A while ago I read a post in which a man named Roger wrote something
about licensing pet owners. When I first joined the FML (4 months ago)
I made, what I thought to be, an excellent suggestion. I suggested that
all shelters should implement a "quiz" into their adoption policies. A
quiz that would make sure the prospective owner has done their research
and is not just adopting a pet out of an impulse. A quiz that would test
the prospective owners knowledge of things including, but not limited to:
general care, common diseases/ailments, approximate average cost, a vet
they are planning to use, what food they plan to feed, where they will
purchase supplies, ferret proofing knowledge, & what it takes to make
that animal happy. Pass the quiz and your more likely to be a
responsible pet owner.
I realize that most people do not do their "impulse buying" at shelters,
but I am sure there is more than there should be that do. If pet stores
also implemented a quiz, I am pretty sure that the amount of animals
surrendered to shelters would gradually decline. If most shelters were
supported by government funds & those shelters pressed the issue of
quizzes at the pet store, the state might require quizzes at pet stores.
One problem with the quiz, at least in my area, is that the shelter
operators do not know the answers to even the basic question. (Shelter
ops- I am just talking about the people that run the shelter in my area-
they didn't know that ferrets need a litter box or soft bedding).
When I made the suggestion about the quiz 8 months ago, a shelter op
e-mailed me to say she was going to be implementing the quiz into her
adoption policy. I think that the quiz would do more good than it would
do harm. Any ideas on how to press this issue to pet stores? If
shelters would like to try a quiz, are having trouble coming up with
decent questions, why not try asking the good people of the FML for
ideas? After all, we know the ups and downs of ferrets. Don't we,
guys? Sorry about the rambling, but I think this is a good idea.
[log in to unmask]
For those fuzzies,
Dayna & Gonzo
[Posted in FML issue 4100]
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