As part of this whole shelter/rescue debate, some people have mentioned
that "legitimate" shelters should be licensed by their state.
 
It is important to note that many states have NO licensing requirements
or procedures for shelters.  Ohio is one of them.  There are several
legitimate (and excellent) ferret shelters in Ohio, but not ONE of them
has ever been licensed, as there is no way to do so!
 
Also, for many shelters, applying for tax exempt status may not be an
option.  First, it is very time consuming with LOTS of paperwork.  It
costs money.  You must have a board of directors (the majority of which
may not be members of the same household); most of your operating
expenses must come from donations and fund raising; and no more than a
certain percentage of your income may come one person.  Thus for those
who are mostly self-funded, it is not an option!
 
I just wanted to point out that the lack of licensing (unless required by
the state) is no measure of a shelter's legitimacy.  Nor by the way is
tax exempt status or lack thereof!
 
Linda Iroff
Former Ohio shelter operator
Co-director
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 4546]