>From:    petersen <>
>Subject: Ferret Finding
>I guess my point was that if you are a first time ferret buyer, how do you
>know that anything like the American Ferret Association exists, or has
>useful information?
 
If you are researching ferrets before making that first time purchase,
hopefully you are looking at the magazines like Modern Ferret, Ferrets USA,
Critters USA, and the new Ferrets magazine coming out next year.  These all
have ferret organizations listed in them somewhere and have articles written
by knowlegable ferret people.  Pet shops and some bookstores carry these
resources.
 
If you have access to the Internet, a search on the word "ferret" will
garnish over 140,000 hits.  This way peoole can find out about the FML, and
ferret organizations.
 
If people are not willing to make a search first, then the ferret
organizations can't be more obvious than they are.  I am constantly getting
calls referred to me by the County animal shelter and people say, "I never
knew a ferret adoption center existed!" STAR* Ferrets and many other ferret
shelters are listed in Project Breed's resources for animal rescue books.
STAR* maintains a database with over 1100 resources for ferrets across the
country and into Canada and abroad.  Your state's listing is free for a
SASE.
 
Many of the major animal welfare organizations also know of STAR* and other
ferret groups.  HSUS, AHA, PeTA, Animal People, etc have information on file
about my group, and I would think the other ferret groups would have
contacted some if not all local and national animal care associations.
 
If a person were to ask a pet shop manager for information on ferret
organizations, there is even a listing put out annually by each of the pet
business magazines that list animal associations.  STAR* and others are
listed here too.  But a person interested in finding a ferret organization
needs to ASK, and ask the people who can share this information, and not
just wait for a news artiel in the paper which usually does not have any
contact information.
 
Put it this way - you know of the AKC, do you know how to contact them?
Well, using the same route you would search that information out, use it to
find the ferret groups nationally or in your area.  We as national groups
can not do more than we are in most cases.
 
To receive a listing of ferret shelters, contacts, vets, suppliers,
breeders, clubs, etc.  in your state by mail, send a LONG self addressed
stamped envelope to:
 
STAR* Ferrets
PO Box 1714
Springfield, VA 22151-0714
 
To review the ENTIRE listing, Ask [log in to unmask] for FERRET
DATABASE or visit Ferret Central at
http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/central.html
 
Check out STAR*'s Web page through http://ferretworld.com
E-mail questions/corrections/additions, etc. to: [log in to unmask]
 
Pamela Troutman Grant, Director
 
ATTENTION FERRET LOVERS:
 
If every ferret owner contributed just a dollar for each of their ferrets
for the rabies shed study, we would be able to scientifically establish a
quarantine for our ferrets.  Since I can not reach all ferret owners, please
help by sending what you can and asking your vet, friends and local pet
shops for donations and send them to:
Morris Animal Foundation / Ferret Shed Study, 45 Inverness Drive East,
Englewood, CO 80112-5480.  800-243-2345.  This is tax deductible.
 
[Moderator's note: I'm working on getting a new copy of the database on
the server -- the one there now is old, but want to reformat the new one
I have before putting it out.  I'm almost done.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2010]