Hello all, I write this while major tears fall.  Does anyone have any
ideas where I can send the 38 ferrets here?  After 12 years of rescue in
Colorado, the only rescue to run that long I am proud to say.  Other than
my two beautiful children, rescue is my other pride and joy.  I have to
close the doors.  I only raised $25.00 to what I needed to save my home
and the rescue.  SO as of tomorrow it is over.  We have to be out next
week.  We will go to court on the 4th and unless we have the full amount
of what we owe on the loan the house is gone.  And we never will, I have
not raised the $1,200.00 I needed by the 31st to stop this action, there
is no way I will raise $170,000.00 to pay off the home loan.
 
I am so devastated for my children and my animal friends.  I hate to
sound angry but I am.  I am no saint buy any means, but I rescued my
first animal when I was 5, started to volunteer at shelters when I was
8 , got my first ferret at 15 and fell in love.  Went to Virginia where
I learned about ferret rescue and rescued my first ferret Nellie there.
Moved to Colorado in 1992 and started Ferrets Etc.  And have loved and
rescued over 3,000 ferrets.  And now it is all ending.
 
I know they say GOD does not give us more than we can handle, but I am
not sure of that.  I have struggled with financial issues since I started
the rescue, unfortunately it costs a lot of money to run a private
rescue, many people do not realize that, they give to the big humane
societies and forget the little guys.  Not that I do not think Humane
societies should get help, I want them to get help to, but I think many
forget it is the small rescue that really keep the big Societies a float,
taking on older, sick, exotic and behaviorally challenged pets.
 
Anyway it has always been a burden but I managed.  I even made it thru
8 miscarriages and a tubal pregnancy, an emergency c-section with my
daughter who was born 5 weeks early, an emergency hysterectomy at the
age of 29 that was devastating.  I was never sure I would pull thru but I
did, the ferrets kept me going, knowing they needed me.  And now I failed
them.  I cannot pull the $1,200.00 together by the 31st.  The media will
not do a story, my pleas have fell on deaf ears and no one else has had
time to email them with the holidays.  Unfortunatley this miracle will
not happen and I do not know what to do.  I do not want to have 38
ferrets put down, but I have no home as of next week and I have 2
children also to care for and 9 cats, 2 dogs and 7 birds.  I know there
are so many kind people who could help, who have that kind of financing,
but I cannot figure out how to get the word to them, the media will not
help.  And I do not know how to solicit that kind of thing over the
Internet, if anyone does pass this letter on to anyone who might be able
to save my ferrets and children's home.  I would be forever grateful.
 
Anyway thank you all for the kind words, I hope everyone else has a great
New Year.
 
Stephanie Sheme Prseident/FOunder Ferrets Etc.
303-358-8387   [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 5107]