Below is an email received from an AFA member with regard to AFA's DMK
Rescue Spay/Neuter Fund. I have to say, it's an interesting perspective
and certainly one that I, as President of the AFA, can't argue with.
Penny Hendrix
President
American Ferret Association, Inc.
[Posted here with permission of the author]
It's clear that the majority of shelters are not using good
practices, but the public is under the impression that they are.
This is unacceptable. The AFA is first and foremost and educational
organization and cannot back down from its position against rewarding
organizations who do not do the bare minimum to ensure that the animals
they rehome are healthy and will stay healthy. Not being able to come
up with testing paperwork means not testing IMO. Quick test? That's not
a valid test and this isn't news. The AFA allows Avecon spit and we
all have our doubts about the validity of that, but it's an allowance.
There should not be additional allowances just because there are people
with big mouths. There is no reason that these shelters can't test
other than they're just sloppy. If Rocky's can maintain good practices,
everyone can. It's not like Barb is sitting on a big pile of money,
but she doesn't skimp on testing or cut corners on good practices.
Donate the money to another organization for distribution? No! The
donors didn't give their donations to those organizations, they gave
them to the AFA with our guidelines stated right there where on the
page where they donated from. People gave their donations to support
the ferrets and to support good practices. If the funds can't be used
in their entirety because there aren't enough shelters testing, then
they stay in the spay/neuter fund for the next case. There will be a
next case. If the shelters want this money, they need to get their sh*t
together and figure out how to test everyone. In a lot of cases their
reimbursement would cover the cost of ADV testing their entire shelter
and they would be able to continue with good practices.
The facts of the matter are that ferret shelters as a whole tend to
stand with one hand on their hip and the other firmly outstretched
demanding payment. The self-sustaining shelter is a rarity in the
ferret community, yet this is the only animal whose shelter operators
have such an entitlement complex. Other rescue groups do not run
this way, hell, even wildlife rehab doesn't run this way. If they're
complaining that the AFA won't give them money, then they need to be
called out as to why. Can't come up with paperwork? Never ADV tested
with a valid test? Shut up and get to work, don't whine and demand
your payout, this isn't the government.
The AFA needs to be firm on this stance, it's not a group of women
visiting around the kitchen table anymore, it's the national ferret
entity who people need to look to for strong guidelines and high
standards. The AKC is plenty hated for being firm on its positions
too, but that name on paperwork carries some weight. If the AFA wants
to continue to build its reputation as the place to look to for high
standards, it has to stay the course on this issue.
[Posted in FML 5812]
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