I'm not trying to start a flame war, but I think the WA state shelters
are getting a bad rap, in particular the Little Dudes Ferret Ranch (LDFR)
referenced in an earlier post.  Here's my two cents.
 
LDFR is an excellent shelter ran by a very caring individual.  Her only
crime in this situation appears to be making a decision based on the
information she had at hand.  Frankly, based on the information I've
gathered from reading all the related postings on this particular
subject, I don't blame LDFR for making the decision they did at
all....their unenviable job is to make sure the ferrets entrusted in
their care are placed with knowledgeable and caring parents for life.
While I sympathize with the circumstances that led to the return of
Phoebe to the shelter, the shelter's primary job is their ferrets care
and well-being.
 
Most adoption agreements I've seen involve sending a monetary sum to the
adopting shelter, which goes towards their expenses.  I don't think
anyone believe running a ferret shelter is cheap.  Additionally, when
fostering a ferret, most shelters require a monthly monetary commitment,
which generally goes towards continuing medical needs of the fostered
ferret.  I've yet to see the agreement which pays the adopting
individual.
 
Ferrets are expensive.  Anyone want to contradict that?  My wife and I
just spent over $900 on our ferret for insulimona surgery.  Bills pile
up quickly, but as a responsible ferret owner, I think we all know our
responsibility is to our little ones first, and second to our retirement
plans :)
 
I do applaud you for making the difficult decision to ensure Phoebe
was placed in a home that could care for her when you no longer could.
That's a decision I hope I'm never faced with, and you chose the hard
right over the easy wrong in putting Phoebe's needs first.  You're
correct in saying too many parents would just dump the ferret when
they didn't want to deal with it, but that doesn't make it right, and
shouldn't reflect our expectations of what a parent should do.
 
If you're now in a situation different from the one you were in with
Phoebe, where you can provide the financial and emotional support for an
additional ferret, despite the potential costs, then demonstrate that to
the shelters in the area.  LDFR is not the only one.  If they don't trust
you yet, then work to correct their "incorrect perceptions".  Spend some
time volunteering, try to address their doubts, and maybe you'll find
them warm up to the possibility of adoption.  Remember, just like you are
responsible for your ferrets, they're responsible for the ones in their
care, so don't fault them for being overly cautions.  What ferret owner
ISN'T overly cautions about their little ones?
 
Oh, and just to clear up one more misconception unrelated to ferrets,
your email has no "Right of Privacy".  Despite the disclaimers employers
have on their employees' emails, since email transits various public
networks, it's widely considered to be in the "Public Domain".  Unless
you encrypt it and mark it with verbiage saying you don't intend for it
to be retransmitted without your permission, etc., expect that it could
wind up anywhere.  I personally don't send anything in an email message
that I would mind showing up in the newspaper....
 
[Moderator's note: I STRONGLY disagree with that, as does our legal
department.  Mailing list posts are one thing, but private e-mail IS
PRIVATE.  Legal disclaimers are nearly worthless beyond existing laws
because they are not pre-existing consensual contracts (e.g. I can't
enforce email I send you saying something like "if you read this you
have to pay me $1000 and give up your ferrets for adoption").  Anyhow
all of this doesn't change the fact that emails are PRIVATE unless the
author relinquishes rights.  (Not a lawyer, but I do think I have an
informed opinion.)  BIG]
 
Again, I'm not trying to pass judgement on anyone here, merely to provide
another perspective.  I've dealt with LDFR personally, and find them to
have the best kind of owner.....one who cares for the ferrets in her
custody (and those entrusted to her care temporarily) like they were her
children.  Since when is careful parenting a crime?
 
Dale
[Posted in FML issue 5210]