>From:    Mark Zmyewski <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Reply to Zen and others about "Shelters hating people"
>I am not sure just how the Killians run their shelter, maybe we should
>try to visit them sometime, but "scaling back" their shelter work due to
>"medical problems" concerns me since they do not believe in the fostering
>system.
 
We haven't turned away a ferret ever.  But we do tend to point people
toward whatever shelter is closest to them (or a list of close shelters in
cases like Northern Virginia.
 
I'll tell Diane you expressed concern for her illness.  Seems more
appropriate anyway.  No need to "compare diseases".
 
And by all means if you are near the top of Virginia give us a call so we
can tell you how to find our little haven on the back side of the mountain.
 
We do not believe in fostering.  If someone wants to adopt a ferret, great.
If they only want the fun part and aren't actually accepting the long term
hard part then we really don't want them to have the ferrets that are our
wards.  We'll accept all the responsibilty.
 
>In my eyes, there is no "scaling back".
 
To explain the term scaling back.  We have bred only one litter of ferrets
this year - not expecting others but they could happen as some jills might
go back in to season.  We live way out in the middle of nowhere on the back
side of a mountain.  Despite living way out there is another
breeder/shelter person in the area.  Our area is so lightly populated (by
east coast standards anyway) that we have been able to reduce our work load
and still provide for all the ferrets in need that we find out about.  THe
lower population density is a prime reason we moved where we did.
 
>From:    [log in to unmask]
>Subject: volunteering at shelters
>I agree that the foster placement should be permanent.  Maybe a better
>screening on the future foster parents.  I started with fostering. Finding
>foster homes would be #1 on my list of what a volunteer can do.  The
>ferrets that would go to foster homes, are basically unadoptable, old or
>ill ferrets.
 
Perhaps we have a problem with differences of opinions on what it means to
foster.  I think Faith and I have the same idea but use different words.
If its permanent I call it an adoption.  If its not permanent I call it a
foster and do not support the concept for the most part.  I'm sure special
circumstances can be construed where I might agree to a temporary placing
but not as much as some seem to practice.
 
If Faith is meaning finding folks willing to (my term) adopt special needs
ferrets means you have to use a different means to place them thats fine
and expected.  We usually have some oldster ferret of our own running
around that ends up with a new roomie when we get a really old ferret in.
We consider them permanently placed with us.  We ended up having one old
lady move in with us from another shelter after an adoption event.  We and
the other shelter mutually agreed that since that old lady would have a
good home and a roomie of "similar energy level", she just stayed.  We
didn't call it fostering as she was permament.
 
We just think that once placed that ferret is out of the shelter and we
don't use them to increase the number of ferrets "in our shelter".  But
then we don't have similar needs to many for donations.
 
-bill
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2741]