This is forwarded from Nanci Frazier in Detroit, MI.  [BIG - I have
permission to forward to the FML everything that is here.]
 
I'm so furious about this afternoon [Friday, Oct.  15]...i suppose the ONLY
moral of the story is: if you suspect your neighbor, please tell someone.
If you know of critters in peril - tell someone!
 
Last week, I was taking care of some calls for Make-A-Rescue which had been
contacted by a woman called Jerri Palmer.  She's a backyard breeder that
shows at the GLFA shows and takes great pride over her critters (believe
me, I heard all about them).  At the time of the call, Jerri said that she
had several ferrets that weren't hers living "downstairs", that another
backyard breeder had dumped on her.  She wanted the Rescue to take them
into shelter.  Supposedly there were 8 critters who she had given distemper
shots to.  Only 3 were whole by her count.
 
I spoke to Jerri over two phone calls.  Jerri has health issues and has
spent time in the hospital.  A fellow backyard breeder was living in her
house and was to care for her ferrets while she was in the hospital.  She
accuses him of letting two litters die of neglect while she was absent.  At
some point afterward she kicked him out, but he left his ferrets behind.
This woman is very heavy and has something terribly wrong with one leg
(it's swollen tremendously), so it's hard for her to get to her basement
to care for the ferrets this man left behind.  She sends her 8 year old
daughter to "do the best she can."  The girlfriend who helps with her life
is afraid of ferrets and won't get near them.
 
After the second conversation I discovered that Jerri has not even been to
her basement in who knows how long.  The bottom line is that she does not
feel this other breeder's ferrets are her responsibility.  He was to give
her $100 per month to take care of them but she hasn't heard from him in
two months.  So, she doesn't feel she needs to clean them or their cages
as they aren't her responsibility - hell, she didn't care to feed them for
the same reason.  She felt very bad at how thin they were becoming.  "Poor
little critters.  He's really neglecting them." But it's not her
responsibility, she asserted over and over and OVER...so she was "doing the
best she could."
 
This woman is VERY concerned with what the people at GLFA shows will think
of her and her ferrets, told me no less than 1000 times how bad she feels
but it just isn't her responsibility and she thinks this man is just
terrible.  Uh huh.  K...guess the fact that they're in her house didn't
make too much of an impact.  She did admit at some point that at least one
had already died.
 
When we arrived, we found a dark, dank basement (recently flooded), cages
galore (some with ferrets, some without), stuff everywhere...then the
critters.  Unfortunately I HAVE seen this before.  The largest cage one was
in was about 2' x 1.5'.  Filth?  Oh ayup - everywhere.  What I didn't find
was any sign of food.  The filth was incredible...they've obviously been in
the cages through a shed 'cause the hair, urine, resulting rust and feces
was thick along the bottom (and sides and everywhere) of each cage.  Hard
to breathe - despite the large fan blowing stench around.
 
Of course the final insult in the only cage that had two ferrets in it -
one was dead with the maggots already hard at work.  The poor little albino
on the bottom level just looked confused at me the whole way home.  If only
we had found out about this last weekend...sigh...
 
Yesterday, when i followed up with Jerri she told me she had gone down to
get things ready.  How she missed the remains of that ferret swarming with
maggots is beyond me.  Here's the kicker in this woman's whole diatribe:
She was APPALLED to discover that two of HER OWN ferrets were down there!
Egads, they were as thin as HIS!  They were being abused by him as well!
She was livid.  "Oh dear," she exclaimed when my friend pointed out the
dead ferret...(%&(*&$...continue to use your imagination here...
 
While I packed the critters into the clean carriers we brought, my friend
had her sign the release.  She did and we each took several carriers out -
While I went back for more my friend started seeing what we had.  After I
had the last of the 9 in my hands this big, disgusting, stupid, pathetic
excuse for a human said "It's not my fault" just one too many times - so I
let her have it.
 
Not responsible for these animals?  They're in your f***ing house, you
mindless piece of flotsam!  You thrust your own critters from filthy cages
at me when I walk in and tell me how wonderful they are?  How fat and
happy?  While critters are starving to death in your own basement?  You
feel sorry for the poor little ferrets who've been in disgusting and filthy
cages barely bigger than themselves for MONTHS now without relief - and
take little to no action?  Egads.  I only hope that Flint Animal Control
has some power and determination and will remove the remaining animals
from her house.  Hell, I hope the 8 year old can get out of there too!
 
Four of the critters are headed to Wayne, three are going to Grand Rapids
and two are being fostered here.  There are 5 whole females, 1 MF male and
3 whole males.  Three are here with me to go west on Sunday.  They ALL
began eating like PIGGIES as soon as we gave them food (YAY)!  I can't
believe their desire and will to live.  No place to lie down but your own
filth for months, no light, no buddies, little food...amazing critters.
 
I can only hope that pits such as this won't be overlooked in the future.
Of course, here the homeowner completely shirked her responsibility to care
for the critters OR get someone to come for them.  To all who offered to
help - thank you so much.  If you still want critters you know I can always
hook you up!  hahaha!
 
nanci <[log in to unmask]>
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/ferretsetc
[Posted in FML issue 2841]