The International Ferret Congress is pleased to announce the 'Talk in
Toledo' to be held in Toledo, Ohio on Saturday, Oct 2nd, 2004 at the
Toledo Hilton.
 
The IFC will be presenting a workshop on "Improving Communications and
Collaboration between Ferret Shelters and Humane Societies".  These two
groups, humane societies and ferret shelters, have much to benefit by
working with each other.
 
The workshop will feature presentations by ferret shelter operator-Dee
Gage and Humane Society officer- Linda Reider.  Dee is the owner/operator
of the West Michigan Ferret Connection, the co-founder of the Midwest
Ferret Fellowship and a member of the Michigan Dept of Agriculture
Companion Animal Advisory Committee, and Linda is an officer for the
Humane Society of the United States.  The topics will include how the
two groups can work together to shelter and rehome ferrets, tips on
handling large scale rescues, and how to handle abuse cases for
successful prosecution.
 
If you are just an individual ferret owner and not a shelter or rescue
operation, you are also invited to attend.  The discussions will
include how you, as a private ferret owner, can get involved and make a
difference, and will also provide you with the chance to meet other
ferret owners in your area.  We are hoping to have attendees from the
tri-state area - Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
 
This workshop is limited to 35 people and you must pre-register for this
event.  Registration information will be available shortly.
 
The Schedule will be as follows:
 
3:00 - 4:30  Shop and Talk - come meet other ferret lovers and check out
             the vendor tables!
5:00 - 6:00  Speaker Presentation: Dee Gage
6:00 - 7:15  Buffet Dinner with Table Topics -
             enjoy your buffet dinner with others and discuss a specific
             topic.  (Topics to be announced at a later date.)
7:30 - 9:00  Speaker presentation - Linda Reider.
 
There will also be an optional Sunday morning breakfast for those
interested in staying around for a little while and discussing what
we have learned.
 
The cost to attend this event will be $30.00.  This covers admission into
the Shop and Talk, the Speaker Presentations, the Buffet Dinner with
Table Topics, and a copy of the IFC 'Loose Lips Sink Kits' document.
 
Rooms are available for Saturday night at the Toledo Hilton for a cost of
$99.00 plus tax and must be reserved though me.  If you are interested in
a room, please let me know as soon as possible.
 
A $15.00 deposit to attend this event is required by August 1st with the
balance of $15.00 to be paid by Sept 1st.  Registration is limited to 35
attendees, so if you want to attend, please plan on getting your
registration in as soon as possible..
 
If you have any questions, please let me know or feel free to contact any
of the IFC Coordinators..  More information will be released in the next
couple of weeks!  I look forward to seeing you there!
 
Judy Cooke
Co-Director IFC
www.ferretcongress.org
 
[Moderator's note: Do not confuse this with the 2005 International Ferret
Symposium, the much larger symposium to be held April 29-May 1, 2005 in
St. Louis, MO.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4550]