Trudi -
 
My objection to Betty's original post has nothing to do with whether or
not shelters should act in good faith towards the the people who entrust
their animals to them.  Absolutely they should treat all parties involved
with the utmost respect possible.  I would not support a group who I felt
did otherwise.
 
What I take issue with is the fact that Betty made a public posting that
is potentially damaging to another organization without doing any sort of
investigation into the situation.  (Her original post did state that she
had only heard one side of the story).  It's one thing for Joe Q Public
to do that, but as an official representative of a legitimate
organization she should know to dot her i's and cross her t's first.
Instead she starts making conclusions based on little information and
casts those into the court of public opinion for debate.
 
I have stuck my neck out because I am tired of watching one individual
repeatedly try to muddy the names of group of well meaning individuals.
When you see things posted on websites, quoted in the press, and posted
on public mailing lists that are so obviously slanted and intended to
cause harm to people you care about eventually your resolve to "leave
well enough alone" starts to crumble.
 
I'm not debating the particulars of the supposed case as I am not
directly involved with FRES's fostering program, although I do know the
people who organize and run it.  It is foolish to debate a case based on
conjecture and hearsay, especially when only one side of the story has
been brought forward.
 
To my knowledge, FRES has dealt in good faith with all of its surrenders
and adoption situations.  FRES wants only to build a quality foster
program and educate the public about ferrets, etc.  There is a lot of
effort being put forward by its membership to make this happen.  There
are organizations whose approach is questionable, but from what I have
seen FRES is one of the good ones.
 
Be well,
Lorraine
(A proud supporter of FRES --The Ferret Rescue and Education Society)
[Posted in FML issue 3931]