Marie wrote:
 
>Subject: Ferret Availability
>
>Alicia - I agree with you wholeheartedly!  There's no doubt in my mind that
>impulse buying is an actual phenomenon and no amount of arguing semantics or
>talking around it can convince me otherwise.  People who really want an
>animal will do the research and find a responsible breeder or rescue.
 
We have 12 ferrets, 3 of which came from breeders, 1 from the APA, 1 from a
kid going to college, and the rest from pet stores.  I would say that three
of the ones we got from pet stores were more like "rescues", as they were
older and one had actually been returned by the original buyer.
 
If people do not have access to the internet, how are they supposed to do
"research" and find a responsible breeder or rescue?  There is no listing
for "Ferrets" in the Yellow Pages.  We live in St.  Louis, a big city, and
there is one local breeder, who does not advertise.  If you know she exists,
she is listed in the phone book.  The ferret magazines periodically list
breeders and shelters by state, and I have never seen anything for Missouri.
My husband and I have started a ferret club and shelter, and the local pet
stores are referring people to us, but we don't have the resources to be in
the phone book yet.
 
Yes, a ferret or any other pet can be an impulse buy, but why is buying one
from a breeder any less impulsive (oh, look at this cute kit!) then buying
one from a pet store?  I think it would be more responsible for ferret
knowledgeable people to try to improve conditions for the ferrets in pet
stores and get them to give out information about proper care rather than
just trying to close them down altogether.
 
Sara and Kurt Petersen and the twelve resident ferrets plus one looking for
a new home
[Posted in FML issue 2006]