Tears came to my eyes as I read this post about the Las Vegas Petshop
abusers.  How can people possibly be so cruel?!?!?!  I guess I have to
understand that not everyone shares the love of animals that we know, but
just because they don't love animals, why do they have to hate them so?
 
I live in Virginia, so what I can personally do is limited, but I want to
help in whatever way I can.  It seems to me that just to get the mall to
not renew the lease is just not enough.  If animal control won't help,
how about the humane society?  What about maybe organizing a protest or
contacting local newspapers?  This is definitly a story as far as they'd
be concerned.
 
But first and foremost, we are a FERRET mailing list so lets think about
those ferrets.  Can anyone purchase them?  What are they charging?  Get
them out of there!  If not, would someone be willing to donate a hammock or
a few small toys?  If the petshop says they don't have them because they're
too expensive, would they object to a donation for the sake of the animals?
I'm thinking nothing new or too nice cause they'd probably turn around and
sell it if it looks too good.  Wayne and Nancy - if you'll write me an
e-mail with your address, I'll send one of my fuzzies' hammocks to give to
the store...Would the store object to a customer coming in and distributing
water?
 
It also occured to me to get someone to run in and free all the animals!
Open all the cages and set them loose!!!!!  They couldn't catch ALL of
them before they got away.  But then, they still wouldn't have homes.
Also, do you guys know of a principle called learned helplessness?  Learned
helplessness essentially says that once an animal has been subjected to
abuse or neglect and had no way to get out of it, the animal will just take
it.  Even when the oppertunity is there to escape or to make circumstances
better, the animal will simply lie there and take it anyway.  One learns
that there's nothing they can do, so why try.  This also applies to abused
children and adults in bad circumstances.  Every one of these creatures is
going to need intensive therapy and TONS of love to get better.
 
I'm just SO HORRIFIED that people could treat another being like this?!?!?!
Maybe an organized protest would be a good thing!  Keep people from going
into the store!  Drive the bastards out of buisness!  Point out to
customers that the animals are drugged..pet stores should be noisy!  AND
if it's too much money to give the animals larger cages, toys, FOOD- then
how do they afford the drugs to keep them quiet?  If animals arent allowed
out of their cages, how will people ever fall in love and BUY THEM?!?!?!
 
PLEASE let me know what I can do!  What e-mails or letters can I write?
How can I help?  We've GOT to DO something!
 
Kim and  Jerry and Stimy and Peggy and Maggie and Kashmir
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[Posted in FML issue 3239]