Yes, it's almost time! All you shelter/rescues/sanctuaries start
snapping pictures of your fur babies to put on the tree! Also, write
up something nice for the people to read!

We will open the new and improved Ferret Giving Tree on October 1 for
shelters, etc. to register and start posting their wards. Lynn has done
a tremendous job of fixing up some cool things on the Tree for this
year, so please make sure you check those out when you go to visit the
Tree!

Please REMEMBER to wait until you receive the Activation Notice before
you try to put ferrets on the Tree!

One new thing this year is a Ferret Census. On the Registration page,
at the very bottom it asks Animals in Shelter. Since we all know this
is a FERRET Giving Tree, please put a number so we can get an idea of
how many ferrets are in shelters around the world. This may be
eye-opening information we can send to ferret farms to inform them just
how many ferrets are being cared for in shelters! So, please remember
to add that information when you register!

Because we had some issues last year with complaints about certain
shelters/rescues, we would like to make sure we are only getting
legitimate groups participating. If you are not on the FML or SOS list,
then you will probably get a call from me requesting a contact (like a
vet office) to verify your legitimacy. Please don't take this the wrong
way! I am not trying to be mean or single out anyone in particular, but
please understand that the tree gets a ton of attention and I don't
want it to get out of control. Let's keep it friendly and happy!

I'm sure this year we will have as many if not more ferrets as we had
last year. You will be able to start taking ferrets from the Tree on
November 1. If you have questions about the Tree or if you need help
getting registered, please email [log in to unmask] and we'll
get you the help you need.

Thank you in advance to everyone who will be participating, whether
you're a shelter or a Santa, it's going to be a great Christmas!

Melanee Ellis
Ferret Giving Tree Administrator

[Posted in FML 6834]