The shelter list maintained by me, Fran Wiles, for the AFA newsletter &
website is a RESOURCE for ferret owners. I don't claim it to be
ALL-KNOWING, TOTALLY PERFECT; nor is ANY other shelter list, including
STAR*. I could go through the STAR list & pick up on inconsistencies that I
perhaps am aware of & maybe STAR* is not, and vice-versa, but I do not have
the time to go through (nor do I really want to) 1,100 names of shelters,
breeders, contacts, vets, vendors, etc. just to pick out something that
isn't the same as the info. I have been given. I may not always be
informed of changes of info. FYI - Karen Yaremkowych's listing was correct
except for the fact that Horicon, WI had not been changed to "S.
Milwaukee". EXCUUUUUSE ME! I didn't know we were having a "shelter
resource list" competition. That is not MY intent. I provide the listing
as a service to the AFA & anyone else who needs it. I am not competing with
STAR*, believe me, I have NO desire to do this, and what purpose would it
serve anyway. I have & always will be here to help the ferret community,
but for goodness sakes, give this shelter resource list thing a rest. I
have MANY shelter ferrets currently that are requiring the major portion of
my time outside of my regular job, I don't have time for mindless squabbles
about whose list is more correct. I am SICK of defending the fact that my
shelter list is "inferior" to STAR*'s, as I said, I didn't know it was a
competition.
As for "reinventing the wheel", think of it this way: Because one person
invented the automobile, does that mean we all drive one kind of car, no one
ever made a different one & there should not be more than one kind of car?
Am I not allowed to have a shelter list??? I didn't know I was committing a
crime by maintaining one. I applaud STAR*'s efforts. Congratulations on a
very useful resource listing that helps the ferret community. But as I
stated in a private post to STAR*, if my small shelter listing helps even
one person, then it is worth the time & effort I do have to put forth in
producing/maintaining that list for the AFA. STAR* may benefit from the AFA
list (as stated in STAR*'s post) by finding a resource on it that STAR* does
not have. GREAT!!! Someone may have contacted me & not contacted STAR*, or
vice versa. At least someone found the source & added it to their list. Is
this bad??? I don't think so. Get back to what we all do all this hard
work for - FERRETS - & we can all take care of our little corners of the
world in harmony - not bickering & finger-pointing. I like MY list just the
way it is - even if it isn't 100% accurate all the time. I get very few
complaints about it. Thank you. I may not have as much time as STAR* does
to update my listings as often due to my busy load at the shelter, but the
ferrets under my care must come first. I do the list for the AFA in any
time I have that isn't taken up by geriatric ferret care, ferret pickups,
vet visits, ferret adoption appts., vaccinating, etc. etc. I care for an
avg. 35 to 75 ferrets at ALL times. If anyone knows what this is like, I
don't have to explain/defend what I am doing.
Sorry for the nature of this post - but I had to say this on my own behalf.
Sincerely - Fran & the fuzzies in PA (home e-mail: [log in to unmask])
Fran Wiles - [log in to unmask]
NCI/FCRDC, Work Planning & Control Dept., FME
Voice: (301)846-1071 Fax: (301)846-6154
[Posted in FML issue 1897]
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