A young girl in Hamilton had a monkey as a pet.  Hamilton officials found
out about it and tried to take the monkey off of her.  The girl (and her
Mom) took the case to court, and the girl won...she still has her monkey.
At least, i believe this is how it all went...but, that's the gist of it.
My point is...i don't believe the "officials" can just come into your home
and take your pet from you.  You have the right to fight for your pets
rights, don't you?
 
Now, (let me make this clear) this is not to say that i think those of you
who live in London should go ahead and "dare" officials to take your ferret,
just so you can go to court, but i do think you should do something.
 
Megan's idea of calling from a pay-phone is a good one for those who are
particularly worried about being tracked down.  Maybe, writing a letter
without a return address is another idea.  But, do you really think that
your City Councilman would call Animal Control to say, "I think that a
person who called me from this certain phone number (which i got from my
call display) may very well have a ferret.  They didn't say they did, but
they were asking about the by-law...so maybe you should check it out"?  i
know that sounds ridiculous, and you may not want to take the chance, but i
hope you will do something.
 
If you are interested in finding out just what your rights are in this area,
and just how much power Animal Control has, maybe the Ontario Court
(Provincial Division) could help (that number is given out on the flyer from
London Animal Control).  It is...660-3013.  Again, you could call from a
pay-phone.
 
Good luck
and, Megan, NO OFFENSE TAKEN (how could i?)
 
Norma-ann,
President of SOFA,
and Mom to Molly, Leo, and Maggie.
[Posted in FML issue 1543]