Well, that's it.  I have decided that this list is of no further interest
to me.  I find myself only reading the posts regarding Ping Is He and
that's it.  If I want info, I can always go to the archives.
 
And it's not BIG's fault.
 
Let me say a few words to the poor, overworked, under-appreciated shelter
owners before I go.
 
And, in case I didn't make it clear, the above *was* sarcasm.
 
There was an article recently in one of the local papers regarding the
difficulty of adopting from shelters.  Pages and pages of forms to fill
out, scads and scads of money, homechecks...
 
So it isn't just that one person who wrote in, wanting to adopt and
couldn't.
 
The idea behind shelters, I always thought, was to find loving homes for
their pets.  Not to hoard them because no one is quite good enough.
 
People, let me tell you, no one is quite good enough for some of you.
 
Let me tell you a few hard truths.  People's circumstances change.  Often
at the drop of a hat.  A job can be lost, ill-health can strike the human
family, a relocation, a new baby, a natural disaster.
 
This does not make them evil, uncaring pet owners.  It makes them human.
 
The person who had to give up Phoebe is a case in point.
 
And no, I have no idea if what Phoebe's owner says is true, or if what
the shelter owners says is true.
 
All I hear is the previous owner of Phoebe.
 
You know what, people?  From the sound of it, she tried.  She seemed to
have loved Phoebe and she seemed to have tried to keep up with the bills.
When she found she couldn't, do you know what this person did?
 
Gave Phoebe back to the shelter.  She didn't let Phoebe die.  She didn't
drop her off by the side of the road to fend for herself.
 
She made what I assume was a heartrending decision to do what was best
all around and gave Phoebe back.
 
And now she wants another ferret.  She says her circumstances have
changed.
 
Good for her.  Give her one.  A healthier one.  Talk to her about what
she can do.  Tell her you will be there for her if there is a problem.
 
Don't punish her.  And don't punish those ferrets who you say need a good
home.
 
There is not a person out there who can absolutely guarantee that nothing
in their lives will ever change.  That they might have to give up their
pets sometime in the future.
 
Shelters are not the best place for *any* pet to be.  I don't even
support no-kill shelters because having a pet live out his life in a
cage is a horrible thing to do to a pet (if the no-kill is letting them
roam on spacious grounds or huge open rooms, that's another story).  Let
people adopt.  Be there for them if there is a problem or circumstances
change.  If someone wants to adopt, it's unlikely they are doing it
because they are bad people.  Stop simply saying you wish you could find
homes for your shelter ferrets and give them one.
 
anne (donning a flame-proof suit)
[Posted in FML issue 5218]