I am so discouraged.
 
The sheer volume of unwanted ferrets here (Las Vegas) has put two
shelters right out of business.  And just today the manager at my
local PetsMart tells me they are about to join the PetCos, Petlands
and private shops offering ferrets for sale.
 
I am currently embattled with their adoption program in an attempt to
get shelter ferrets back into one of their stores on a full time basis.
It was done for a couple of years before, and another of their 'adoption
partners' brings in all kinds of pets, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs,
etc.  etc, etc, in addition to cats, and leaves them there for the
employees to tend to as part of their in house cat program.  They don't
clean up, even take the cats out of the carriers, nothing.  The walk in
with the cats in carriers, set them at the door and leave.  The place is
a sty.  Urine on the floor, litter under the cages, hair and dirt every
where.
 
I bring ferrets for adoption in on the weekends when I have adoptable
ferrets and volunteers - which is rare.  Rare for me to have adoptables,
I run a hospice, and as rare to have volunteers.  I work weekends so its
hard for me to be two places at once.  Despite the difficulties, I have
an excellent reputation with store personnel as dependable, helpful and
CLEAN!  When I asked the manager about the situation she said it was out
of her hands.
 
Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
 
We fought this fight about a year ago.  Does anyone still have the
contact information for the person in PetsMart management who was really
working with the ferret community back then and who gave us assurances
ferrets wouldn't be offered for sale where they were available for
adoption or some similar assurances?
 
Its my belief we are currently euthanizing several hundred ferrets a
year here.  The shelters here have been taking in about 400 a year for
the last several years and with them gone, those ferrets are hitting
the local dog pounds.  Not even the SPCA will keep them here.
 
I intend this week to attempt to get hard numbers from the local pounds,
but without knowing who to send the numbers to I'm beating my head
against a wall.  Truth told I probably am anyway, but I gotta try.
 
I'll check the FML archives as I can, but this poor little computer has
serious issues and most days I'm lucky to get to read my mail.
 
I am so upset.  Anyone with the info please contact me, feel free to do
so on or off list, and put ferret or some such in the subject line.
 
Thanks.
 
Sincerely,
Brenda, Momma to the FurpeopleWeyr
http://pages.prodigy.net/furpeopleweyr/index.html
[Posted in FML issue 5318]