Hi all,
I went back and re-read my post which was written with 3 purposes in mind.
First and foremost, I felt I needed to locate a good quality ferret food to
sell, as product sales are the primary source of funding for our shelter.
We have a reputation of carrying good, safe and healthy products, and I
wanted to gather opinions from the largest ferret resource I'm aware of and
that's the FML.  Second, I did want to voice my frustration in dealing with
a company for 5 years, going through their ups and downs with them and
remaining a loyal "fan" and then being told (by insinuation) that we were
now too small to deal with.  And third, I wanted others to know who their
new TF vendor is, a company which sells both "food animals" and "pet
animals" as well as Totally Ferret to "pet supply" stores.  (I did make an
error in my previous post; anw does not sell to "all" pet stores in the
Seattle area, many stores purchase their animals from other vendors.)
 
I received a total of 29 private e-mails.  People were all very helpful and
provided me with lots of information about the various diets they have been
using (and I'll be getting back to all of those individuals).  23 of these
e-mails also detailed similar problems they've experienced with PF, many
voiced feeling the same sense of being told to "get lost" now that the
company had become big and others reported situations that I had never
experienced.  Most of these people will not post their concerns here,
because of the personal attacks which follow both off and on list.
 
This is a DISCUSSION list.  Bill allows people to post concerns about
excellent veterinarians and he also allows posts which defend those vets,
this discussion is no different.
 
Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Subject: What's with the "kick me" signs and bullying again?
>"Actually, I have heard some wonderful things recently about Performance
>Foods helping some shelters when things got really rough for them, "
 
My opinion is that the subject line in Sukie's post (isn't a "bully" the
bigger guy?) would have been more meaningful and could have addressed the
issues better using something like "Hurrah for Performance Foods" and just
addressing the *issues*.  A DISCUSSION list allows multiple people to
present their views and then other people can decide for themselves (if
there's any decision to be made) which side they agree with.  If some
people get their way and suppress these discussions then there is no
longer a DISCUSSION list.
 
>For some reason certain groups or companies -- no matter how much they
>have done for others -- seem to get picked on regularly in the FML.
 
It's not just groups or companies, it's also individuals and shelters.  The
Ferret Guy has sure been taking a lot of hits lately.  And just because
The Ferret Guy and PF have both done great things doesn't mean that there
aren't other issues that people also care about.
 
One killian said in a silly tone, that dealing with us directly is
"hurting" Performance Foods and indicated that they'd not be able to help
ferrets if PF put "all of their income into supporting our business".
I can guarantee you that PF has been making money from our shelter (a
non-profit "business") for 5 years now.  They have not put one red cent
into our business and they have not donated even one bag of food to us
(nor have we needed or wanted them to do so).  All of you can rest assured
that Performance Foods can continue to help ferrets (if they wish) while
also making money by selling their product directly to our shelter.
 
Sandi Ackerman
 
Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House
a non-profit animal shelter
14325 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA 98125
(206)365-9105
or visit our on-line store at: http://www.rabbitrodentferret.org
 
[Moderator's note: Still waiting for a response from PF -- I will be glad
to post it when it arrives even if the topic gets out of hand and has
to be "closed" before then.  (It's OK so far, I'd say).
 
One other poster also expressed similar concerns but wanted to post them
anonymously.  I didn't feel that was appropriate in this case.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 3392]