How Helping Hands Ferret Rescue Came About
 
It will soon be a year since I started my shelter and thought I would
share with all of you how I got started.
 
I am an animal lover and always have been.  I have had many dogs, cats,
birds, fish, horses, goats, pigs, cows and chickens over the years but
never a ferret until Cody came along.  Cody is an albino and my son Mike
bought him at Rogers Flea market in Ohio, for $30.00 and was told he was
only 7 weeks old.  There was a back yard breeder set up there selling
baby ferrets.  He told my son that he should feed him bread and milk for
few weeks then give him any kind of cat food.  I didn't know a thing
about ferrets back then.  So for the first day that is what we gave him
bread and milk and a little kitten food out of a can.
 
Cody was only here for a day when I got hooked and feel in love with this
white ball of fur.  I wanted to know all about him so I searched the
Internet and the first web site I found was Ferret Wise I read a lot of
stuff on their site and then I searched for more and I came across
Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue.
 
From there I got in touch with PFRA in Greensburg to see about adopting a
brother or sister for Cody.  I ended up with one of each a brother and a
sister.  They are now like three peas in a pod you cannot split them up
ever and as much as I try they wont let anyone else in their little
world.  Joey is also an Albino and Phoebe is a sable.
 
Then I adopted a few more and also took in a couple that was headed for
the Humane Society.  I ended up with 13 and that is how I got my name I
Love My 13 Ferrets.  Sad to say I lost one of my babies last year right
after Christmas to Insulinoma.  She was six years old and part of a four
that I adopted from PFRA.
 
After that it seemed that everyone locally found out I had ferrets and
my Vet kept referring people to me.  I knew if I was going to take them
in I had to adopt out so I started a shelter.  Finding a name for it was
easy.  I just prayed and asked the Lord.  He gave me the name Helping
Hands.  It will soon be a year that I officially opened my shelter.  I
also have my 501-C papers.  I received them in the mail back in August.
 
I have had as many as 24 shelter ferrets and I am now down to 12 of them.
Right now with my 12 and the shelter's 12 I have 24 that I take care of.
All are up to date on shots and all have been ADV tested.
 
To me it is very important to test for ADV.  I was first made aware of
ADV through PFRA and then again when I read White Russians story it made
me cry.  I feel so bad for the ferrets that get this terrible disease and
pray all the time that a cure will be found for it.  I do test for ADV
and all of mine are negative.  Thank God!!
 
I love what I do and since I am semi retired it gives me something to do
with my time.  My husband is talking about building a room on off my
dining room 18 X 24 just for my kids if we can swing the money.  He has
some of the material from different jobs he did but we still need a lot
of material.  He told me to dream and he will do it little by little and
in a few years I will have it unless we receive a miracle.
 
So now you know the story of how I got started.  I know it is long and
probably boring to some but that is how I got started with ferrets
through my little albino boy named Cody whom I love more than words can
say.
 
My daughter lives at home and she helps me so does my one son and my
five year old grand daughter.  She loves them all and she knows each and
everyone by name and who goes in what cage :-).
 
She is quite a ferret Mom for five and she thinks nothing of cleaning
ferret pans and washing their dishes.  You know the old saying many hands
make light work will her little hands are a big help to make my day go
easier.  She gets mad at me if she comes home from kindergarten and I
have them done.
 
To all of you from all of us at the Helping Hands Ferret Rescue we pray
you have a Safe and Prosperous New Year.  Hug your fuzzies tight and pray
for all the ones that need forever homes or who need rescued out of bad
homes, pet shops or those that have been turned lose to fend for
themselves.
 
God Bless You All
Helen and The Weasels From
Helping Hands Ferret Rescue
http://www.angelfire.com/biz7/hhferretrescue/
[Posted in FML issue 4009]