>From:    Josephine Hansen
>Subject: adoptions and shelters
>The tougher the screening the better for the ferrets!  and i mean really
>Tough!  ... the shelter ferrets have been given a second chance, and life
>at the shelter is many times better that a bad family life, and i think
>that this is one of the things a shelter should handle by their gut
>feelings and at their own disscretion!
 
I'd like readers to rethink this one - and here is why.
 
We as shelter operators take everything personally based on the visual -
what the ferret looked like when it came in makes us think of how well it
was cared for; what the people's attitude on visiting our facility/home
makes us think whether they will understand the ferret; etc.
 
We need to give every family a chance at adopting from us as shelters
because:
1. We can educate them much better knowing the ferret they are taking home,
 
2. We can make it easy and guilt free to return a ferret if they discover
this is NOT the pet for them - charge an adoption fee half of what the
local pet shops charge for kits, offer a 30 day "no questions asked" refund
policy, and if the ferret is not going to make it as a member of the
family, it will be returned (not sold or given away) and they will probably
NOT go out to a pet shop and try another ferret.
 
3. Refusing to adopt from your shelter results in those people just going
to a pet shop and buying a ferret, then if they decide they don't want it,
they resell it or dump it on your shelter.  Wouldn't you rather just have
your ferret back and not an additional one?  Who knows how well it was
trained in the time they had it.  Now you have more work.
 
I realize there will be exceptions to the above items, but in general, the
ferret IS better off in a home than in the shelter.  I'm down to a dozen
personal ferrets and I'm so happy to only have 6 cages to clean (7 or 8
when I have adoptees - I am now a limited care facility).  I used to have
close to 40 cages set up on a permanent basis.
 
I've done the 30 days money back guarantee and I've never had a ferret
returned in a condition that threatened its life.  30 days is plenty of
time to decide if this is a pet a family really wants, and the worst you
are out is a reprieve of a month while someone ELSE gives care to the
ferret.
 
Got lots of older ferrets?  Have some small extra cages?  Try Adopt
One / Save Another ferret pairs.  If a family has more than one kid, and
one is adopting a ferret, offer to let them have the older ferret and a
cage for the other child (assuming the age of the child is responsible) -
FREE.  If the older ferret needs medical attention, it can come back to the
shelter and the shelter will take it to the vet.  Know what happens?  Many
people get attached and take care of the ferret themselves, and those that
don't/won't, well, you still have the ferret covered as if it were still in
the shelter, only now it is getting personal attention.
 
Have some ill ferrets?  Work with your vet's staff on taking a ferret home
for training purposes.  You will be the one on call if they can't reach the
vet.  Vet staff get discounts too, and many times the vet will take a peek
free of charge for staff.  Make lots of friends and training opportunities
in your city with visiting ALL the local vets with ill ferret care
opportunities.  The more vets you train, the better it will be for all the
ferrets in your area.
 
Adoption fees - according to my annual survey, they are not high enough
on average.  As I said before, fees should be half the going price of pet
shops.  If you have not raised your adoption fee in two years - DO IT AS
OF JANUARY 1ST!  It should be around $70 or hike it up at least 10 percent.
If we all do it at once, we can't be argued with.
 
You all wanted suggestions - here are some good ones.
 
Pam Troutman
Shelters That Adopt & Rescue Ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 2517]