While not to rain on the idea of having ferrets specifically legal in
Minneapolis, my understanding of the struggle over ferrets in that city
is that they are NOT currently illegal, as much as the city would like
to insist that they are.  The city has lost at least one lawsuit, and I
believe more, because of actions the city took while claiming ferrets were
illegal.  That note aside, I strongly object to the disparity of fees
between ferrets and cats & dogs.  Ferrets should not be licensed at the
$20 fee unless they are unneutered.  While it should not be done in so
confrontational a manner as to jeopardize having ferrets legal in writing,
someone needs to ask that question of the city.  I recommend to you folks
that live in the Minneapolis area to get copies of the proposed changes
from the city, review it, and be sure to let your council members know
about your concerns.  The earlier in the process you get the proposal, the
more time you'll have to get your input included.  In Fort Worth ferrets
were legalized in 1998.  Unfortunately, what boils down to a quite liveable
ordinance is a mess in writing.  They had a tremendous number of errors in
the proposal (i.e.-- quarantine period for a biting ferret listed in two
different places, once at 30 days and the other at 10 days).  Despite
trying for two weeks, I didn't figure out how to get a copy until the day
before the council meeting.  I documented the errors and oversights (they
intended to issue ferret licenses, but failed to mention them like they
did the cat and dog licenses) and e-mailed my concerns to my city council
member.  Blessedly she was responsive, and the worst of the errors got
corrected in the council meeting the next morning, but there are still
several bumps in a code that properly written would have been a perfect
guide to which to refer other local cities where legalization is needed.
For comparison, fees for a neutered dog, cat, or ferret license are $7 a
year, $12 for unneutered.  With the fee schedule treating ferrets
differently, I'd be concerned about how else they may treat ferrets
differently.  Good luck, you guys!
 
Debra in Fort Worth
[Posted in FML issue 2935]