Rebecca Stout <[log in to unmask]> wrote on 4/17/2005, 2:00 AM:
>But this is the best news I've heard in years. YEARS. Finally. We
>will get together to discuss what both sides love ... animals. We can
>sit down and hear each others sides and positions several issues.
I am glad that someone else sees this as an opportunity to try to address
and work out some problems. I know that sometimes I am a bit of an
optimist (maybe sometimes too much of one), and so I was concerned that
others wouldn't see this as something good.
And, I wanted to let people know about this, because if they are anything
like me, they probably need time to think through what they want to say.
Plus, since only a small fraction of the readers of this list will
actually be at the Symposium, it will give the people who can't be there
a chance to bring up their concerns on the list, so that people who are
attending can bring up those points as well.
I think discussions are great, as long as people show respect for one
another. And, I hope this is a topic others will want to discuss, so
that when the Symposium happens, those of us attending will have all of
the concerns of people from this list ready to present to the pet store
representatives.
We all have so many complaints about what happens to ferrets in pet
stores, and often with good reason. And many of us have tried to reach
out to store personnel with little or no luck. But, the truth is, even
store managers often have little control over the issues that concern us.
They are required to follow company policy. If we hope to see changes
made, we need to reach the higher levels of management. And now we are
getting our chance.
And, I do think change can happen if we approach these people with the
right attitude. I have seen it happen before.
For several years there was a very real problem in the Mid Atlantic
states with ADV+ kits being sold at PetCOs. The kits were not MF kits,
and were all handled by one particular animal distributor called Animals
ETC. Animals ETC has a bad reputation with animal lovers because they
will buy stock from anyone they can, and they do not provide very good
conditions for the animals while in their care.
People tried explaining the problem to Animals ETC management, and while
they would pretend to listen, they made no changes and the problem
continued.
Finally, a member of the ferret community became acquainted with the
regional manager for this area. She explained the problem to him, and
made suggestions on how to solve it. About the same time, at least one
employee at PetCO (who was also a ferret owner/lover) became aware of the
problems, researched the issues, and started presenting the information
to her management.
The result was that the Mid Atlantic region PetCOs stopped dealing with
Animals ETC and started carrying only MF kits. Now, this was over a
year ago, and they may have since gone back to their old ways, but so
far, I have not heard of problems like this reoccurring.
I relate this story only to show that through persistence and discussion,
changes can be made.
And, we have one more advantage in St. Louis - Dr. Sandra Kudrak will
be there. Dr. Kudrak is the vet who spearheaded the request to USDA to
enact some specific regulations governing the transport and sale of kits.
She will be speaking about her efforts, and how to make changes through
the legal system, on Saturday morning, and will also be hosting a Table
Topic on the subject during the Saturday lunch.
I really do think this will be the best Symposium to date, because there
will be so many great opportunities for people to learn, and to try and
affect changes that will benefit ferrets.
See you in St. Louis!
--
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV! Visit:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML issue 4851]
|
