Fred,

That is very sad. This is how many shelters do things - not enough
room, well, many have to be put down. When you hear of barnfuls of
dogs and cats, many are put down instead of being adopted out. There
is no room, and in some cases, the animals are wild.

What I do not understand is why (since these animals were not wild)
they could not have issued a 24 hour clean up order. Why they couldn't
have taken the ferrets if they really needed to - and held them for
24 hours, while contacting ferret rescues in Virginia and bordering
states. Too often we hear "it's not my job" from animal control. True.
Animal control is not out to save lives. It's out to "control animals".
They are concerned with strays, disease, threats to humans, and lastly,
animal suffering. But their job is not to hold all animals equal, to do
their utmost to get these animals adopted, and it's certainly not any
skin off their back to put animals down that could have been adopted
out. They simply don't have the resources.

I have walked into animal control shelters to see ferrets in filthy
cages, stuffed in back rooms, where no one can see them to adopt them
when they make the rounds. Where workers are afraid they will get bit,
where the animal just sits for weeks and weeks until some person comes
in and asks "do you have ferrets". In one, they were kept in the
utility room. But, I guess at least they were trying. I guess my point
is - do a lot of shelters just dislike ferrets, period? They make tons
of messes, they smell....I know the AC officer whom I dealth with
criminal cases with in Michigan often said "they're just ferrets". That
was when I had to contact his boss and the district attorney's office
to get any results. Ferrets unfortunately are "lower" in people's minds
than a dog or a cat.

If they had called any shelters near them in VA or surrounding states -
how many temporary homes could have responded? I thought for sure we
would hear on the FML dozens of people saying what a tragedy this was,
and that they could have helped. I didn't see any. I know everyone is
at capacity. But - they didn't even TRY. An immediate seizure and
euthanasia is ridiculous. Imagine the terror the ferrets endured. I
have to say this is one of the most disturbing issues I've ever read
about, and it will haunt me for a long, long time.

There are two people at blame - Carole for not asking for help - but,
on the flip side, what animal control just comes up and seizes animals?
With no warning, no clean up order. I have seen absolutely disgusting
houses on Animal Planet given clean up orders, and they are able to get
in shape for the next day. Enough time to get them to where they needed
to go, or get help and get cleaned up. That would have been the wake up
call Carole needed to make the calls to get help. But no.

I have a feeling the calls from neighbors mounted up at the Animal
Control (for what I have heard to be years?) and either they got word
that the ferrets were not being taken care of and made a final call, OR
it was just bad timing and they caught her at a moment of true neglect.

Laryssa

[Posted in FML 5877]