A situation recently arose that involved the other ferret rescue that
operates within our city.  I do not bring this forth to openly condemn
this shelter, but rather I would like to use this as a point of
discussion.  As I have only one side to this story, I can only deal
with the issue as presented by the one party.
 
Through an interesting series of events, we were put in contact with a
woman who ended up surrendering two of her four ferrets to this other
shelter.  The reason given for the surrender was not enough time to
commit to all four and so only two were given up.  This shelter had her
sign a contract which gave a 24 hour reconsideration period in which she
could get her two ferrets back, no questions asked.  At the 18 hour mark,
this woman claims to have called because she had a change of heart and
requested that her two ferrets be returned to her.  She also claims that
the shelter responded with a quick no, and told her that if she wanted
them back, she would have to pay the full adoption fee for them.
 
What concerns me most about this situation is how it not only makes this
shelter look, but how it has affected how other shelters look in the eyes
of this family.  The damage caused by this act is immeasurable and will
not truly be seen for months, maybe years to come.  Now before some of
you come to the defense of this shelter's actions, I will say this...
one man's heaven is another man's hell.  What I mean to say is that just
because this shelter kept the ferrets, does not necessarily mean that
the shelter kept the ferrets because they were being abused.  Abuse is a
strong word that needs to be clarified and used with caution.
 
I looked at this case and found I had many questions.  Why keep the
ferrets?  What did they have to gain by doing what they did?  Is the
shelter in trouble financially and if so, are they using the sale of this
ferret to gain short term funds?  Free ferret = an adoption fee and in
this case, two.  Potentially $200 as these were young ferrets.  The
shelter would have had to have them vaccinated if they were not, which
would have cut minimally into the adoption fee.  Food, well, if food is
already on hand, then the cost again is minimal.
 
Were the ferrets in medical distress?  Well, the website does not mention
any medical condition, and the original owner states they were healthy at
the time of surrender.  So, "rescuing" this ferret is not the case here
either.
 
Did the shelter make a decision to withhold the ferret based on personal
beliefs?  In other words, did they feel the ferrets were not being cared
for properly.  The couple admitted that they weren't the richest people
in the world, but then again, we as shelters are not suppose to make
judgment upon those that do not have financial wealth, although the
ability to financially care for any animal is always of importance and
concern, but even in keeping with this, who amongst us should have the
power to say who is rich enough to own a ferret, and who is too poor to
not have one?  Financial support comes in many forms.  Can we be positive
that we know exactly how much money is coming in and from where?  In this
case, a poor financial situation was not given as the reason for
surrendering in the first place.
 
Why was the reconsideration period so short?  Our shelter has a 72 hour
time frame in which people can reclaim their animals.  There have been
cases where people have felt forced to surrender their beloved furry
friend through pressure by family members, spouses or other well meaning
(and not so well meaning) friends but later, out of their company, change
their minds.  For me personally, I do not take a ferret without trying
other things first, like finding options to surrendering and working with
the parties involved.  I can understand a short period if the shelter is
overflowing and needs to move animals quickly, but this shelter does not
have many ferrets up for adoption.
 
Did the shelter feel that the ferrets would be better off someplace else?
Well, again... one man's heaven... I have been told that I am a blessing
to ferrets, and had an investigation of ferret abuse in my home.  So
which is it?  Am I a good owner and caregiver, or am I a collector, an
abuser and someone who should never own animals?  Who's job is it to make
that decision, and should a ferret rescue make that decision and make it
alone?
 
Each city has a version of an animal shelter organization that looks
after the investigating of abuse cases.  As others have pointed out, if
you suspect abuse, take pictures and report it to the proper authorities.
So, in this case, if the woman was abusing her ferrets and did not
"deserve" to have them, why was the Humane Society not called?  This
home has a variety of other animals as well.
 
I am concerned over this situation because it has left a bitter taste in
the mouth of a person who went looking for help and ended up getting into
a sad situation.  Regardless of what a person personally feels about how
a ferret is cared for, it is after all only an opinion.  This woman is
constantly reminded of what she no longer has because her ferret's photos
sit on a website staring back at her and she does not understand why.
 
A ferret shelter of any kind has a responsibility on many levels to be
respectful of all people who come in search of help.  We are here to
educate first and foremost.  If this woman was a poor caregiver, would
it not have been more beneficial to have taught her how to improve the
lives of her ferrets, rather than just take them?
 
I'd like to hear other points of view on this issue and should the
shelter in question like to respond to this as well, I would welcome it.
After all, we are only hearing one side of the story and I'd like to
hear the other side.
 
Betty Janner
Manager of Calgary Operations
Alberta Ferret Society
[Posted in FML issue 3927]