>What would happen if we organized pickets & protests at businesses that
>sold Marshall Ferrets - specifying the breeding for lab purposes, early
>de-sexing & descenting w/related problems?
 
Don't get me wrong, I have participated in boycotts, etc. before, and
they have often been effective; in this case, however, I don't think it
would bring about any change.  The reason I believe this is that there is
a large rift on these two issues - there may be many people against these
practices, but there are also just as many for them.  The early spaying &
neutering & descenting is done mainly because the general populace want
to buy tiny, new little kits.  Therefore, this practice is not likely to
change unless public demand changes first.  (As a result, the only course
of action I can think of that would help is educating the people on this
issue.) As for selling to labs, many people oppose this for obvious
reasons, but many also feel it is a necessary evil in order to develop
disease cures/immunizations, etc.
 
I am not trying to stir up a debate on their practices; merely trying to
address the question posed of how effective protests would be in changing
policy.
 
Shannon
Sterling, Pandora, & Jasmin
[Posted in FML issue 3615]