>Sherry wrote:-
>Your comments about breeders make them sound like terrible monsters.  I
>know a few breeders personally, and I have read posts and visited web-sites
>of others from the lists, and I am glad to say that I personally have never
>known someone who 'put down' their ferrets for not being perfect (too big
>or too small).  I also haven't seen anyone who 'off-loaded' their ferrets
>because they weren't show standard quality.  <big snip>
 
It's a heck of lot different on this side of the pond.  The following is
taken from an article written by Mary Neale of Bedford Ferret Welfare.
 
"I have here what I believe is probably one of the first "designer ferrets"
to be abandoned.  The prospective purchaser met up with the breeder of
them at the Midland Game Fair.  When the purchaser saw the three kits his
attitude was "it's not what I ordered!" The breeder responded with, "If you
don't want them I will finish them off now!" My friend who was a witness
to this was horrified and immediately grabbed one of the little kits, the
other two were picked up by another man who was equally disgusted.  Anyway
little "Fudge" is boarding here while J is away together with the jill kit
he took on, "Biscuit".  She was the one whose legs were sellotaped to her
body and gang of yobs used her as something to toss and kick around!  She
has responded well to care although most of her fun was cut away with the
tape, and she is having the time of her life here with Fudge plus the other
4 kits."
 
You want any more 'horror' stories refer to my web pages - they are all on
there.  20 plus kits dumped in bags and boxes in a Devon lay-by.  3 kits
dumped in a taped up cardboard box in a park, discovered by dog, another
load dumped in a field alongside a busy A41 in Cheshire.  I even took in a
jill and 6 one day kits.  The woman swore blind her kids had found the jill
a couple of days previously and that she hadn't realised that the jill was
pregnant until she heard squeaking.  From the state of the cage the jill
had been kept in it more than a couple of days.
 
BTW ferrets are really cheap to buy over here.  Some years so many kits are
bred that the livestock markets refuse to take them.
 
Sheila
Bolton Ferret Welfare & Editor of The National Ferret Welfare Society.
Web Site: www.btinternet.com/~sheila/ferrets.htm  last update 28 Feb 1999
Waiting at Rainbow Bridge: Jill, Deanna Troy, Cameron, Carnath, Button,
Bill & Bobby.
[Posted in FML issue 2605]