If you are a legitimate shelter or sanctuary under attack, encourage
visitors to come meet you & your fuzzies. Allow them to take (and
post!) pictures. Answer questions honestly. Eventually, the truth
will come out.

In December of 2002, WE were referred to as collectors & hoarders, by
someone who hadn't even been here. People believed that influential
member of the ferret community--and they were ANGRY!!!

Our secretary had put 5 of our terminals on the Giving Tree. Three of
our furchildren were deliberately chosen so that Santa would not come &
accomodate a "hoarder & collector." (Chance died before Christmas &
never got his Santa--and the other two never made it until the next
year, so they never had a Santa either :(

We received dozens of poisonous emails. Over $500 worth of orders
were cancelled during our Christmas fundraiser, because people truly
believed we were frauds, & they didn`t want to support us. We became
outcasts on a ferret board I had considered "family." It really hurt.

BUT....

We invited people to come visit us--and the guests started coming. One
of the first was from the "enemy camp" Showed up 45 minutes early, &
caught me in the shower! LOL. It was a marvelous visit though. She
stayed (can't remember) seven or nine hours! She was pretty impressed
with what we did for the fuzzies. When she made a glowing post about
us, the following day, they bashed HER! LOL. This woman became a good
friend, and later joined our board of directors.

Visitors came from many states, and we made lots more friends. We were
on the front page of the local paper twice that December, complete with
pictures. The articles were heartwarming.

And the apologies started coming. It has been quite a ride.

Why am I up at 2:55 a.m.??? Taking care of another sick one. Tiz the
season...

Merry Christmas.

Love,
Zoo

[Posted in FML 6921]