>Wherret Ferrets Halfway House and Ferretry has closed its doors, and is
>therefore not accepting donations, but Sheena asks that any people who
>were inclined to donate to Wherret Shelter please send their donations
>to the shelter nearest them.
 
Wherret has re-opened in a new location, although we are down to two rescues
(and Tia still holding on).  We are also pretty well caught up in our
medical bills (yay) thanks to some very kind folks out there.
 
Thanks to some unscrupulous jerks in our area that are determined to cause
trouble for us, we've moved out of the city limits and are operating in a
"stealth mode" at the moment.  We do have a postal box address though:
 
P.O. Box #3, 4607 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C.
V5H 2B3
 
And that's how anyone can get in touch with us if need be (this is not a bid
for donations; like I said, we're doing okay in the financial department.
We held a vaccination clinic recently with our veterinarian, and $5.00 from
every vaccine went to the shelter fund.  Other shelter operators / clubs out
there might consider trying this.  We raised a lot of $$$).
 
>From:    Patricia Curtis <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: AFA Show
>Honestly, I wasn't that taken with the judging going on at the end of the
>room, it is kinda boring to watch as they tell you *nothing* about what
>they are judging on.
 
The judges' jobs are not to tell the spectators what's going on in *any*
animal show, although some will because they enjoy speaking.  The judges'
jobs are to judge the ferrets in the ring, which they have been trained to
do.  It is up to the competitors to learn and understand themselves what the
standards are and try to show the appropriate ferret for the category.
 
>I believe too much emphasis is placed on 'show quality' and 'points' and
>not enough on helping needy fuzzies out there that are living in poor
>conditions or without homes at all.
 
That's because you were at a *show* not a shelter.
 
I've shown cats for years.  All of our kitties are rescues, so we show them
in the "pet class" or "rescue class." Many shows/matches have categories for
these ferrets as well.  But there is something to be said for improving the
breed of any animal, and there has to be standards for this to happen.
Standards are set by experienced persons in that particular animal's
breed/type, to emphasize the better qualities of the animal (temperment,
pattern, coat colour, size, body structure) and not continue to produce the
less desired qualities (indiscriminate breeding, bad temperments, over or
under size etc).
 
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with breeding for type and quality.
Good breeders of show-quality animals (of any kind) are trying to improve
the quality of the breed, and look for responsible buyers for their animals.
This is a far cry from your average breeder out to make $$$ breeding
anything to anything and selling to anyone.  If the buyer starts out with a
good ferret, and with good support, the buyer is less likely to abandon the
ferret later and create all the homeless animals you and I deal with on a
regular basis.
 
For most breeders, showing ferrets has a threefold effect.  It offers
exposure to the breeder and their animals; it's a way for the breeder to
learn how to breed better quality animals and it's a place for the breeder
to interact with other breeders and friends and generally have a good time.
 
For other exhibitors, showing ferrets is a way to have fun, checking out
vendor tables, meeting other ferret fanciers and generally having a fun
time.  And maybe going home with a ribbon.  A friend of mine showed her gib
last spring and he passed away recently.  She was just telling me how
wonderful it was to be able to look at the ribbon he won (2nd best in show)
now and remember how beautiful he was.  Nothing wrong with that.  If an
individual goes home disappointed with their pet because they didn't win a
ribbon, then that's the individual's shortcoming, not the show's.
 
Every year we have a big pet fair here in B.C., and every year we hold a
table for the club/rescues.  We get to meet lots of other ferret fanciers,
we make new friends, and we find homes for lots of the fuzzies in our
shelters.  Personally, we'd love to hold a show at the same time.  It's good
exposure for ferrets for people to see them being judged for qualities, and
reinforces the concept that ferrets are legitimate pets who have a serious
following.
 
Showing animals can be fun.  We retired our kitty Isis with a Grand
Championship title.  She's got a zillion ribbons hanging in the cat room (I
admire them, she eats them.  It's a win-win situation).  If shelters want
more exposure at shows, shelters need to run tables.  There's nothing wrong
with having a bit of fun, and maybe taking home a ribbon or two at the same
time ... it's best to understand the show before one slams it for being
stupid.  Just enjoy it or don't, but let the exhibitors have their fun.
 
Sheena - [log in to unmask]  | "To Err is Ferret ... To Forgive|
VP - Ferret Association     | "... Well, That's Our Job"      |
     of Greater Vancouver   (Wherret Web Pages Coming Soon!)
  We're on the Web! http://www2.portal.ca/~cmc/ferrets/fagv/
[Posted in FML issue 1785]