As many may remember, last year the Pet Industry succeeded in pushing
through a last minute amendment to the Ferret Bill in Mass which made it
legal to sell ferrets providing that they have their full series of shots,
and that proper records are kept.
 
This was done rather quickly and they didn't realize at the time that it
meant no sale before at least 12 weeks, and that it would put them at a cost
disadvantage compared to nearby, sales tax free New Hampshire where a ferret
can be sold earlier and without shots.
 
The Pet Industry has since been lobbying to fix what they did last year and
there is now an amendment to the statute which has been attached to the
House budget.  It is currently before the House Senate conference committee,
where it may or may not get thrown out (unattached).
 
The amendment states the following:
 
>Section 451 Chapter 131 of the General Laws is hereby ammended by
>adding the following at the end of Section 77:
>
> The Director shall promulgate rules and regulations which places the
>responsibility on the purchaser of a ferret to insure that the requir ed
>treatment and innoculations enumerated in this section are received by th e
>ferret if as a result of domestication of the ferret such procedures and
>innoculations are impractical and accomplished prior to sale.
>
> The Director shall require the seller of such ferrets to maintain records
>which document the purchaser and the date of purchase and such records
>shall be kept available in official form for inspection by the Director.
 
At the same time, quite a few stores are beginning to sell ferrets here
anyway and that has brought its share of problems when somebody gets bitten
or scratched and Public Health gets called in.  In two cases a total of
eight ferrets were euthanized needlessly because they had not yet received
their rabies shots:
 
One had bitten its new owner and was returned to the store where it was
placed with others, and they were all killed.  In the other, a lady was
bitten, did not say anything to the manager, went down the street to a walk
in clinic, and the Dept of Health was called in.
 
In yet a third case, a boy had previously cut his hand while falling off his
bike, and the next day while playing with ferrets in the store had reopened
the cut or scratch.  Perhaps to settle an argument between the parents, the
Dept of Health was again called, and both the CDC and the Dept of Fish and
Wildlife were involved.  The ferrets were all MF and were up to date on
their shots, so the decision was made in this case to do nothing.  I think
that this one involved 15 animals.  Thanks very much Tom French !!!!
 
The point was made however that these are new pets to many people, and that
anything that we can do to introduce them and get people over their fear
will make a real difference at this point.  The store owner that I talked to
now has a sign up, which warns people about sharp claws and teething babies,
and also requires gloves when handling ferrets.  <I suggested the Ferratone
on the tummy trick, and they were most grateful>.  They are also bringing
them out in much smaller groups to meet people, and apparently are
supervising much more closely.
 
Both F&W along with Public Health have tried to come to some sort of
conclusion where they could "kill less" (their words) in the stores.  If
someone gets hurt and word gets out, the public hysteria is such that they
feel that they have no choice unless CDC comes up with revised guidelines
(i.e. a quarantine) for a ferret that bites.  This is key in their opinion
and anything that the ferret community can do to make this come about will
save many lives.
 
That having been said, from reading the many opinions expressed here it
seems that we are somewhat on the horns of a dilemma.  On the one hand we
all know ferrets are very special animals deserving of the very best in
care, and that one way to do this is to get people to know them better.
What better way to accomplish this than by letting the public own them?
Also the question was asked about who are we to determine who should be the
owner of a ferret?  Also that we should ultimately trust people to learn and
to make the same decisions that we did.
 
On the other, we are all very concerned about the outcome should numerous
ferrets be sold to people with more cents in their charge cards than in
their brains, and that there are always a few 'crazies' out there who will
mistreat or abandon them.  Many on the FML say that we should not trust pet
stores at all because they know or care little about humane animal treatment
and would (quite possibly) sell their own children <grin> if there was money
to be made.
 
Leaving all that aside (hope that I have stated both sides fairly), the
facts are that ferrets are not capable of living on their own without our
help, there are a growing number of them, and that many people are still
quite terrified or repelled upon meeting a ferret, at least until they get
to know them better.  Also here in Mass pet stores are quite closely
monitored with at least weekly visits by a veterinarian, and one way to get
a fairly quick resolution of a health concern is by a quiet word (without
confronting or embarrassing anyone) to the parties in question.
 
My own opinion without taking sides on the above, is that the best way to
reduce people's fear and gain public recognition, is by talking about and
introducing ferrets to as many people as possible.
 
Visit pet stores who are already selling ferrets and do a lot of LISTENING
as to what their concerns are.  Provide them with handouts to give to
prospective customers.  Ferret people will buy lots of good stuff to keep
their fuzzies healthy and happy just as we do, if they know about it.  Get a
copy of Debra Jeans new book (best on the market), to show them and get them
to stock it for their customers.  Introduce them to Modern Ferret magazine.
Get a copy or two of the PRI report to help them refute the fears of so many
public officials.  Print out a copy of the latest FAQs and give them Vets in
your area.
 
That's my .02 anyway.  I think that we should worry less about where we may
disagree and more about how we can work together to accomplish shared
concerns.
 
                 - Bill Williamson
[Posted in FML issue 1592]