Some of you know me, some do not, but I am a shelter that was bashed
several years ago, (and still may be on other lists).  I have to say
something here.  It only takes a few minutes, a few strokes on the
computer to ask questions before bashing anyone, especially a shelter.
When you bash a shelter, You ARE hurting the person, but you are HURTING
the ferrets the most.
 
Back when I was bashed, as usual, there are some people on each side of
the debate.You have the basher backers and the shelter backers.  What
this debate does-- is,, it feeds others minds, those people come to their
own conclusions, either for or against the shelter.  Then if that shelter
did get monetary donations, some of those may stop, if they sell on eBay,
they may lose some of their supporters/customers.
 
Most shelter operators are not made of money.  They have to find ways to
raise or earn money to take care of the animals.  I myself sell on eBay,
but now have had to go to once a month for 7 day auctions & am now trying
a merchandising store that drop ships so I don't have to put out money to
order the items and keep them in stock.  I simply cannot afford it, AND
eBay sometimes makes more money than I do.  If something doesn't sell,
you still pay for listing it.  I am going to have to eventually stop all
7 day auctions and just do store items because I can't afford it.  This
is most likely the case for all shelters on this list that sell on eBay.
I am always trying to find something to sell on eBay , I hope to be doing
craft items in the future.  Once I get my house situation taken care of.
 
Since many most likely have questions, I will be happy to answer those.
I have a fixed income of $624 a month coming in.  (ebay sales fluctuate)
As of this year, I have had a total of $250 in donations, sales have been
down on eBay, my last eBay bill was $156.03, I just got that paid, late
of course, I didn't make that much in sales.
 
I have 22 ferrets here, many cats (don't know exact count, many are
feral), 7 dogs, one miniature horse and one cockatiel.  The cost for the
cats and dogs to feed weekly is: $80.00, the cost to feed the ferrets is:
approx. $35.00 a week (this includes baby food and a/d)  The horse cost
$20 a month to feed, (when I don't buy hay).  the bird: $6 a month.  My
food and toilet tissue, etc. comes to $30.00 a week.  So feeding the
animals monthly cost is approx. $486.00 a month just for food, this does
not include any medications which I buy by the case, a case of clavamox
cost me $96.00, advantage for all animals is now costing me approx.
$168.00 a month, I have an outstanding vet bill of $135.00 which I am
trying to get paid off so I can get a dog in for heartworm treatment
which will be $250.00 I recently had a cat with a urinary blockage that
cost me $400.00, I have been lucky lately, no sick ferrets, but if I have
an emergency with an animal needing something, I will post it on eBay and
have people bid to help, of course they are offered something small for
their help.
 
As you can see,, I have already come too close to my fixed income that I
get monthly, we haven't added the bills yet, I have electric bills of
between $190- $245, I have to pay it, ferrets have to have the A/C.  I
need to see what I'm doing.  Phone bill of $40.00 a month, cell phone,
$29.95 a month, water bill $24.00 a month, internet service $21.95 a
month.  I go to town only once a week, so gas monthly for the car is
approx. $20-$25.  I have car insurance I HAVE to pay which is $23 a
month, I just had to pay my property taxes of $396.00 , this was way low
due to the house being destroyed and they took it off.  As you can see,
I have learned to cut corners, I eat , but have found inexpensive things
to eat, I go to town once a week to do all of my errands and shop (I'm
20 miles from town.
 
I don't do this for fun, I do it because I love the animals.  If I didn't
have the animals, I would not do eBay.
 
Some people will ask, why do it if you don't have the money, well, what
shelter has money I ask.  None, every shelter , every animal related
organization that helps animals, asks for money/donations, even the BIG
ones.  I ask, If some of us don't do it, who will and what will happen to
the animals?  Every day somewhere there are shelters closing their doors,
ferret, cat, dog, all kinds.  Other than the ferrets, what do you think
happens to those animals when that shelter closes?  Many dogs and cats
are euthanized.  As for ferrets, usually someone will step in and try to
take them.  I thank God for that and those people.  The other animals are
not always so lucky.
 
I most likely will be doing this for animals until the day I die.  If I
ever get to a point where I can't feed them, I will end it, but I will
always struggle to care for them as long as I can.  There is nothing
wrong with selling items to make the money, there is nothing wrong with
once in a while asking for donations, all shelters need to do that to
survive.  Back in 2004 when hurricane Frances was coming in , I got
online and asked for donations, our Governor got on TV and told everyone
who could, to get out of Florida!  I did get some donations and was able
to rent a cargo van, buy cages and kennels to fit the van, I left here
with all ferrets, 25 cats and the dogs and my Mom.  We did get stuck in
Florida, but that is a whole nightmare story to tell at another time.  If
not for those people who gave, we would have been here and this place was
damaged badly by both Frances and Jeanne, then Wilma last year.  I thank
GOD for those people.
 
I do not have much, I own 5 acres of land, of which I could never get a
loan on with the income I have, I have a destroyed mobile home, I now
live in a very small FEMA travel trailer.
 
I wake up every day, with all of the chores I have to do related to the
animals, sometimes I wake up and have good cry,(mostly because of my
house situation) but then, I look at the cat faces outside waiting for
their morning feeding, I go into the ferret room and look at those little
ferret faces peeking out of their blankets waiting for the routine of the
day to begin and I know why I do it and I know why I am happy not having
much.  Those faces, that's why.
 
I also have to make phone calls daily trying to still work on getting
my home replaced, AND, if I ever do, I won't own a stick of living room
furniture nor a bed to sleep on, they were ruined from the storms, mold
and wet and awful.  That's okay with me, I can sit on the floor and
watch TV.
 
My daily routine is , get up, have a cup of coffee, feed the cats
outside, feed the dogs, fill ferret dishes, water bottles, get groups
out for playtime, do their laundry, clean the cage while their out, etc.
Make phone calls, wait for return phone calls,, find some things here to
put on eBay, take pictures of it, do the page , have it ready for listing
on the 25th, clean some inside and outside, the yard is still a mess, I
have no lawn mower any longer, Look at the yard and cry, I simply cannot
afford to have the lawn mower fixed, it's a riding lawn mower, much
needed for the acres I have., pack some things, unpack some things to
look for items to sell.  Move some things to the barn, I'm still trying
to build a cattery.  I have not raised enough money to get the materials
for that.  End of day, feed the outside cats, feed the dogs, feed the
horse.  On and on, and I don't have volunteers.
 
Please, before you bash a shelter, ask questions, don't jump the gun.
It only hurts the animals the most.  Ask yourself, is that what you are
trying to achieve?  If the answer is yes to that question, then I don't
have a good thing to say about that.
 
I am a good person, I try to sell on eBay to make ends meet, I would much
rather give you something for your money than ask for it outright, but
sometimes asking for donations has to be done.  I try to keep from asking
for donations, but in the near future, I may have to ask again.  Even if
it's just food, I haven't had a donation of ferret food for years until
just recently.  I would love to have donations of advantage.  I have
never received one.  So those that bashed me a few years ago, and those
that may still bash me, I guess they have achieved some of their goals we
might say.  I still have not figured out exactly why, I do what I do
simply for the animals.  that's it.  Not for me, No one can come here and
find anything worth any money that I own, I have an old car, 1993
Mitsubishi expo and it has almost 200,000 miles on it and I have a head
gasket oil leak, pretty soon, I won't have a car.  What furniture I have
is very old, and now I have no liviing room furniture or a bed If I get
my place replaced.  I do not buy for me,, and most shelters don't.  Just
ask them to give you a rundown on their cost and how much money they have
coming in.  That's all it takes.
 
I apologize for the length of this, but I needed to say what I felt.
Please help a shelter, don't bring them down, too many are closing
lately, something we don't need to happen.
 
I think maybe the FML should request quarterly reports from shelters that
can be posted somewhere for all to see, maybe that would help.  Or maybe
a website someone could do and post the reports along with how many
animals are being sponsored and how much is committed, this way people
would be able to choose shelters who have a bigger need than some.
 
Pick 3 shelters, choose a ferret in each to sponsor, commit a $5 bill to
each monthly.  If several people did this, it would help the shelters
tremendously, I know it would help me, that's for sure..  That's a total
of $15 given each month, disbursed to 3 shelters.
 
Let's just simply think of the ferrets, please, hurting people does
nothing but filter down to the animals.
 
Hope everyone had a Nice Easter.
 
I can say that I will Never turn down a donation, I'm not too proud, it
is much needed most of the time here, & not many have come in for quite
a while.  If anyone ever wants to send items to donate, email me for
the address, if you ever want to paypal a monetary donation , my paypal
address is [log in to unmask]
 
Sue/Okeechobee Ferret-Cat rescue
 
Auctions begin on the 25th of each month! Items added to eBay store all
of the time.
Please visit my eBay auctions, always raising funds for food, meds,
spays and neuters, http://stores.ebay.com/Ferret-Cat-Rescue
[Posted in FML issue 5215]