare Act by USDA has no guidance on certain species.
 
I recommend that if someone calls to complain about a rescue or place, that
they have several friends visit the same place and then make multiple calls
of complaint to the authorities.  This way, the action to check out the
facility will look more urgent, but these same individuals need to be
cautioned that if the authorities don't view the species needs the same,
their point is futile.
 
Now, assuming the problem is real - you have to also consider what action
will be needed to clear the problem up.  Let's go with this senario which
existed many years ago in my area:
 
A couple in a very small house had their living room stacked floor to
ceiling on three walls with ferret cages, and rodent cages stacked in
another room.  The house reeked of amonia inside and out - brought tears
to my eyes.  Their concern was that their ferrets (breeders) were having
many miscarriages and false pregnancies.  I knew the reason - over
crowding.  Sure those ferrets may have had roomy cages, but they could
smell the crowded situation, and their noses are much more sensitive than
ours.  People called and complained to me.  I did go for a visit.  I did
make some suggestions, but nothing much happened.
 
Some people wanted to call the authorities, and I did want a visit by them
to this home, but as one of only a few ferret shelters in the area, I could
not handle that many ferrets as an influx and not be considered guilty of
the same crime.  Even with all the ferret shelters pitching in, we would
all be too full.  The ferrets here were healthy, being fed well, and had
roomy cages (though I doubted they got out much).  Turns out a neighbor
complained about the smell and the health authorities came to investigate.
After that, the family in question cleaned up a bit, then moved from the
area.
 
So you have to think of what to do, and how it might effect you.  I'd never
want the county to seize all those ferrets, then not only would i have huge
neutering bills, but these people were show goers and I'd not want people
thinking I had turned them in "just to get their ferrets".  I would be
bound by the county to not adopt them back to these people, yet I could
not screen for their friends trying to return a few ferrets.  And I'd have
to take the ferrets, because the county at that time would have just put
them down otherwise.  So, think of everything before you get personally
involved.
 
Pam T.
[Posted in FML issue 3067]