I'm sorry for anyone who says and/or believes they love ferrets and yet
they don't think that part of solving the problem is to keep the problem
in front of the public.  This is not an isolated minor problem - it is
world-wide.  I can't influence other parts of the world where animal
fighting and torture is practiced to please the sick desires of some
humans, but I can affect the laws and conditions in this country.
 
So - sorry you are inconvenienced.  You're tired of hearing it?  - too
bad..  if you're not part of the solution then you are part of the
problem.  Apathy allows this situation to continue.  Get off YOUR
backside and join the effort rather than attacking the effort - help
the animals who are treated like so much cargo and not with care or
consideration for their physical health, comfort, or emotional stability.
 
Attacking the person trying to initiate change is how abuse/ neglect/
corruption is handled by those who profit from those evils... the person
(people) exposing the problem is vilified, slandered, hated, and put
down... made to be seen as a nut case or extremist etc... now where else
have we seen people not being allowed to express themselves until they
can no longer do so or or have won their battle, or no longer care?
Censorship?  How many examples can you think of?
 
This person, (me, I) doesn't care about you getting tired of hearing it..
go ahead..  bitch, gripe, pontificate, slander, hate, I don't care... I
WILL NOT STOP.  Again - please get off your backside and join the effort
to get laws passed to help force greedy corporations to get it right and
treat the animals without abuse or neglect, et al.  Why wouldn't you do
that?  Do you not care about the treatment of these creatures?
 
ONE GOOD STORE..  ON THE SURFACE - (who knows what goes on behind the
scenes)... Big Deal -- How many stores are not good?  Are we to turn our
backs on a known problem because someone is tired of hearing it... if
even one store is not doing right the spotlights should remain brightly
lit and shining on the problem.
 
If "corporate" had policies in place to do right by the animals --
fine... but I know personally in this case there are problems with
corporate attitude..  I was in contact with many of them, both email and
verbally on the telephone .... well the CEO James Myer, I believe, has
not bothered to get involved, but somehow with what the other men...
from the PetCo foundation director, Paul Jolly, to the corporate store
mananger... I forget his name, James something, also, have it at home..
not here, but I've talked to 4 different people at corporate and they all
have their own special way of saying... too bad... so sad... tough!
 
And this was over the simple issue of not giving surrendered ferrets
away... but rather turn the over to a local rescue, nationwide.
 
Who does not know that you DON'T GIVE AN ANIMAL AWAY?..  The manager of
a store that contacted me about adoptions did not have a clue about
proper animal care or treatment..  she was hired because she had RETAIL
experience... now that in itself is not bad..  but the fact that she
thinks there is nothing wrong with giving pets away and she cares more
about her precious public face than she does about the animals welfare
speaks volumes about her and the fact that corporate will back her up
rather than err to the side of caution and care for a living feeling
creature speaks volumes about PETCO corporate... and then business as
usual... and locally the managers' immaturity is/was mind-boggleing...
so don't tell me to shut up..  I will go down in flames to try to effect
change... The answer is NO...
 
If you don't like what PetCo detractors/ ferret defenders say then YOU
don't read the posts - skip them, but don't compare turning a TV channel
of an offensive program with not exposing animal cruelty..  those two
do not compare... while we are at it..  let's just turn a blind eye to
child/wife/elder abuse... that IS the same thing.
 
"Don't go in there"... in the store ..OMG... yep turn a blind eye and
allow the abuse/neglect to continue...walk away... right!
 
and when we see a person abusing another person or animal turn away
from that too... the point of exposure is to keep up the pressure until
change is realized... so PLEASE keep reporting abuse, neglect, and poor
conditions ... don't stop just because one person or ten or one hundred
are "tired of hearing it" and it would help if all including those who
say they are tired would stop going in there... then the stores would
have to change their ways/rules/ policy or go out of business.  And you
have to tell them otherwise they don't know why you quit going in...
they are mind-readers.
 
Thank you for your opinion... and you have a right to your opinion and to
voice that opinion... as for me... like I said... I WILL NEVER STOP...
Until THEY Change Their Ways... Don't like it -- You quit reading...
 
and the fact that one huge corporation is part of a national conversation
has nothing to do with whether or not local stores are also brought to
task as well...
 
as for 'corporate offices don't make or break the store'... yes they
do... I acknowledge that local people are the hands on, daily grind
people, but corporate policy goes a long way to setting the atmosphere.
And knowing that if you are caught injuring or neglecting an animal
you're fired and gee if the policy made provisions for punitive damages
such as jail time and that corporate would back or initiate such
action... that would make a difference in how willing one would be to
exercising the abuse or neglect.
 
Well that'll do in reply... go ahead and vilifiy me or lambast me but
understand..  you do not have the right to silence me..  don't like it?
then don't listen..  you change the channel..
 
[Moderator's note: Though it's not THAT simple ;-)  If it strays from
ferrets too often it's likely not to be posted per FML guidelines.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4824]