I'm *very* pleased to report to you that the city council of Fort Worth
approved the ordinance revising the animal code unanimously!  James
Ageymang, director of animal control says that it will be effective as soon
as the mayor signs it and it is published.  I will keep in touch with the
city secretary and animal control to let you know as soon as licenses are
available for ferrets.  I am really tremendously excited!  Those who drafted
the ordinance were of such a mindset that ferrets would be treated like cats
and dogs that they had to be reminded to include ferrets in the language at
several points!  Though Animal Control was drafting this ordinance before
the 1998 Compendium came out, the Compendium and Texas Department of
Health's June 19th adoption of it's 10 day quarantine were instrumental in
the smooth passage of the ordinance.
 
The new code will include the following language that specifically pertains
to ferrets:
 
Section 6-1, Definitions:
 
"Domestic Animal:  Includes livestock, cage or penned fowl other than
animals belonging to the class aves, order Falconiforms and subdivision
Raptae, normal household pets, such as but not limited to dogs, cats,
cockatiels, ferrets, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, rabbits, fish or
small, nonpoisonous reptiles or nonpoisonous snakes."
 
"Prohibited animal:
(1) Any animal not normally born and raised in captivity, including but not
limited to the following:
     c. Class Mammalia: Order Carnivores,
        3. Family Mustelida[sic] (such as weasels, skunks, martins, minks,
           badgers and otters) except ferrets;
(2) Does not include livestock fowl or normal household pets, such as but
not limited to dogs, cats, cockatiels, ferrets, hamsters, guinea pigs,
gerbils, rabbits, fish or small, nonpoisonous reptiles or nonpoisonous
snakes."
 
"Quarantine: To take into custody and place in confinement as defined in
this chapter isolated from human beings and other animals in such a way as
to preclude the possibility of disease transmission.  The quarantine period
for a dog, cat, or a domestic ferret in rabies quarantine is ten (10) days
from the date of the bite, scratch, or other exposure, or as recommended by
the regional veterinarian from the Texas Department of Health."
 
Section 6-42, Domestic Animals that exhibit rabies symptoms; bite, scratch;
quarantine
 
"(a) When a domestic dog, cat, or ferret which has rabies or symptoms which
could reasonably indicate rabies or symptoms which could reasonably indicate
rabies, or that bites, scratches or otherwise creates a condition which may
expose or transmit to any human being or animal shall be immediately
impounded as provided in section 6-43 and shall be held in quarantine in the
city a minimum period of ten (10) days for a dog, cat, or domestic ferret
from the date of the bite, scratch or when the condition which may have
exposed or transmitted the rabies virus to a human being occurred, or longer
as the local rabies control authority may deem necessary."
 
Conditions for home quarantine approval follow.  Among others, animal must
have been current on rabies vaccination and wearing tag for license and
rabies shot.  Too long to type it all here.
 
Section 6-43, Impoundment; notice; disposition
 
"(a)    Animals may be impounded by the animal control manager under any of
the following circumstances when:
       (2) a dog, cat, ferret or miniature swine does not wear or have a
valid city license tag affixed to its collar and said animal is not being
used currently in a research program at the owner's institute of higher
education which is accredited by the American Association for Accreditation
of Laboratory Animal Care"
 
There are many more, but this is the one specifically mentioning ferrets.
 
The code does *not* include limits on how many ferrets many be owned as it
does for cats and dogs.
 
There are other sections that apply to ferrets because they apply to animals
in general, but I will not type them all out here.  The whole proposal was
34 pages long.  There is also a license fee addendum.  The fees to license
ferrets are $7 for neutered animals, $12 for unneutered and require proof of
rabies vaccination.  They also list a fee of $40 to adopt a ferret from the
city shelter.
 
This is very good news for ferrets in the metroplex as well as Fort Worth.
With one large city down it should help us tackle other smaller cities more
easily and give us leverage against large cities such as Dallas.
 
 Congratulations to all you soon to be licensed ferret owners!
 
Debra
[Posted in FML issue 2384]