Just had to share a bit of information from a "ferret owners"
perspective.

Over 10 years ago on a Ferret Board, I found out about the "Ferret
Giving Tree" -- before the tree was "high tech" as it is today. I
picked out several ferrets from different shelters. I didn't know any
history of the shelters that were involved, or the shelter parents --
I just thought it was such a cute way to share what I had with others.
I believe my first ones were Susie Lee from Florida, and Sandi from
Alabama. My sister Margaret, and I made bedding. We were new with
ferrets, so we made them similar to the ones that they sell at
Petsmart. The shelter Moms both made a point of sending me pics, and
special thanks for sending the gifts. Margaret and I were thrilled we
could help and our small things were appreciated.

By the next year, I had made friends in the Georgia ferret community. I
shared (or they also found out) about the Giving tree, and they wanted
to make bedding for ferrets that they had picked from the Ferret Giving
Tree. We took a couple of days and made bedding together. This was the
starting point for the Crafty Weasel Sewing Group. Without the Ferret
Giving Tree ferrets needing bedding, who knows if we would have such a
group in Georgia.

Because of the Ferret Giving Tree, I've become very close to many of
the ferret shelter parents/operators, and it has totally changed my
life and what I do today. I've attended Symposiums and gotten to know
the shelter Moms and Dads that I sent to from the Ferret Giving Tree
and we've remain friends.

The Giving Tree started a sewing group that gave almost 900 pieces of
bedding free to shelters across the U.S. last year, and we hope to
break that record this year.

This is what the Ferret Giving Tree has done for me, a simple ferret
owner not a shelter Mom or Dad. I'm sure it affects they lives even
more.

Florence Love
Crafty Weasels of GA

[Posted in FML 7217]