I think we should all consider the general information that should be
extracted from this post.
 
>So if you are considering turning your unwanted ferret in to a shelter,
>understand that not all shelters are created equal.  You should visit the
>prospective shelter yourself, ask to see a license, ask about staff and
>medical care and use your own eyes to evaluate cleanliness and environment.
>Spend some time talking with the operator and staff.  Otherwise you may
>be condemning your ferret to a miserable existence where it may receive
>neither the medical care, husbandry, affection or exercise that you might
>have been led to expect.  Most shelters do provide these basic needs.
>Obviously not ALL shelters do.
 
Thank you for reminding the FML'ers of this!  This post is *exactly*
why I pick and choose which shelters will get my donations.  I will not
contribute to a fund that gives money to good and bad shelters alike.  I
don't believe that shelters that engage in shady or unethical operations
should be rewarded like a shelter where the operator busts their butt to
provide supreme care.  Those shelters are not doing "what is best for the
ferrets" but are just serving the interests of the operators in the name
of money or status.  Would you care to guess how many "shelters" out there
are nothing more than animal collectors who are begging for your dollar to
support their addictive and compulsive collecting "do-gooder" habit?
 
Anonymous, I too wish you were able to post with your real name.  It would
have lent more credibility to your allegations.  However, I understand your
concern about revealing your identity.  Mr. Horton twisted the two (and
only 2) private posts I sent him (which I will share with anyone who wants
them) about practicing medicine without a license into a public post on
the FML about the "threats", "intimidation", and "harassment" he was
receiving - none of which was remotely true.  He explained his actions as
doing whatever was necessary to protect the shelter.  I makes me wonder
what he was really protecting.
 
-Carla
[Posted in FML issue 3222]