To those of you who let me know about the Ann Landers comments, thank you
very much.  Here is my response for CFL.  If you plan to write, please do
so, but remember she may not be so prejudiced as ignorant.  Ann's comments
can still be viewed at:
 
http://www2.startribune.com/cgibin/stOnLine/article?thisStory=3D60693368
 
Ann Landers
P.O. Box 11562
Chicago, IL  60611-0562
 
Dear Ann,
 
I was very disappointed with your response to a recent writer from
California who had his pet ferrets confiscated by the Department of Fish
and Game.  Your answer appeared to be based on the premise that every law
is good, valid, and therefore worthy of our respect.  History (the civil
rights struggle, internment of Japanese citizens during WWII), and even a
cursory look at the ferret ban in California, tells us not only that this
is not so.  We must always be vigilant of the boundaries of good
government-- lest it become bad government.
 
I thought I would take a moment to let you know that ferrets are
domesticated family pets, legal in every other state on the continent, and
virtually every country in the world.  Like dogs and cats, they were first
domesticated in Europe or Asia and brought here with this country=92s
earliest settlers some 200 years ago.  This long tenure has revealed some
interesting facts:
 
Domesticated ferrets are not responsible for swamping humane facilities as
have dogs and cats (most are altered prior to sexual maturity and are
therefore never bred).  Ferrets are not responsible for some 800,000 visits
to the hospital each year by dog bite victims (statistics from Centers for
Disease Control show they are 200 times less likely to bite on a per capita
animal basis than are dogs).  Ferrets are not responsible for killing
millions of small wild animals as feral cats do across the country each
year (50 state departments of Fish and Game report no feral ferrets in
their state).
 
Please do not misunderstand my comments.  I love all animals and do not
intend to inflame any emotions against cats or dogs.  I simply want to put
this diminutive and delicate pet in its proper perspective: The
domesticated ferret should not be vilified, it should not be banned.  Nor
should it be promoted over another domesticated pet-- that decision is a
family or individual decision and should be made on unbiased, factual
information, not pet store hype.
 
California's ferret ban makes about as much sense, and is about as
effective, as a dog ban in Delaware or a cat ban in Colorado.  The
Department of Fish and Game's own 1989 estimate of 500,00 ferrets in
California is the most compelling testament to the simple tenet that a law
has to be reasonable to be obeyed.  This may have been one reason why a
bill to legalize ferrets in California passed the Assembly by a landslide
and bi-partisan 64-8 vote!
 
Thank you for allowing me to shed some light on our struggle to allow
Californians to do what the rest of the country can do with impunity:
love their pets openly and without fear of persecution.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jeanne Carley
Co-Founder
 
P.S.  I am enclosing a USDA letter classifying ferrets as domesticated, a
recent article in the SF Chronicle regarding dog bites, and some
information about the ferret's inability to survive outdoors.
[Posted in FML issue 2502]