Since I live in Yuma, Arizona, which is right ON the Arizona/California
border, I will declare myself the better informed of the two of us on
this topic.  You may have passed thru border towns a few times, but I
have lived here over 30 years now, so please indulge me just a bit.
 
>The inspection station is run by the California Department of
>Agriculture!  The California Fish and Game Department has nothing to do
>with Border Inspection.  Two entirely different departments!  The only
>reason that the Department of Agriculture asks about live animals is
>because they want to make sure dogs are licensed and up to date on
>their rabies shots.  That's it.
 
Funny, I've been thru the checkpoints hundreds of times with my dog and
have never once been asked to produce proof of her vaccinations.  Never
once!
 
>Arizona and Nevada are both dry desert states and do not produce fresh
>fruit, which is what they are looking for.
 
HELLO??  Arizona produces more citrus alone than any other state - yes,
even Florida!  Agriculture is the primary source of income in the state
of Arizona!
 
>I think it's great to publicly slap the Fish and Game in the face with
>the fact that they have no power to patrol the borders........
 
(NOTE: please see below regarding 'attitude')....
 
>Border inspection is beyond their measure of jurisdiction and is just
>not in their job description.  The California Department of Fish and
>Game's job is to oversee the fish and wildlife of California.
 
Maybe you should sing that song to local folks and the pet store here in
Yuma that take in dozens of ferrets that are confiscated at the border
checkpoint going into California?  That inaccurate information may fly
somewhere else, but since I live here, I know better.  It's an
all-too-common story.  Folks like you get surprised all the time by
the powers of the CFG and their ferrets are the ones who lose!
 
>I once talked to a fish and Game person and she said yes, the law is
>stupid and yes, ferrets are domestic animals.  But she also said that
>her job was to enforce that law; weather she personally agreed with it
>or not.
 
You finally got it right!  And that's exactly how it works.  You get
caught with a ferret at the California border, border agents call CFG
and you lose your ferret.  Often they are euthanized if there is no one
available to take it off their hands.  Many die at the checkpoints
because it's too hot and the officers don't know to keep them cool until
someone can process and/or rescue them.  IF you're lucky, you MAY get the
option of turning around and returning to Arizona.  If you're not lucky,
your ferret can be taken and euthanized.  A lot depends on your ATTITUDE
when you get caught.  From your comments above, your ferrets would be in
serious trouble!  If the very real threat of having your ferret taken
from you and possibly euthanized or rehomed against your will doesn't
scare you, you're not well enough informed.
 
Just because you've gotten thru the border and not gotten caught, does
NOT mean you know all there is to know about border checkpoints.
 
jacquie
[Posted in FML issue 4570]