[Moderator's note: I forwarded Cindy's post to the Ferret Dreamers
Rescue Haven so we can read both sides of story. Their response
follows this post. BIG]

I have had to most horrific experience with the Shelter Ferret Dreamers
Rescue Haven in San Marcos. I feel I must tell my story so no one else
goes through what I have.

I live near Corpus Christi about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive to San Marcos.
It all started when I took a ferret that I rescued to the shelter, I
called to check on how she was doing and in our conversation the lady
learned I was selling my Sugar Gliders, she offered to trade medical
care for my personal ferrets for the Gliders. I had a ferret that
needed Melatonin implants and thought this would be great. She did the
implants and was going to help with more medical care for my ferrets
until the Gliders were paid for.

When I called to check on him and see when I could pick him up, she
asked me if I would be interested in fostering ferrets for her that I
seemed to know a lot about them and to really care for them. She said
she would furnish all the food, litter and medical care for them. She
said she was having financial problems, that she had only $5 in her
rescue fund along with other issues. I'm a compassionate person and
wanted to help. She wanted me to take the old sick ferrets and the ones
that were unadoptable so she would have the room to take in adoptable
ferrets. I had no problem taking in these sick unadoptable ferrets,
I love them and wanted to make their time left as comfortable as
possible. I took one with lymphoma, 5 with adrenal disease these were
all on prednisone, one that had been starved and 4 healthy ones.

When I went to pick them up she said I could adopt out the 4 healthy
ones and to put the money back into the ferrets which I did. She wrote
down the prices I was to charge and told me to make copies of the
adoption papers from her website then went over how to fill them out
with my sister and I. I adopted 2 ferrets out to a friend and my sister
adopted one. One of the old sick ferrets also had an eye infection when
I picked him up at the shelter and I was told to get antibiotic eye
drops she was using which I did. His infection cleared up and the
swelling went down some but not all the way. I told her this, she said
he was old had adrenal disease and probably a tumor behind his eye,
just put him on some amoxicillin antibiotics and see if this would
help. He started having problems urinating and I called her, she said
to bring him to her, which I did, I couldn't bring him that day but
took him the next day. She took him to the vet the day after I
delivered him to her and said she had to have him euthanized and it
was my fault.

I can't tell you how horrible I felt, I fell in love with all my
fosters. She told me she was going to have to pick up all her ferrets
because I lived to far away and needed them closer to the vet. I
understood all this, but it still broke my heart. I had them for 6
months. When I first got the ferret with lymphoma she couldn't even
walk her stomach was so swollen and her legs were weak, the shelter
lady said she was glad I had the old ones because she didn't let them
out of their cages and also didn't give them their medications like she
should, in fact she told me she doesn't let her ferrets out or their
cages to play much at all. I thought this was awful for a shelter to be
doing, but was glad to have the ferrets because I felt they were better
off with me than at the shelter. I also gave them chicken baby food
with their medications so they wouldn't get an upset stomach or an
ulcer. I told the shelter this and she said she didn't give medications
with chicken baby food, she gave it with water. She also fed her
shelter ferrets Purina Healthy Kitten cat food.

When she picked up the ferrets she also took the one my sister adopted,
I asked her why and she said she was going to have the vet check her
out and I could come pick her up. When my sister called her and asked
when she could get her ferret, the shelter told her I had a very nice
set up and my place was clean, but I didn't take good care of the
ferrets, I didn't feed the right food and was also keeping her ferrets
with mine which weren't ADV tested. She said my sister couldn't have
her ferret because it was with me. I kept my sister's ferret when she
worked, so I could watch her and let her have play time with other
ferrets. I was appalled that she would say such a thing. She tested 4
of my personal ferrets and they tested negative for ADV. She said if
they were negative then the rest of mine were also.

I believed what she told me. I took the very best care possible of her
ferrets, I fed them a mixture of the Purina kitten food and the
Marshalls ferret food I feed my ferrets. I bought all the medications
except for 10 prednisone pills and one bottle of amoxicillin for the
ferrets plus the food and litter. Don't get me wrong I didn't mind at
all, I just hated for her to say things that were untrue. I don't think
it was right for her to take my sisters ferret and not give it back. I
have 14 ferrets of my own, all but one I've taken in because they were
abused, neglected or the people couldn't care for them any longer. All
my ferrets have found their forever home with me. I love each and
everyone of them and they get their play time out everyday. I have a
heated/cooled room I call my ferret room filled with tunnels, toys
and I'm constantly looking for new things for them to do. I also let
them out in my dining room and kitchen to have a new place to run and
explore. I take the best possible care of all my animals. I won't turn
any away. I'm not a shelter and everything I do for my ferrets as well
as the rest of my animals is out of pocket. Ferrets are my passion and
I know all you ferret lovers out there know what I mean.

God Bless God's Little Creatures

[Posted in FML 6585]