Hello everyone,
 
Well, like many states, it seems that all the Maryland ferret shelters
are full and over loaded.  Many of the shelter moms and dads do it all
alone - from daily cage and floor cleaning, meds, soup, exercising each
ferret, ears, nails, vet runs, website management & posting, the phone
calls that occur all day long and into the night, making sure the shelter
is supplied with all the necessities (food, litter (which usually means
hauling in anywhere from several hundred pounds to a ton of it at a time,
etc), constant laundry, ADV testing, toy rotation and networking.  How
would any of you do with fifty ferrets of your very own?  Could you keep
up and not pull your hair out?  I know I couldn't.  Some shelter
operators even have full time jobs ta boot!
 
There are a few shelters out there that actually have enough regular
volunteers to get the job done.  But most do not.  I would respectfully
ask that everyone out there consider volunteering one day a month at
your local shelter.  These people have selflessly dedicated their lives
to helping our homeless ferret friends and I think volunteering a couple
of hours each month isn't asking a lot.  Ask a person running a shelter
out of their home when the last time they had a vacation was - or what
year was it the last time they felt that they could do all their shelter
work AND run their households?  Or maybe the last time their husband got
a hot meal for dinner.....(too bad he doesn't eat duck soup.....).   How
many people that run shelters actually end up getting divorced?  I'd
venture to say probably most of them.  Think about THAT for a moment.
You'd not only be helping the shelter, you would be directly helping the
ferrets!  And possibly making new life-long friends too.  A few hours of
your time means more to the shelter people than you could ever imagine.
 
Volunteering.....it's good for the heart and soul.  Please do consider
it.
 
On another note - I used a product this weekend called MisterMax
Anti-Icky-Poo on my carpet "unauthorized potty spots".  It worked really
well - WAY better than resolve.  And since I have a whole male in the
house, the carpet was extra-stinky.  Just thought I'd pass it along
because I know there are many others with the same problem.  I bought a
quart at the vet - it's pretty expensive, but surfed the net and found a
gallon for $29.99.  It worked great in the carpet cleaning machine too.
 
Lisa
[Posted in FML issue 4902]