Well, I finally got a moment to stop. I haven't slept much the last
couple days or even had time to shower. At this point I am lost. I
don't know what to really say, what I really need, or what next to do.
I've had people calling to check on the status of needs here, what help
is needed, and the ferrets' welfare - bless everyone's heart. I never
thought there would be soo many people to do that. I'm trying to find
ways to say "thank you" and express the gratitude I have for the help.
Thank you just doesn't seem like enough words.

To update anyone who doesn't know, I started my shelter in the
beginning of 1996, so 2009 will mark 13 years in operation. I admit - I
had a terrible relationship back in the day and I wouldn't give up the
shelter to move into an apt or anything of that nature. I did own have
my own home but gave it up six years ago when I found the place I'm now
living in. There was an old icky-pole building and I asked my landlord
if I could use it to fix up for my ferrets. Of course he asked me how
many I had.......That was another story :) I took a loan from the bank
to frame, insulate, sheet rock, texture and paint the building and also
ran power, heat, water, and laid the cement flooring. The agreement was
that this was MY project. Some people thought I was crazy because I'm a
renter putting money into a home I do not own, but my 117 furkids I had
when I moved in here needed a house of their own. Because I'm a renter,
I don't have homeowner's, renter's or flood insurance and renter's
insurance wouldn't cover my animals anyway. My animals are not my
landlord's responsibility though; they are mine and I would never allow
anyone else to bear it on my behalf. Of course, if anything happens to
the house as a result of the flooding the landlord will gladly fix the
problem and some people believe I shouldn't pay him rent or that he
should fix it anyway. In the last six years I have had many "hard
times" with being out of work, going through major surgery, and being
broke at times yet my landlord has allowed me to make rent payments
and have worked with me all the way. If it wasn't for them, I feel the
ferrets wouldn't have a place. They have never charged me a late fee
or complained. Therefore, I feel it is wrong to make them bear the
responsibility.I would love to move and give the ferrets a bigger
forever home since I've outgrown this place and and because the shelter
keeps growing every year, I definitely need more room, but as many
people know, it is very expensive to buy a place. At this moment I
am not in a position financially to purchase a home because of the
ferrets' growing expensive, but I do buy a lottery ticket once in a
while :)

At the moment, I look at this shelter which I have worked so hard for
and physically built by myself with all of my own finances and I admit
I have cried many times over the last few days because this has all
been a very emotional experience. I worry about the clean up, cost,
etc. and I think it's only normal for me to think of what is next and
to worry about these things. Last night I was knee-deep in dirty water,
trying to salvage things out of the remaining cages and clean the
shelter, but what a joke! In all actuality, I think I'm already fixing
the place despite that the water level hasn't gone down. Thank God
people told me to get in the house because I probably would have been
out there all night or ended up in the hospital with hypothermia.
There's not much else I can do until water leaves, which unfortunantly
isn't happening very fast at the moment. I still can't get off my back
porch without a raft, but I can pull my big truck up to the porch and
jump into the truck. So being a taxi out to the road and back with the
truck works. I can also put my hipwaders on, but the water is cold.
Finally though the water is almost down below the knees so we will be
able to wear tall rubber boots soon. Despite having the truck, I'm
holding up at my house because I don't want to leave. I have no heat,
but thankfully I have a wood stove. Nobody can believe I still have
toilet and electricity, but I have it. Forty eight hours ago the water
was only a foot under the house and thank heavens it didn't rise any
higher. As for my job, I will eventually have to return to work because
they are not going to let me have time off for much longer and I know
it will be difficult to leave the shelter the way it currently is.
Because I used up all of my available sick time and vacation time six
weeks ago for surgery, I'm not getting paid for all of this time off
now. Just a few weeks ago, we had a big snow storm and the water line
broke to the shelter and I had no water in there for a week until it
could be repaired. I was trucking water bottles in snow and up to my
waist and horrendous high winds. I couldn't get out of my driveway so I
was off a little from work to take care of the ferrets. Now it floods?
It figures. As a result of all of this, I just can't afford to take off
anymore time from work and risk losing my job.

It was horrible trying to get ferrets out of here but with volunteers
and friends, but surprisingly it got done. It was wet, cold, stressful
and messy but we managed to get out over 100 ferrets. I've kept 37
ferrets with me here at home and placed around 65 in local foster
homes. Then 21 ferrets were picked up by Dr. Cathy Johnson-Delaney and
taken down to the Washington Ferret Rescue & Shelter in Kirkland, WA.
I have a little mobile home with very little extra room so having 37
furkids in here, along with supplies and several people can make it
very crowded! Most of the stuff floated away and was water damaged
unfortunately, but we tried to salvage what we could.

I have always been available to take ferrets and help other rescues but
have never been on the other end so this is a very new experience for
me. I have been overloaded before - with as many as 180 ferrets at one
time - but have never had to send them out to other places. Because of
that, it has been very difficult for me to let go of "my ferrets" and
I'm having a hard time with them not being here. I'm starting to
realize that their home at the moment is in ruins. I was trying to keep
all 100+ in the house even if it meant me having one path to my bed
but, of course, that wouldn't be good :) I just want to have them
back here. I worry about my friends and volunteers who are acting as
temporary foster homes at the moment because of their financial
situations. Some may have the room and time, but many are on social
security, fixed incomes, and fixed budgets. I know with the amount of
ferrets some of the foster homes added and with the ones they already
had, it will be quite an expense for them until things can be normal
again. I feel my hands are tied and I am incapable of fixing it at this
time on my own. One of the reasons I feel lost when trying to tell
people what I need when they ask is because I am so unfamiliar with
what is going on and what to do. One person who knows me mentioned that
I am not one to ask for help and I admit that is true. I just usually
do what I can by myself. In just the last year, I have taken a few
bigger rescues than I should of without asking for for help, but that
was because I'm afraid of putting people out. I'm usually a pretty
private and don't spend much time on the computer because I work full
time, go to school full time and have the ferrets. So people have been
asking me about things being posted on boards and chat groups. I'm
sorry but at this point, I have no clue what has been said or written
besides what I read and post on the FML. I am writing this to clarify a
few things so that everyone reading will know what is going on that so
far the ferrets and I are surviving - to a point. I also want to thank
everyone who has made donations, called, emailed, and who are thinking
about the shelter. I also want to offer my apologies in advance for not
getting back to anyone. I am just overwhelmed with the duties here at
the moment.

I now have photos and a video on the shelter's website and a PowerPoint
presentation will be available before the end of the weekend. I've
listed items the shelter needs as well as places where we purchase
supplies in case anyone would like to send gift cards to help the
shelter and the foster homes they are in. I also have a PayPal donation
button on the website as well. The shelter phone is working if you need
to call me for information and I've provided my mother's address for
mailing anything to me as, oddly enough, she has not been affected by
the flood and is only three miles down the road from me.

As time permits, I will try to provide further updates on the FML but
I recommend checking the shelter's website to stay up-to-date.

Lacey Ruddell
Ferret City Shelter & Rescue
360-707-2739
[log in to unmask]
www.ferretcityshelter.org

Shelter Address:
9281 Pulver Road
Burlington, WA 98233

Alternate Address for packages/UPS, Ect.
11676 Pulver Road
Burlington, WA 98233

[Posted in FML 6210]