I thought I would bring to the attention of the FML two recent items that
are disturbing to me.  First; Associated Press reported that officials of
Burlington Coat Factory have recalled, and apologized for selling coats
trimmed with dog fur.  They explained they thought the trim was actually
coyote fur, as if that was OK.  For those interested, the story can be read
at http://www.wews.com.  A companion story of an undercover investigation
by the Humane Society into dog and cat fur trade can be read at
http://www.hsug.org.  Burlington officials can be reached at
[log in to unmask]
 
Second; I recently saw a commercial on TV that went something like this: We
want you to remember our company name, so we are going to shoot at gerbil
out of this cannon, through the O in our company logo.  Cut to large sign
showing logo of Outpost.com, with the O being a hole.  A live gerbil is
then loaded into a cannon and fired at the sign.  Naturally it misses the
hole, hits the wall, and falls to the floor.  This is repeated several
times until finally the gerbil flies through the hole.  The narrator then
states that complaints can be lodged at Outpost.com.  I later read an
article in the 12/18 edition of Entertainment Weekly, page 60, quoting
Cliff Freeman from the ad agency that made the commercial proudly reporting
feedback to the ad has been 65% pro.  The author states no gerbils were
harmed while making the commercial.  The article shows a picture of a hand
holding an animal with the caption "Habitrailblazer An Outpost flying
rodent".  Ironically, the photo appears to be a ferret, not a gerbil.
Maybe ferrets are next.  Outpost.com has an upcoming ad showing a marching
band attacked by a pack of wolves.
 
If anyone comes across the name of the ad agency, please post it.
Outpost.com can be reached at [log in to unmask] or at 1-877-688-7678.
 
Ben Herr
 
[Moderator's note: Was very close to rejecting the post based upon it not
being ferret-related until I saw the reference to a ferret there.  (My
mailbox is already overflowing with dog coat posts from other lists.)
Please keep any replies to the ferret issue, not the dog or gerbil issues.
Thanks.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2527]