We were so happy she wrote. We had adopted out the 2 other ferrets to
her and she has stayed in contact (although I had put off MY paperwork
trying to match Tigger's - couldn't find where it went- til she wrote).
She used our motto on saving ferrets.

And just to add to the emails going on now whether to take in ferrets
from kill shelter............does it make you a shelter or not.

Our program is never to turn down one from the animal shelters because
if we do, the next time they may not call us. We keep in mind so many
from there will come our way and save room for them even if it means
turning down individuals who are calling with ferrets they want to turn
in. We try to get some history from these people if it is an emergency
or they are just trying to dump ferrets and decide if we have room or
not. The way we look at is most of these people care, if we cannot take
them, they will find homes OR if they don't care, they give them to a
kill shelter and we get them anyway. We are registered for miles around
to the different city animal controls and they have our 501c paperwork
on record, they do call us. We are also involved with a huge dog
organization called DFWCares (over 500 rescue groups belong), and they
let us know when ferrets are available. We are not about to jeapordise
our standing with them by saying no. Petco also calls us for their
unadoptable kits, they do NOT put them down, they give them to us and
also offer to pay the medical expenses. From individuals, we ask for a
$20 donation to help pay for the distemper, rabies and microchipping
(doesn't cover it all but its a help) and most want to pay to be sure
their ferrets are safe. The non caring type will turn them into animal
control. Even if we miss the donation they would have given, we are
still there for these ferrets. Unfortunately over the summer when there
are very few adotpions, we number over 100 ferrets not including the 60
to 75 in foster homes, still financed by us but not physically under
the same roof. It's very hard to maintain our $1800 to $2000 per month
vet bills because it continue on through the summer months, although
we do put off surgeries til the Fall when more money is coming in, we
do Lupron during that time.

We cannot do more than that number and it taxes the daylights out of
us when we get into those numbers. To try to take more, well we just
couldn't give the standard of care nor finance them. We already have
juveniles doing community service coming in to help clean cages and
equipment, have many volunteers who come periodically to do nails and
ears, and some scattered who come to play and exercise the little guys.
For working with other rescues, we have been involved in some transport
across our state for them. We understand there is a rescue started up
in East Texas but they had only 5 or 6 ferrets and were already writing
the FML for donations to take care of those. We feel unless there is a
bonified reason, the rescue needs to be self supporting. THe only times
we asked for help from outside our unit was when we took in the 76
from Rainbow Exotic and 21 from the Global Exotics. (Thanks to SOS and
New York and Petsmart and Petco and individuals on FML, we made the
initial costs - later so many medical problems with the Rainbows, we
had trouble but made it through - mostly heart complications and it is
ongoing.) There is a rescue in Garland, Texas, who takes in ferrets but
does not adopt out, they have over 40 but they do take care of them
medically. The rescue in Houston is limited to how many they can take,
the Austin one can't handle more than 8 or 10 at a time and have to
limit it to healthy ferrets due to finances and activities in their
household (teenagers). And San Antonio along with Houston both have
wonderful organizations that help with the education and the enjoyment
of ferrets (how to have fun with your ferrets) but do not take in
ferrets. That service alone is worth its weight in gold to keep ferrets
and families together. We had in the past did ed tables and such but
its all we can do to administer to the shelter kids right now. We do
offer food when it comes to a family in a bind that is temporary to be
able to keep the family together - including sometimes medical expenses
which is cheaper than our taking the ferret and trying to rehome it
plus the medical expenses, and its better for the ferret and the
family. So, you see, we take in the overloads from those areas too.

If this information helps any organization out there on how to run a
shelter (YES we are a no kill shelter unless its best for the ferret),
we save ferrets, maybe not every one but we do save lives, then I hope
it helps lighten their burden. It's okay to turn down ferrets when it
means it will jeapordize what you have or be more than you can handle.
There is an very ulgy feeling inside when you have to turn down someone
trying to place their ferrets. Just this past Sat, we took in 7 from
one gentleman who waited a month to turn them in, out of the 7, 4 were
adrenal...one with a toe that needs amputation tomorrow. (plus he was
not able to pay the $20 each so we waived that) We have an appointment
for a lady to come tomorrow with 4 ferrets = oldest is 7 and the others
are 4 1/2, 5, one is 4. This is going to put a real burden on us to
place them in foster homes as we just placed around 20 in the last 3
months for their sake as well as for us to be able to bring in
adoptable ferrets which pays for their care.

So unless you have walked in the shoes of a shelter in a big metroplex,
please don't judge. You might be able to handle 30 or 40 ferrets in a
smaller area and figure there is always a way to save more. If you are
in the 100s and still have the phone ringing off the hook to take more,
3 rooms set up for nothing but ferrets and still having to put some
into bedrooms or whereever, the 3 to 4 loads of wash every day, the
cage cleaning, the doctoring, the running errands, vet visits, talking
on the phone about health care, adoptions, surrenders, doing paperwork,
figuring out finances, you have no idea what you can handle. Plus what
you can do is not necessarily a measurement of what someone else can
do. Remember this is purely volunteer work, giving up of one's self
can be a strain on them and their love ones from the life they had
pictured they would have earlier on. I know I didn't intend to spend
my retirement, my twilight years, tending to needy and sick ferrets,
fighting the odor in my home, sharing the garage stacked with cages, a
storage shed for garage sale items, and the wear and tear on my vehicle
- gone are the dreams of cruises and sightseeing tours, visiting long
seen relatives, and sitting down with a good book til I feel like doing
something else. Soon I won't be physically able to do these things.

Millie at the www.txferretrescue.org
The Texas Ferret Lovers Rescue

[Posted in FML 6624]