I was holding off posting this until the bitter end, but since Dona's post
yesterday briefly mentioned it, I guess now is as good a time as any.
After 11 years in operation, the South Florida Ferret Club & Rescue is
permanently closing down its shelter operation. There are a number of
reasons for this. Angela, our shelter operator, and in whose home the
shelter has resided the entire time, is not in the greatest health and
can no longer undertake the grueling task of caring for 100+ ferrets
practically around the clock. She has earned her rest. I do not know of
anyone that has given more of themselves to care for ferrets.
The shelter has not gotten a lot of support over the years. As long as
I've been involved, since 1993 or thereabouts, there has only been a
handful of people that regularly helped out. Angela NEVER turned down a
ferret in need of rescue, and there were times when we had close to 200
ferrets in the shelter. I've seen two large rooms full of cages, plus
additional cages in her dining and living room. When ECE hit the shelter
in 1994, 150 ferrets were infected at the same time and Angela provided the
care with no help from anyone because she didn't want to see anyone else
infect their ferrets. ECE was not so common back then. Even though many
were already ill with other diseases, Angela's around the clock care and
knowledge saved all but a handful. And when she had dozens of sick shelter
ferrets to care for, if anyone called her and said their ferret was deathly
ill with ECE, she would have them bring the ferret to her and she would
nurse the little one back to health. When our shelter vet performed major
surgery on someone's ferret, the ferret often went to Angela for the first
week of post-op care. She did this more times than I can count, including
for my own.
As you can imagine, this kind of operation cost dearly in time and money.
Angela has had no life except for the ferrets and she also provided a
substantial portion of the funds to pay the annual operating expense of
25-30,000 dollars a year.
We've been winding down the operation and have not taken in any ferrets
over the past few months. Angela and her husband have sold their house,
have to be out June 1st, and will be moving to North Carolina. There are
still 40 or 50 unadoptable ferrets in the shelter and they will be moving
to North Carolina with Angela and will live out the remainder of their
lives with her. They couldn't be in better hands.
A month or two ago I sent out an e-mail to all the local club members
asking for some ideas on what to do next, where to go with the website,
etc., etc. The apathy continues as I got a total of ONE response to my
e-mail. So it looks like we're going nowhere. I work 12 hour days and
most Saturdays, so I can't do this on my own. The Broward members have
been holding their own meetings for the past six months or so, and they
are organized enough to keep going, though as Dona mentioned, they won't
be operating a shelter.
Angela has put my phone number on her current shelter recording, and I will
try to help the local ferret community with referrals and in any other way
possible, but that's the extent of what will be happening here. If there
are any Miami-Dade residents out there that want to get involved, and I
mean truly involved, not just meeting attenders, please contact me. People
will be needed that can foster ferrets until homes can be found for them.
Life will go on, but the South Florida ferret community will suffer a great
loss without Angela around to help.
In memory of the South Florida Ferret Club & Rescue,
Mike
* Michael F. Janke, [log in to unmask]
* Secretary, South Florida Ferret Club & Rescue
* A 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation
*
* Shelter web site: http://www.miamiferret.org
* Adrenal/Insulinoma web site: http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc
[Posted in FML issue 3037]
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