Sorry to be so outspoken, but I could not help but stare in shock and
amazement at the post that claimed,
>The ferrets in shelters NEED to get out of shelters and into homes.  A
>mediocre home is far better for a ferret than living in a shelter.
 
HELLO!?!  A ferret shelter is NOT a prison, a torture chamber, or just a
bare, lonely waystation where ferrets sit, lonely, unloved, just waiting
for a new home.  Most ferret shelters are full of love and attention for
the ferrets, no matter how many there may be.  Shelter ferrets get vet
care, proper food, play time, and plenty of love.
 
How DARE you suggest that a shelter operator let a ferret go to live in
a mediocre home?!?  Would you let any of your ferrets go live in a home
where you weren't sure of the conditions?  How would you sleep knowing that
your ferret was possibly unvaccinated, eating poor quality food, or being
neglected?  Would you have a clear conscience if you found out that the
ferret you released into a mediocre home had been bounced from home to home
to home, no longer wanted?  Could you look into the eyes of a ferret you
adopted out when he's been bounced back to you, abused, injured, and now
fearful of humans?
 
Ferret shelters are run mostly out of a deep love for ferrets, not by a
desire to make money, or to claim the credit for placing a record number of
animals.  A shelter operator will learn about the home where one of their
ferrets may live, educate the future owner, and make a possible match,
fitting a ferret to the home and lifestyle.  It's not about moving ferrets
out the door as fast as possible.  It's about finding a home that the
ferret can live out the rest of its life in.
[Posted in FML issue 2857]