I just thought I would add my point of view on this topic.  I am a bit
leary of being asked personal questions for several reasons:
1) I don't like people knowing things about me unless I chose to share,
   not because some one needs to judge me.
2) like most people I know I'm not perfect.
 
I love my ferrets.  And my ferrets love me.  But from the way a lot of
decisions are made, I may get passed over as an ideal home for a ferret.
 
I am not married.
I have a five year old daughter.
I live in a two bedroom apartment.
I make about $16,000 a year.
I work around 9 - 10 hours a day.
 
Most of my answers would be a warning flag to a shelter operator.
 
First they would look at the combination of my income, my daughter (and the
strains children put on finances) and the fact that I am not married, so it
looks like I don't have any other money in my household.
 
Then they would look at my young daughter and think - hey that could be a
problem with a kid so young.  The kid might scare or hurt the ferret, and
they ferret would have to share the attention of the child.
 
Then they would look at my small living space and think, does the complex
allow ferrets?  Is there enough safe places for them to play?
 
Then I suppose my hours of work would be critsized as too long to allow
enough time for the ferret.  And I would probabally get denied for that.
Then I would have to defend myself - now who wants to be in that position?
 
I would have to explain that I have a boyfriend who makes enough money &
loves ferrets.  I would have to explain that my daughter is very good with
animals and that even though I trust her she is never alone with the
ferrets.  That I come home for a hour of playtime every day to play with my
ferrets for lunch.  And that they are out as soon as I get home and don't
go back to the cage until they are tired and they both go on their own.  I
would then feel the need to further defend myself that I am on the FML,
have a vet, do regular vaccinations and have done quite a bit of research
on my own, that I have a 3 story cage and a one story cage, plenty of
hammocks, toys, clean the litter box every day....
 
Now who wants to feel like they have to beg just to share their love and
their life with an animal in need?  I think this is where the dislike of
the understandable questions came from.  Maybe shelters should add the
disclaimer you don't have to be perfect and we aren't here to judge or
critsize you to the applications.
 
Beth, Chad, Malikah, Minerva & Frumpstiggle (the marsh wiggle)
in Denver, CO
[Posted in FML issue 2298]