I don't even know where to start.
#1 those screaming they should show the naked ferrets, the medical
expenses and all the downers of ferrets - WHY? Why would you say that
when there are good things to show along with all the effort and care
it takes to have ferrets. You don't insist everytime there is a movie
where a couple is having a baby they show the Downs Syndrome babies,
or clef mouths, or the deformed babies born and the huge medical
expenses on families, insurance, and hospitals writing off so much
of it.....when you see someone buying a car in a movie you don't
expect them to show the lemons and how hard it is to deal with the
manufacturers, etc. Why would you think just because it is ferrets,
they should show all that. This is about a pet and the joy and love
of ferrets as well as the WORK involved caring for them day to day.
#2 Who cares if she makes a million bucks on this film. The real
objected is a true to life, educational movie, and what are movies but
entertainment and methods of learning. And to say she best spend her
money sending it to a shelter. Bah, humbug. That's like patching up
one hole in a dam and letting the other leaks go, putting water in a
radiator and not plugging the hole. Yes rescue needs funds but her
donating to them won't reach the thousands we hope this movie will
reach and won't teach the public more about ferrets.. . Pouring money
into rescue hasn't cured the problem of ferrets needing rescue in 20,
30 years. Her donating to a couple of rescue groups, isn't going to
cure the problem either. And how many of you would like someone telling
you how you should spend your money. The money she gets to invest in
the movie, a lot of that is on promise the film will make it and not
leave her in debt the rest of her life. That is a hope, not a sure
thing - how much funds does she have to donate to a shelter? I doubt
she can get that financed by anyone.
#3 The negativity of wanting to stop something that may do a lot of
good because of one aspect, for shame. With everything we do there are
negatives and positives. Most all medications that save lives have side
effects. So you let the patient die or suffer because it might cause
diarrhea or constipation or dry eyes or whatever?
We as TxFLR have had 250 to 300 ferrets PER YEAR go through us the
first 3 years we operated, now we are somewhere in the 200's after 20
years of doing this. Some we are now having to turn down as I am 68
years old and can't get on the floor to clean the way I did. Where we
used to have around 100 here at a time, its now in the 30s and 40s but
we also don't have as many calls as we did for surrender and still take
EVERY ferret the different animal control people call us on. We have
around 70 plus of non adoptables in foster homes we pay their medical
for life. We have doctored them every 2 hours all through the night,
held them till they past and/or helped some cross. Our vet bill runs
$1400 to $2000 every shingle month. We are mostly self sufficient, we
exist on donations, adoption fees, sale of cages, food and litter plus
doing garage sales, auctions, bake sales, etc. We do not sell our
things through FML or apply for grants the other shelters can use just
because we feel others need the help more. We are not tooting our horn,
this is explaining we are experienced and are in for the long haul. Do
we look forward to more ferrets being sold at the petstores to people
who won't take care of them, dump them when the going gets rough. No
Way. But we feel there will be more people who see the movie and say
that is too much work for me and say no OR will say I never knew they
were so much fun and I'd gladly take care of them the right way. I feel
more people will turn to rescue for their ferrets as they are now doing
across the country with dogs and cats - 20 years ago, people got them
from pet stores and breeders. Nowadays there are few petstores who sell
them. And there are so many rescue groups where those #'s didn't exist
20 years ago. Public awareness did this. Reports of backyard breeders
and cruelty to animals is a felony in most states now. Things are
changing.
#4 All in all, to center on one little phase there may be an increase
in ferrets being abandoned, to me, is blocking all the good the film
most probably will create. And I would bet there are more who do
approve, (rescuers or owners), the making of such a film as there are
who want it squashed. I think we all enjoy some of the YouTubes made
on ferrets which makes us smile, its open to the public who want to
see it, and owners see how many times others look at THEIR ferrets
and are proud. I think most of us will enjoy a movie about ferrets,
it is about us.
Millie and her Danes at the
Texas Ferret Lovers Rescue
www.txferretrescue.org
[Posted in FML 7456]
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