I see so many sad stories here, and have a few of my own, that I just had to
post this story with a happy ending.  Sometimes, one gets one of these and
it makes running a shelter seem all the more worthwhile.
 
About a month or two ago I got email from a woman named Elle saying they
were interested in getting a ferret into the family for the first time.
Naturally, I pointed her to our shelter.
 
After arriving at the shelter with her children, and seeing the population
and talking to Angela at length, she decided that a little more preparation
might be in order.  So, for the weekends that followed, the kids came to the
shelter and scrubbed water bottles, changed litter and generally found out
what having a ferret was really all about.  They returned repeatedly to
clean cages and saved their money in the meantime to get the necessary cage
and supplies.
 
I am very happy to report that Elle and kids are now the proud parents of
three shelter ferrets!  Here's a quote from the email I got from Elle
today...
 
 "I am so very glad that Angela has allowed all of us to help her at the
  shelter.  My children have learned much.  They now see what commitment
  is and who pays when it is not honored.  We wish that we could bring
  more into our family.  When we left Angela's with our ferrets, children
  kept quoting the martians in Toy Story,  'I have been chosen, I go on to
  a better place!'  We will do our best to make it better."
 
I don't know about you, but it makes my heart feel good to see someone put
in that kind of commitment before adopting a ferret.  I wish we had more
adoptions like this!
 
I'm not sure if you read the FML, Elle, but if you do, my hat's off to you
and your children.  Shamus, Jasmine and Chipper could not have found a
better home anywhere.
 
  Mike
 
* Michael F. Janke - [log in to unmask]
* Member, South Florida Ferret Club & Rescue
*
* Shelter Home Page - http://www.bridge.net/~mjanke
[Posted in FML issue 1782]