>Many points have been made during this discussion, some very good on both
>sides, some way off the deep end.  But one point I've not seen made is the
>fact that if it weren't for pet stores, how many of us would have gotten
>our first ferret?  Not me.  I didn't know anything about them until I saw
>them at one.  I didn't find out that shelters exsisted until I had already
>owned four fuzzies.
 
I'm glad you brought that point up, Sherry.  I'm another person who
wouldn't have gotten my first ferret if not for pet stores.  When I got
Zorro, my first, I knew there must be ferret breeders somewhere, but had no
idea where to find one, and I had no idea that ferret shelters existed at
all.  And then there's also the fact that some people just aren't near a
shelter and/or breeder.  Luckily, the store where I bought Zorro (and I
wish I could remember the name...although I don't recall seeing another
store with that name anywhere else, so I don't think it was a chain) kept
the ferrets in excellent conditions and the sales personnel were
knowledgeable.  I also recall seeing a sign that said they sold only
puppies and kittens from local breeders and not from puppy and kitten
mills, so I was impressed by that.  Unfortunately, I think it's going to
be a fact of life that some pet stores will continue to sell animals.
Given this, I think we should strive to see that those pet stores that do
sell animals adhere to certain standards through both legislation and
education.
 
Education should be the first recourse.  If someone goes into a pet store
and sees ferrets (or any animal, for that matter) being kept in poor
conditions, they should ask to speak to someone in charge and politely
point out the problem and let them know how to remedy it.  If that doesn't
work, or if the animal is in a situation that presents an IMMEDIATE threat
to its health and safety, report the store to the local animal authorities.
Find out what your local laws are regarding the requirements of pet stores
in regards to the health and safety of the animals they sell, and if those
laws don't cut it, try to have them strengthened.  In an ideal world,
everyone would acquire their pets from either a shelter or a reputable
breeder, but unfortunately this isn't an ideal world, and as long as there
ARE stores that sell animals, we should make sure that if those stores
don't voluntarily adhere to certain health and safetey standards, they
should be required to do so by law.
 
Regarding the issue of Modern Ferret with Playboy model Tiffany Taylor on
the cover, I have to say that I found nothing objectionable about the issue
at all.  As others have pointed out, Ms. Taylor did not appear nude, and
there was nothing in the article that I found out of place in a family
magazine.  The article wasn't about Ms. Taylor posing for Playboy, it was
about Ms. Taylor's love for her ferrets, something we all share.  One thing
that bothers me (although luckily I haven't seen it occurring on this
list) is the implication that if a person poses nude, they are somehow
automatically a bad person, and I think that the article with Ms. Taylor
proves that thought to be untrue.  Anyone with such an obvious love for
her pets is not a bad person.
 
Also, I think the fact that Ms. Taylor is a celebrity of sorts will provide
some positive exposure for the ferret community.  First of all, her picture
on the cover might prompt a few people to pick up Modern Ferret out of
simple curiosity and end up being hooked on ferrets.  Second, it might
encourage other celebrity ferret owners to speak up about their own pets.
That would mean that not only would we other ferret owners learn more about
celebrities who own ferrets, the rest of the world would see that people of
all types own ferrets.  It looks to me like a win-win situation all around.
Just my two cents.
 
Dooks,
Lisa
Mom of Zorro, Claudia, Loki, Fezzik, and Crysin
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"When you say words a lot they don't mean anything. Or
maybe they don't mean anything anyway, and we just think
they do."
        --Delirium of the Endless
          in "Brief Lives," by Neil Gaiman
[Posted in FML issue 2681]