Hi everyone,
 
Hope everyone and their fuzzies are doing well.
 
NYCFerrets UPDATE
 
1. THERE'S STILL TIME TO WRITE JUDGE BRAUN
2. PLAINTIFFS' REPLY
3. NYCFERRETS NEEDS STAMPS!
 
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1. THERE'S STILL TIME TO WRITE JUDGE BRAUN
 
Judge Braun will be deciding any day now on whether he will allow the
lawsuit to go to trial or dismiss it entirely.  It's not too late to write
him a letter asking him to hear this case.  Do not argue legal facts.  Just
tell him about your own personal experiences with ferrets, what they've
meant to you, how (if) this ban has affected you, and ask him to please
hear this case.
 
The DOH keeps bringing up the question of biting.  It would be best if you
did NOT go into bite statistics of ferret vs dog bites etc.  The fact that
*any* ferret *anywhere* has ever bitten anybody might work against us.  ie.
if ferrets bite 3 children and dogs bite 200, does that mean it was ok for
the 3 children to be bit?  Arguing that a ferret is less likely to bite
than other animals still draws attention to the idea of ferrets biting *at
all*.
 
Instead, without directly mentioning biting (or lack of) a better route
might be to talk about positive interactions that your ferrets have had
with young children.  Let the fact that there was no fear of any biting
incidents be implied.
 
Write to:
Judge Richard F. Braun
80 Centre Street, Room 320
New York, NY 10013
 
*For anyone who's interested, we've added a link to additional information
 about Judge Braun on the Lawsuit page.
 
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2. PLAINTIFFS' REPLY
 
The Plaintiffs' Reply has been added to the lawsuit page.  (Typos are
theirs not mine!)
 
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3. NYCFERRETS NEEDS STAMPS!
 
Simply put, our funds are low and we're out of stamps.
 
It's important that New York ferret owners know that a safe central source
for ferret ban information does exist so that they'll have the information
they need to take action.  Flyers, postcards, envelopes, mailings to
individuals, to vets and weekly mailings to NYC's pet stores cost money,
but it's the best way we know to reach all the remaining ferret owners
in NY.
 
It is crucial for us to get in touch with as many New York City ferret
owners as possible so that they'll have the information they need to keep
their ferrets safe and to take effective action to help re-legalize ferrets
in NYC's five boroughs.
 
When you go to the post office, please buy an extra book of stamps for
NYCFerrets.  We cannot succeed in re-legalizing ferrets in NYC unless
everybody helps out.
 
Donations and stamps for NYCFerrets can be mailed to:
 
Lori Malizia
29 Meadow Park Ave. E.
Stamford, CT 06905
 
Thank you.
 
Sincerely,
 
Lori Malizia
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 http://members.aol.com/NYCFerrets
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[Posted in FML issue 2927]