Katherine Hood wrote:
>It really upsets me the things that MF & others does to these babies.
>there has to be something we can do as Ferret lovers.  It makes me cry
>everytime I hear about the cruelty done to these little darlings
 
I hear this all the time...how cruel MF is to their ferrets, or how many of
their babies died in shipping, etc.  Gentle readers, there is an old saw
that goes, If it sounds good, it must be true.  For fans of Terry Goodkind,
the saw is called, Wizard's First Rule.  Magicians call the physical
manifestation, slight of hand, or misdirection.
 
MF, as well as Path Valley and Triple F Farms all ship Delta Dash.  At
least, to the west of the Mississippi.  I guarantee that if the mortality
rate in shipping were as high as the many horror stories we hear, the
airline would refuse shipment.  The manner in which these large commercial
breeders ship kits is identical.  And, I would bet that the containers
that they use to ship kits in, all come from the same manufacturer.  I have
'unpacked' a number of fuzzy crates and I can say categorically, I have
never seen a dead ferret in any of the crates.  In fact these farms have
a more strict temperature policy than do the airlines.  (Hi and low
temperature extremes in which they will not fill an order to ship)
 
The next time you read or hear about some atrocity, supposedly committed by
MF, or another breeder, ask the source, Did you see this yourself?  If they
say no, or, Well, I heard about it from this person......, then it is just
hearsay, plain and simple.  They are just repeating something that sounded
so good, it had to be true.  Get facts, go to the source..ask the airlines,
how many claims have you had to pay out because ferrets died in shipment?
(After all, the kits WERE alive when shipped, they weren't put into the
crate dead, were they?  <GRIN>)
 
I had someone email me about a situation he/she encountered where some
distributor of ferrets said that he had 30 ferrets that were being returned
to the commercial farm they came from to be destroyed.  They said they
actually talked to the guy driving the truck....my question is: Why were
30 ferrets being returned?  And, did this person **actually** see the 30
ferrets in the truck?  There are always reasons for something happening...
I guess I want to know the reason, the real reason.  My logical mind says
to me, something doesn't sound right here.....
 
I was also asked, why do I defend pet stores.  Why?  Because as I said,
they have a right to do business.  If their husbandry practices need to be
improved, then help them in your area of expertise.  If they refuse your
offer of help, then don't force it.  If they are being cruel to their
animals, file a complaint with Animal Control for that area.  Most cities
and townships have severe penalties for pet store cruelty.  Hint, wrong
bedding in a pet store is NOT cruelty.  No feed or water for 24 hours or
more, is.  Gentle reader, use common sense, not emotion, when trying to
decide an issue.  Document what you feel is a cruelty.  Take pictures,
write down times, dates, places, etc.  Document, document, document!
This is proof, what you 'think' is not.
 
One last thing.  I respectively ask that all discussions about lab usage
and where the lab animals come from be rejected on the FML.  These postings
accomplish nothing and only create very bitter arguments.  That discussion
has no place here on the FML.
 
For our ferrets.
 
MC, The Rude One
(With Garret, Snorkle, and Tuzigoot.  In spirit, Bubba and Billy-Bob)
 
[Moderator's note: Posts about lab animals etc. are not accepted as a
general rule -- unless they have to do with specifically with ferrets.
But this is a bit of a fuzzy area (excuse the pun) and there's a bit of
judgement involved.  Though I agree, such posts without ferret-related
content aren't generally appropriate.  I sure am using a lot of "weasel
words" here, aren't I?  (Sigh, there I go again ;-))  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2961]