I received another response to my post the other day and it was pointed
out to me that rather than travel 1000 miles to get a ferret I should
be looking in my own back yard.

Therefore, before someone else makes the same point let me clarify.

>There are no ferret shelters in this part of Canada and the animal
>shelters rarely, if ever, see one.  While it may be correct that there
>are ferrets out there needing homes, we just don't see them. On
>occasion one comes up for sale on Kijiji (a craig's list of sorts).
>The best that is available are kits from the pet store and not
>everyone wants a kit.  I prefer to give a home to an adult ferret who
>has lost its home.  I belong to an organized group of ferret lovers
>and at this time, we have 5 families willing and interested in
>adopting a mature ferret but there just aren't any. Our population
>does not support the numbers that are available in most parts of the
>U.S.  There is only one ferret veterinarian for this entire province. 
>The other veterinarians refer to him because they are reluctant to
>take on ferrets in their practice because they do not have experience
>working with them.  On occasion a person simply cannot travel across
>this province to get to the ferret vet and will see a local vet who
>will contact the 'ferret expert' for a consult.
>
>I have no issue with travelling the distance I did, which actually
>was 2000 miles return in order to provide a forever home to a ferret
>needing one, when I had the means to do so.  I could have chosen one
>that wasn't an Ohio rescue but since she was available, I chose her. 
>I only transported one because that is all I was allowed to bring on
>board by Delta Airlines.
>
>I currently have 6 ferrets, 4 of them came from the same shelter in
>Massachusetts I got the Ohio rescue from.  In other words 5 out of
>the 6 of mine I had to travel to get - or buy a kit.  The shelter in
>Massachusetts is the closest to me by air.  True there are shelters
>in Maine, however, they aren't much closer if one travels by car.
>The closest ferret shelter in Canada from me is farther than the one
>in Massachusetts.  I also feel a sense of loyalty to the shelter in
>Massachusetts because that's where my original 2 came from, and I
>support them in other ways. So please don't assume the situation in
>the U.S. with hundreds needing homes and being available to those
>looking, is the same everywhere.  It certainly isn't the case in my
>back door.  I am planning another trip next summer to pick up ferrets
>from same shelter for our members here looking for one.

At any rate it is a Red Herring to point out to me that it was
"ridiculous to travel that far", it diverts the focus from what is
at issue.

[Posted in FML 5811]