In Jim Higgins post yesterday he wrote about the possibility of this woman
being a collector, and believe me, this idea has already crossed my mind.
With this woman seemingly going through as many pets as people have
clothes, truly worries me.  But bear in mind I did not know this when the
woman first came to me.
 
I had to look back into my original post because I thought I had mentioned
that I had a written contract with her but alas, I was too unnerved by the
whole situation and I guess that is why I missed putting in that crucial
piece of info.
 
The contract that I have set up with her states that all food, toys,
bedding, litter and treats are to be supplied by her.  The problem was
that when the ferrets came, they were on crappie food, had no real bedding
to sleep on, and had regular cat litter in their litter box.  The food
container was a tobacco can wired to the side of the cage.  All of these
things I could not stand by and just let go until she could provide me with
better, so between my friend and I, we refurbished the 2 bare cages, and my
friend supplied all the toys, new bedding and cage padding, plus proper
food dishes.  We did this so that the ferrets could have a decent cage.  I
also included within the contract that she is responsible for all medical
care and veterinary check-ups and services.  The only other thing in the
contract that is of value is that if she cannot pay any outstanding amounts
by the time she comes to pick up the ferrets, then I get to hang onto them
until she is paid up in full.  She has been making a habit of paying me in
advance.  So far, under the terms of the agreement, she has pretty much
followed through on this.  This up and coming weekend, she will be bringing
food, of which I told her that I would be taking what I have had to put out
for her ferrets.  She found no problem with this.
 
Hind site is 20/20 and if I knew some of the things then, that I know now,
I know how I could have protected myself.  But since I thought I was
covering myself, and I thought that this woman was going to be better than
she appeared to be, I have placed myself into a situation whereby I can
only do what I can for the ferrets while they are in my care, and hope that
either, she does not find accommodations for them, or that she realizes
that they are too much financially to handle and ends up surrendering them.
If this does not happen, then the best I can hope for is that she takes to
heart all the wonderful things I am showing her in order to give these
ferrets a good life.
 
So onto the update... I took the step of talking with her vet to see if he
could somehow convince her to at least stop at the number she has, and not
to collect anymore.  The answer I got may surprise you.  What I got for a
response was that he was in no position to tell her what she could or could
not have as a matter of legal recourse.  He was worried about the legality
of what he considered to be stepping over the line, as he felt that if she
wanted to get more ferrets (or other animals) that there was no way to stop
her.  I understood this fully and responded by telling him that because of
her high respect for him that she would listen, like a friend, to the
advice he had to give her.
 
He felt that his only recourse was to report any abuse to the Humane
Society first and that they would deal with the matter, and that he could
only intervene if there was signs of neglect.  I told him that as far as
it goes for the Humane Society to intervene, that they would not, as all
her ferrets basic needs were being met, even if this meant cages too small
for the number of ferrets, and dirty blankets, and improper food.  This has
more to do with the moral responsibility to help a woman understand the
total picture of what it means to "own" an animal and the care it deserves.
I went on to explain that she does not even have a place to stay live and
won't know if her future place will even take ferrets, and that she is
acquiring more.  I reminded him that she is not working, and that she could
not afford the lab test necessary for he surrendered ferret.
 
He replied with the most absurd thing he could have, which was that his
costs were reasonable and his clinic made it easy for anyone to pay for
medical treatments.  HELLO!!  I was in the office when she told him that
she could only pay it over time, and he told her that he could not pay for
the lab fee out of his pocket because it was separate from the his clinic
fees and that the entire fee would have to be paid up front.  Seems he has
a short memory.  From that point on, I realized that he was not interested
in what was best for the ferrets in her care, but that he continue to get
business from her.
 
This is indeed a sad world when a vet cannot see past the almighty dollar,
and is willing to sacrifice the lives of those he is supposedly trying to
save.  Thank goodness, he is only part of a very, very small minority.
 
I think it is time to call my vet to tell him just how much he means to me
and that he is the greatest!
 
Betty and Her Blur O'Fur
[Posted in FML issue 3063]