Hi all, I just wanted to mention something about this Petsmart thing that
people may not be thinking about.  Okay, we all already know that all the
ferret shelters are full.  I mean totally full.  Maybe not exactly every
single shelter, but the vast majority of them are.  Not only are they
full, they have bills beyond bills beyond bills.  And alot of them are
waiting to raise funds to get other ferrets in for surgery.  And this is
only with ONE big chain store selling ferrets.
 
Now lets put Petsmart and ALL their stores into this.  I can just see
Petsmart coming out with lower priced kits (to challenge Petco), which
makes it easier to make that "impulse buy".  And we all know what that
usually leads to.  Its not always the case, that the impulse buyers turn
in their ferrets a few months down the road, I know, but its quite
common.  Now lets add in the people who give up their ferrets cuz of:
moving, too expensive - ferret has a medical condition and they cant pay
for it, a new baby, dont have time, kid went to college, dont get along
with the cat/dog, ferret nips... etc... So there is defintately going to
be a raise in the number of shelter turn ins!  I'd love to know how much
there was a need for ferret shelters BEFORE Petco was selling kits??!!
Can anyone tell me that?  Have any of these shelters been around prior
to Petco selling kits??  Probably a extremely small number - why?  Cuz
Petco wasnt mass selling kits.
 
Ok, so the shelter turn in rates are going to go up.  Its a given that no
one can dispute.  So we've already got shelters full to the brim, medical
bills up to the Heavens, and not only that... its the TIME that it takes
to care for all of these ferrets.  The time for cleaning cages, bedding,
feeding, special feeding, play/interaction time, fundraising, meetings,
vet appts, trimming nails, cleaning ears, working with biters/fearsome
ferrets, answering phone calls from anywhere to potential adopters to
ferret owners with medical questions who are so lost and dont know what
to do, to trying to pursuade another person not to give up their ferret
and to make time for them, application screening, meeting with potential
adopters... I'm sure there is a ton more missing here... But what I'm
saying here is that not only is the intake of ferrets going up and the
bills going up, but also, its the additional time and stress that is
going to be put on our poor ferret shelters.  I mean some of them are
already over-filled, and they are begged to take in 'just this one more'
so he doesnt get put down.
 
Please, I beg you, that if you see no reason for us not to put on
pressure and try to persuade Petsmart to NOT sell ferrets, please, I beg
you, to go spend a few days at a ferret shelter.  Not just one day, but a
few, so you can really get a feel for it.  See what its like.  Feel the
joy of adopting out a ferret to a wonderful home.  Feel the anger and
saddness frustration of losing yet another baby to insulinoma or whatever
because the prior owners didnt know how to properly care for the ferret.
If you've ever lost a ferret... feel that pain and loss 10 times or more
throughout any given year.  Feel the frustration of having your shelter
full to capacity, and have to say no to any other turn ins and spend days
trying to get another shelter (they are all full too) to take this ferret
who is at a city pound who is going to put him down becuz they dont take
ferrets in and someone left him there.  Watch as they try to help owners
who have sick ferrets and no one else they know understands ferret
medicine so they call the shelter for advice.  Watch as they plead with
good intentioned 'impulse buyers' that they can make it work if they try
this and try that..etc..  Watch as they try to rehab a starved and
neglected ferret.  Watch as they work with a ferret who has been with
their family for years only to be dumped at a ferret shelter at 6 years
old and not understanding why and stressed and sad.
 
Then, after you have spend some time at a ferret shelter and really
gotten to see what its like, then give me one reason why we shouldn't put
pressure on Petsmart to not sell ferrets and to try to persuade them to
not add to the mass production of these sweet sweet innocent ferrets.
 
Andrea
[Posted in FML issue 4790]