In yesterday's response to my initial post, there were some interesting
ideas.  The reason I posted was partially to encourage other points of
view, so I'm glad that somebody gave theirs.  Yes, we are very lucky that
ferret shelters don't euthanize ferrets the way dog/cat shelters do.
Thank God for that.
 
I am also aware that asking for people to have a license to buy a ferret
can indeed make a ferret look like a weird and exotic pet.  The intent
of my idea wasn't to punish people who already had ferrets or to police
everyone out there who has them by checking if they have permits.  I even
admitted in my post that what I was proposing was probably a fantasy.  I
guess I am really trying to say that if the potential ferret owner had to
fill out a form or something BEFORE buying a ferret and had to wait a few
days, then there might be less impulse purchases, less people giving up
their ferrets when they realize their fad of the month has passed (ALOT of
people give up their ferrets because they got a puppy or some other new
exciting thing came along), and less people would abuse their ferrets.
 
Your idea about a license for all pets is a good one too because many
petstore animals end up being neglected, not just ferrets.  I'm just
concentrating on ferrets, because they are my favorite pet, but yes, I
guess this WOULD be a good idea for all animals.  But, here is where
reality kicks in, unfortunately.  Pet stores are in business to make money.
If a person walked in a store and said they wanted to buy a ferret because
their pet boa constrictor wanted a gourmet "meal", would the store owner
stop them?  Maybe some would, but I'll bet that many wouldn't.  I have even
heard of a pet store telling someone to just let the ferret go in the woods
if they decide they don't want it any more (this happened in New Hampshire
somewhere).  Maybe it's the petstores we should go after?  Legally, we
probably couldn't do a thing except picket in front of the store, but as
consumers we can boycott the bad stores and patronize the good ones.
 
And what about the breeders?  I don't want to mention names, but we all
know that the big one that supplies to most pet stores has them already
neutered and descented before they go to the stores.  In the Northeast,
where I live, I haven't seen the overpopulation being a result of not
neutering the ferrets and having backyard breeders producing alot.  But in
areas of the country where this DOES occur, yes, maybe a breeder license
and extra fee per unneutered pet would be a good idea, with fees going to
education, vet care, etc.
 
Unfortunately, Mayor Guiliani vetoed the NYC bill, so people still have
to feel like criminals with their ferrets.  And California is still going
through the same thing.  But when I wrote that post, I was SURE the NYC
law was going to pass.  I was just panicking that the big unnamed breeder
would be sending tons of baby ferrets to stores, and people were going to
buy them whether they were educated about them or not.  Yes, it's human
nature unfortunately, but it drives me crazy to see it happening.  I have
written to this unnamed breeder on several occasions about lots of things,
and rarely get a response from them anymore.  The small quality breeders
have my utmost respect, so this does not apply to them.  They are
responsible and people will pay more money for their ferrets, who often
have less health problems than the big breeder, and normally get them
spayed when they're a bit older.
 
So even without the legalization in those places, what do we do about the
ferrets being sold in petstores?  Well, ferret clubs and rescues holding
educational seminars in them (which some of them do) would help.  If a
person is wondering whether to get a ferret, and a club volunteer is there
to educate them (instead of the pet store personnel) that would be good.
But how many pet stores would be willing to take the risk that a potential
customer is talked out of a purchase when they realize a ferret isn't the
right pet for them after all?  In that case, even handing out ferret care
brochures and the nearest ferret rescue or contact number (in case of
questions/problems) would be better than nothing.  What do we do about the
big breeder producing so many?  Can we get together as a group and write
letters or try to get federal legislation passed to make breeders and
petstores more ethical?  How would such a proposal even be drawn up?
 
Oh my God, I'm fantasizing again.
Ideas, anyone?
[Posted in FML issue 3426]