Anyone in the Jacksonville/Jax Beach area: There is a private pet store in
South Beach Plaza that repeated neglects ferrets.  One that "had nothing
wrong with it" was found to have permanent neurological damage, probably
from being dropped.  So that's why the little guy has very weak back
legs!!!  My daughter and I found a tiny DEW there Thursday.  The tube to
the water bottle was at least 10" off the cage floor.  There was a water
bowl, but it was as dry as a desert.  The store opened at 10AM and this
was only around noon!!  The poor baby could hardly stand she was so
dehydrated, and poop was crusted all over her bottome.  When the owner
saw that we knew she was sick he whisked her to the back room first chance
he got and refused to sell her to us, even though we told him she needed
a vet IMMEDIATELY!!
 
To make a long story short he has still not allowed me to see her, though
he did allow a friend to see her when she showed up with the cops.  She
was definetely feeling better but still had not been seen by a vet!!  A
promise was made that she would go the the vet first thing Saturday
morning.  Oops!  Then he couldn't take her because his vet wasn't open on
Saturday.  He uses one of those Total Pet Complexes, and I know for fact
they don't have a qualified ferret vet at this one and they are open 7
days a week!
 
I am permanently banned from this jerks store because I talked loud
enough for all of his customers to hear how he neglected his animals and,
contrary to what he said, sells sick ones!!!  The funny thing is that one
of the things I told him was that I was going straight to the police
dept.and file neglect and abuse charges.  I had NO IDEA that my friend
would show up less than 2 hours later with the cops!!  I would have loved
to have seen his fat, lying face!!  He doesn't know that he is going to be
watched not just by me, but by lots of concerned people.  The bad thing is
that he is getting ready to open a second store across town on Roosevelt.
I don't know if I'm allowed to tell this, if not I'm sure it will be
deleted, but the store is Pet Emporium.
[Posted in FML issue 3718]