Happy Holidays, 2013! Ok, it's a little early for that, but it really
is just around the corner!

Starting this year, shelters/rescues/hospices that want to be listed
on the Ferret Giving Tree must be:
* on the SOS or AFA shelter lists OR
* a 501c3 OR
* verifiable with a certified veterinarian OR
* vouched for by a shelter/rescue/hospice on the SOS or AFA lists.

All participants will be checked to ensure they qualify.

As many ferrets on the tree as possible should have a picture. Any
shelter that puts too many ferrets up without pictures may risk being
temporarily suspended or removed. So get to snapping those pics! If
you don't have a camera, ask a friend, use your camera phone, use your
friend's camera phone, just make sure you have a picture for each
ferret! That's what tends to sell the ferret to the prospective Santa!

We should be opening the tree to approve shelters in mid-October,
as usual. You will have to register again this year to be able to
participate as we refresh the database every year.

Please remember that I have access to all the information people put
into the Ferret Giving Tree database, and, therefore, can see who
requested which ferret. I am happy to help any shelter who experiences
any "bad" Santas, however, I will NOT be doing anything about "bad"
Santas unless I am specifically asked to help.

I know this may cause some hardship for certain
shelters/rescues/hospices, but after all the flack I got last year
about shelters and ferrets I approved, I decided to take this step to
help insure only legitimate groups/ferrets are placed on the Ferret
Giving Tree.

I'm hoping that this will give everyone enough time to get their
groups' name on the SOS or AFA lists.

Please let me know if you need any information or have any questions.

Thanks!

Melanee Ellis
Ferret Giving Tree Admin.

[Posted in FML 7870]