>From:    Lauren Yeany <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferret Sitters and Ferret Snobs
>*Anne Ryan-
>>"...as the last thing that I have time to do is ooh and ahh over some baby
>>ferret from Marshall Farms (smelly, bitey, whiney and not box trained, not
>>to mention a possible ECE threat)."
(snip)
>Just because an animal from a pet store doesn't mean they are any less
>important and any less deserving of a good home than one from a shelter
>or private breeder!! You, maam, are a Ferret Snob.
 
Lauren, take a look at the source before you go calling people names.  Anne
Ryan has been running a clean, well-organized shelter for several years
now; she is an intelligent, informed individual who cares very deeply for
every ferret that crosses her path.
 
I took her comments with a grain of salt, tipped off by the subject of the
letter, "I just need to vent..."
 
Obviously she was not calling all MF ferrets "smelly", etc.  She was
voicing her frustration at the cycle of the pet industry in which tiny
adorable (and yes, untrained, nippy, and possibly ECE-infected) ferrets are
stocked in retail outlets and marketed toward uninformed consumers.  When
those people become overwhelmed by the complexity and expense associated
with caring for a ferret those helpless little animals end up at HER house,
sometimes in good condition, sometimes after having been mistreated or
dumped from family to family.
 
Talk to her and you'll get an eye-opening array of sad stories.  Twice this
year, the Fuzztek Shelter has had to close its doors because the number of
incoming ferrets had just become overwhelming.
 
This past Sunday I was blessed with a rambunctious little fuzzball named
"Kaos" (since renamed "Brickbat").  Her owner couldn't care for her anymore
and she was fortunate enough to end up at the Fuzztek Shelter.
 
She has two blue dots on her ear so you can probably guess her story.
 
-mel
(with Kili, Bumblebee, Seymore, & Brickbat)
 
P.S. I *highly* recommend adopting from a reputable shelter over purchasing
from a pet store.  I saw Brickbat's adult personality in action and knew
what I was getting into!  (Well, except for her habit of wrestling with
ping-pong balls... but, hey.)
[Posted in FML issue 2462]