(Sorry, this is going to be a little long.)
 
First, And I'm NOT being nasty, I am a "RESCUE" so when referring to me
me please use the "Correct" word.  In my state I am NOT a SHELTER, I am a
RESCUE!
 
I would like to let everyone one that I talked to my lawyer yesterday,
William Strazza Esq.  Who BTW is one of the top NJ Animal Rights lLawyers
in the state.
 
Bascialy what happened is the town's Zoning Board again are being ASSES.
(Sorry BIG, but that is the nicest word I can use to discribe them.)  Now
before anyone opens their mouth about me "Not Checking Local & Zoning
Laws" YES WE DID, we did this BEFORE buying our house.  There were/are
"NO LAWS GOVERNING RESCUES IN MY TOWN".  Animal laws only pertain to
Dogs & Cats.  Zoning laws involving animal businesses only talk about
POUNDS, KENNLES and SHELTERS" which I am NOT any of the three, I am a
"RESCUE".  The problem is my A*shole neighbor doesn't like ferrets & his
wife is terrified of them.  He started this ball rolling "3YEARS" ago by
making a complaint that an Odor was coming threw the "FIREWALL".  I live
in a 2 family house that was built that way in1920, it is NOT a duplex
or a twin.  I called Animal Control the same day I received the notice
about "The Odor".  She spent "2 HOURS" in my house and could NOT find any
basis for the neighbors complaint, she found NO odor.  As a matter of
fact almost the whole 2 hours she was here, she spent in the ferret
rooms playing & talking to them.  LOL
 
Ok, now, when I talked to BILL ( my lawyer) He said this (the outcome of
the hearing) was actually good and in our favor.  Reason being, that they
were supposed to explain with a better reason why they turned us down
about our ferret rescue.  The reasons given Thursday night were not what
the JUDGE was looking for.  (Bill has been before this judge before and
they know each other well "In the Legal sense".)  This CRAP about a Home
Based Business having to be "For Profit" is a bunch of Crap!  This was
NOT part of the "9 Tier Criteria" for a "Home Based Business" which we
PROVED that we DO fit on December !!, 2003.  The other thing about NOT
giving proof about the square footage I'm using WAS PROVED in a diagram I
provided, testimony by LOS NATIONAL, the page from the add for my house
showing the square footage of EACH ROOM, and the records for my house
in the Municipal Boulding for the taxes on my property.  Last year the
Zoning Officer showed up on a "Saturday", saying that the Health
Department received another complaint about the "ODOR" from the ferrets.
We called the HD", so did BIll and so did Animal Control asking about
"This Complaint".  There WASN'T one this time made about us according to
the "HD", they had no record about one coming in.  The Zoning Officer
later admitted that he LIED, he just wanted to get into our house to
see what we had as the town was trying to weed out the "Rift Raft &
Undesirables from the town.  This is the same person who told me with
my lawyer present, "To help GET RID OF" the ferrets, we could put them
in a sack and throw them in the "RIVER""!
 
Our case is going back to Superior Court in Hundurton County (as the
Judges in my county of Warren won't touch this case with a 10 foot
pole!).  Bill feels confident because of what the judge said the last
time this case was presented to him, that we should win the case.  So
far to date, we have paid out over $5500 in lawyers fees (we had to pay
for the town's lawyer as well as our own, letters to all the surrounding
neighbors, news paper publishing's about our intent, and filing fees for
a Variance under conditional use.
 
I refuse to give up!!!  They are not going to force me to give up the
kids nor force me out of my home which I own!!
 
Debra Sadowski and the Fuzzy Loving Ferret Rescue
Phillipsburg, New Jersey
[Posted in FML issue 5242]