>From:    [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: closed ferret rescue at the beach.
>
>Yes we know that the ferrets were dirty. Why didn't she ask for help?
>Maybe it was because the only person she could trust to help her was
>me and I could not get down there to do much as I am like 3000 miles
>west of her in Nevada! 

Fred, in your zeal to protect the name of your friend, you may be doing
her more harm then good. You make her sound like a pathetic person who
has no friends at all, save you.

From the many posts to this list defending her good name, we know this
is far from true. Many of the people who have written in her support
are people who live in southeastern VA, and could easily have come to
her aid if she had just reached out to someone. Or, for that matter, if
you had bothered to reach out. All it would have taken is a post to the
FML saying that Carole and her husband had been ill for a while, and
could someone from the area check in on her. Is the problem that you
are feeling guilty for not preventing this tragic situation? If that is
the case, don't take your anger at your self out on the people who are
trying to help.

Lashing out at Lisa is not going to help in the least. Lisa is a long
time member of the ferret community, and a well respected shelter
operator. She has proven time and again that when ferrets lives are at
stake, she will put aside petty differences with people and work with
them for the good of the ferrets.

I don't think anyone has said Carole is a bad person - just that she
let things get out of hand and it turned into a bad situation. Most
people are aware of the many years Carole has been sheltering, and her
good reputation. But, even good people can sometimes do harm, even when
they do not mean to.

Fred, by your own admission, you are over 2000 miles away, and have not
been to Carole's for over 4 or 5 years. Things can change, sometimes
overnight. You were not there to see the conditions, and you have still
not been there to see the remaining ferrets. You are basing all your
claims on the word of one person - the person who let the situation
happen.

Again, I am not saying Carole is bad or that she is lying- but you have
only her word. There have been any number of other people who were
there and did see the situation, and their reports are very different.

I live about 200 miles away in Alexandria, VA, just outside of
Washington, DC. In this election year, people here are pretty focused
on the primaries and the candidates. Yet, this story was carried in
both our major newspapers more then once. And, in carrying the story,
neighbors (notice the plural) were interviewed, and more then one
neighbor said they had filed complaints with either the local AC
office, or with the health department about the problem. And, since
some of these neighbors asked that their names be withheld, they are
not just people looking for their 15 minutes of fame as you claimed on
another list.

This is a sad situation that didn't need to happen, if someone (either
Carole or you) had just let people know that she needed help. And, from
the posts I have read here on the FML, praising Carole for her work in
the past, I do not see anyone shooting the wounded as opposed to trying
to help. What people are doing is trying to get the facts made
available, so people don't speculate on what happened.

And, that bring me to something else I have wanted to say. People -
you can't have it both ways.

In the past, members of this list have become outraged when there have
been cases of neglect that go unpunished or unchanged. If we hear that
someone has a large number of underfed animals in their care, we ask
why the Animals Control Officers didn't step up and do their job. Yet,
when it is one of our own that gets reported, we are angry when they
do their job.

It is the job of AC to investigate all reports, even if they know the
person who has been reported.

ACOs are not the highest paid people, by far. They make better then
minimum wage, but it is not a job that people take hoping to get rich.
It is also not a glamorous job. People who become ACOs are usually
animals lovers who just want to help put an end to animal abuse.

Now, imagine going into a home with over 100 live animals, and several
weeks worth of garbage piled up around the house. From Fred's reports,
we know that Carole and her husband had been too ill for several weeks
to even remove the garbage from the house. Even when it is bagged,
garbage is going to create an odor. Now, when you see the animals,
you find that some are ill, and some don't even have any fresh food
or water. What is your impression going to be, and what are you going
to do?

Lets not get upset with the ACOs for doing the job they are sworn to
do.

Danee DeVore
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator:
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more
information visit: 
http://www.ferretadv.com
ADV - Find out how you can help:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/

[Posted in FML 5877]