I'm going to climb out on a limb and say that Bob Church was spot on with
regards to ferret shelters.
 
I volunteer with the Cascade Ferret Network, a ferret shelter that utilizes
foster homes for as many ferrets in the network as possible rather than
having a single (or several) large gathering of ferrets in any one place.
 
From what I read, Bob's comments were based upon his observations of the
many, many ferret shelters he's visited in his travels across the US.
Some of his comments may have been generalizations, but I have personally
visited some shelters which his "generalizations" fit to a tee.
 
I didn't see Bob's comments as an attack on every (or any specific)
shelter, but rather on the way in which the typical shelter is run.  I saw
his message as an attempt to get shelter operators to reflect on how we can
make conditions better for the ferrets.
 
I know the Cascade Ferret Network suffers from some of the problems Bob
talked about in his article, and he has prompted us to make changes to
improve our conditions.  We never turn away ferrets, and sometimes we end
up with way too many ferrets in one place at a time.  Our solution will be
to solicit the local ferret community for more foster parents.  We are also
working to provide more education up front for potential ferret owners.  If
someone calls us with no clue about ferret care (or worse yet, incorrect
information), then we will offer them our time (in exchange for their time)
to give them the correct information.  We keep the adoption form simple,
and we clearly state the required level of care for the ferrets in the
adoption agreement as well as require the ferret be brought back to us if
the owners can no longer provide for it.
 
We know we'll be doing things right when we have only recent arrivals in
the main coordination facility, where ferrets spend a week in quarantine,
and the rest are in foster homes, or better yet, in their permanent homes.
 
We've never had a problem arranging for adoptions from the foster homes -
as part of the preliminary phone interview we find out the type of ferret
the people are looking for, and simply arrange for the foster ferrets to be
brought into the main facility for that appointment.
 
I want to thank Bob for giving us a slap up the side of the head and
knocking us out of the "but this is the way ferret shelters operate"
mindset that we suffer from.
 
Leonard Bottleman       [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2514]