>From:    "Ferret Aid Society..." <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Bad Shelter Mom...
 
That's right, that's right, foster parents are BAAAAAAD MOTHERS!  (& DADDIES
too) in the best respect.  & it's really sad that there aren't more like us.
How many people do you know that would take in the terminally sick, old,
unwanted (usually from irresponsible owners because THEY don't have the
time) & problem cases.
 
Most foster parents work full time & foster work is their other full time
job.  Foster homes give up most of their free time.  They open their homes
to lost, unwanted, & discarded, not to mention the gamut of strangers who
come to see ferrets for adoption.  They do the extra cage cleaning, laundry,
transporting, vet visits, & nursing for the ferrets in their care.  They
spend hours on the phone interviewing potential parents & fear that
everything they've worked for could be in vain, agonizing over whether
they've made the right decision in an adoption.  Foster parents love their
wards as if they were their own & suffer the pain of their loss when they
die in their arms.
 
Foster homes afford unwanted pets a place, many times permanently, where
they are cared for & safe.  Without foster homes what would happen to
unwanted ferrets?  Most of them would die.  Like cats & dogs, many would be
dumped on the street to be killed either by cars, other animals, or
inevitable starvation.  With the outrageous numbers of unwanted dogs & cats,
most animal control & humane organizations are neither equipped or willing
to accept ferrets.  Whether or not they want to, many animal control &
humane orgs kill most ferrets that are turned in when there are no ferret
rescues/shelters to take them off their hands.
 
And where does the money come from to care for orphaned ferrets?  Most
operate mostly out-of-pocket & do what they can.  Yes, & sometimes they beg.
Take a moment & figure out - for just 1 ferret - just what it cost you to
set up a cage & supplies, food, vet visit & vaccinations.  Now consider the
time you spend giving your fuzzy out-time, cleaning the cage, cleaning up
after them, doing their laundry, bathing, & cutting nails.  Foster homes
multiply that cost & effort by 2, 5, 10, 20, 200 - you get the idea.
 
Anyone can help to make a foster situation better.  Every little bit helps.
It's the little things that bring joy to a foster parent's heart.  Like the
phone call from someone you adopted to so long ago.   Or "What can I do to
help?"   "Keep the change...," "I brought some baby blankets...,"  "Here's
some food...for the fuzzies." (You all know who you are - thank you from the
bottom of my heart.)  You can share in a foster parent's elation when that
skinny little ball of fur recovers from near-death.  You can feel when a
foster parent's eyes well with tears because that special individual has
fallen head-over-heals in love w/that little old fuzzy that's been in foster
care for so long.
 
It would be a dream come true for a foster parent if the day came when they
were told they didn't have to do it any more, because all the of the
homeless are now with loving families.
 
All of you bad foster parents out there who go without sleep & divide your
time & resources as best you can... stand up & be counted.
 
LONG LIVE KODO
 
Juliana
Frodo, Rocks, Anola Gay, SNAFU, FUBAR, Tabu,
Chaos, Tuxedo, Bijou, Fiasco, & Dazzle
[Posted in FML issue 2100]