For those rescuers on the list-- have you ever thought these words?
 
What you really need to work on is keeping animals out of the shelter,
improving the lost-and-found network, fostering, adoption, and training
to ensure that animals stay in new homes after they are placed.
 
Focusing on building or improving a shelter just perpetuates the illusion
that shelters solve pet overpopulation.  They don't.  They just buy some
animals an extra few weeks to wait in jail, hoping someone shows up to
bail them out ( harsh as it sounds there is some truth to these words) .
Shelters are at best a back up when all other systems have failed.
 
What can you do to improve your services to ferrets?
 
Come to IFC 2005 Symposium in St Louis, network with shelterers, rescuers
and veterinarians.  There are options and methods to help succeed in
solving ferret problems form pet shop sales, from irresponsible owners,
from lack of education.
 
Come and see how you can make a difference for ferrets!
 
Alicia Drakiotes
IFC Education Coordinator
www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 4781]