If you don't have a local ferret shelter or your local ferret shelter
doesn't have ferrets up for adoption and other area shelters are too
far away, please consider checking other options such as local dog/cat
shelters, newspaper ads, craigslist, etc.
I'll go out on a limb and guess that if someone posts to the FML
looking for ferrets to add to their family and the general area they
are located, they might hear from shelters in that area that have
adoptable ferrets.
I didn't understand the anger expressed in the post from this weekend.
I may have interpreted the post in a different manner than was
intended as that is easy to do with posts.
If a shelter doesn't get back to someone that can offer a loving
responsible forever home to one of their ferrets, then it is that
shelter's loss. I do understand the frustration of not getting a
response. I do not know either party, and there may be other factors
that contributed that we aren't aware of in this particular situation.
Many ferret shelters are home shelters. The shelter operators may have
immediate family issues as well. Most are regular people with families
to take care of, may have a regular outside of the home job to work,
regular day to day activities, and also operate a home based ferret
shelter so their time can be stretched beyond limits and some things
may get put on the back burner. They might be dealing with a critical
or terminally ill ferret or sick family member. I know with Jester this
last week, even the normal tasks seemed enormous, and my energy was
drained. During this time I had several calls come in, which I did
return, with effort and perhaps not as timely, because Jester was my
priority.
A shelter caretaker may give reasons/excuses when not wanting to adopt
out ferrets, but that doesn't necessarily make them a hoarder. On not
adopting out adrenal/diseased ferrets, if the shelter can provide all
the necessary and loving care (as in a home environment), that is one
less worry for that shelter caretaker. Many people turn ferrets into
shelters when the ferrets are sick or old or too much trouble. After
dealing with this type of behavior and seeing how devastating it is
to the ferrets, it can make trusting people to do the right thing
difficult. Some people can be deceiving just to get what they want
regardless of how it affects anyone else.
If a shelter has 10 ferrets and doesn't want to adopt the little ones
out, that doesn't necessarily make them a hoarder. Someone who runs a
shelter may have ferrets too. Ten ferrets when well taken care of and
all their needs are met doesn't make one a hoarder, if they are running
a shelter or not. Some shelters have many more ferrets and don't
deserve to be labeled hoarder.
If there is a true issue of hoarding and the animals are at risk,
please contact other ferret shelters for help. As a community we can
do wonderful things to help ferrets.
tle
www.ferretfamilyservices.org
[Posted in FML 7757]
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