I logged onto the new forum mentioned in the 12/04/07 FML. There's a
message from Lori that gives more accounting information, although no
where near what is necessary in this situation. She mentioned that
paperwork is not a priority. I understand paperwork has to come last,
but the ferrets were all gone from Lori's place at the end of October,
leaving some 4 weeks to go back over the paperwork.

My comments follow each item from Lori's message and my comments are
flagged with an asterisk:

Ohio Ferret Rescue Expenses 9/16/07 - 12/3/07
* Last I heard was that by the third week in October, only 40+ ferrets
remained at Lori's place. So why the accounting to 12/03/07?

Food & Litter 3,412.28
* I can't come to this figure for 586 ferrets for 4 weeks. ???

Hotels 303.69
* This figure actually seems small for as many people as have said they
went down to help. Which people were reimbursed and why?

Housing for ferrets 6,761.18: (includes ice, repair cages, ferretproof
building, get ferrets off the floor)
* With so many people sending what must have totaled tons of supplies,
and people reporting that piles of cages, bedding and other items went
unused and sat in the yard, how in the world did this figure come
about? Oh, right."alternate building." Yesterday was the first I heard
about another building being purchased/rented/otherwise obtained.???
And what of this property.to follow I read that the building will be
rented out. ??? Property obtained with rescue funds to house ferrets
for a month.then what?

Other 786.96
* ???

Paid Workers 5,380.00
* I have to say, this figure galls me. Paid workers? Truly shocking.
And $5000 worth of paid labor? What on earth for? Sorry, but part of
planning to take on hundreds of ferrets means organizing the necessary
labor to handle the situation. If it can't be handled, then it
shouldn't be attempted.

Supplies 2,197.80
* Over and above the "Housing for ferrets" expense total above? What
for? Again, an amazing amount of ferrets but they were only at Lori's
place for a month? And with piles of supplies in the yard not being
used, people being told when they arrive the supplies they busted ass
to bring down aren't needed?

Telephone 85.78

Transportation 8,387.96
* Far too big a figure to not be broken down. I've read a few stories
from people and Shelters that took supplies and picked up ferrets, and
each trek was funded by the private individuals or the Shelters.

Trash 1,410.00
* What, in trash bags? Or were fees paid to landfill for the DMK cages
or something (which I could imagine might be needed)

Vet 13,964.44
* And of course, here's the rub. As repeated in the 12/04/07 FML, we
have yet to hear from any shelter that was given money for vet care.
And since each shelter was responsible for all the medical costs for
the ferrets, what vet costs could Lori have possibly incurred?

Volunteers Meals 2,190.34
* Seems like feeding the volunteers is a good idea, but how many people
volunteered, what was reimbursed/paid for versus paying people to work?

Overall Total $44,880.43
* And of course, once again, this list seems to represent that Lori has
had this much in expenses, which we know isn't the case. Where's the
breakout of expenses, where's the detail for all the shelters involved?
Where is even a mention of any other shelter or private individual
being involved at all? Amazing.

And I must say I was actually surprised to read today that folks at
least believe that some of the intact ferrets went to private breeders
to continue breeding. ?!?!?

You know, I guess in the end it really doesn't matter. If people
donated without knowing more about where their money was going, then
that's their issue. As I mentioned in my last post, I hope PetSmart has
demanded a proper accounting for their spectacular donation. For the
rest of us Shelters, we can and should do better when we face crisis.
If indeed $44,000+ has been spent by Lori and she is trying to obtain
that amount, she clearly isn't going to get there. The collective
"we" are trying to insist on better accounting, which should lead
to additional support. But if she chooses not to do any better in
accounting for this situation, then that's her issue, really. We should
all take note to always understand the organization our donations are
supporting, or understand how our dollars will be used for a specific
initiative.

Nanci
Motor City Ferrets
www.motorcityferrets.org

[Posted in FML 5811]