A couple weeks ago, Jean Caputo Lee announced that she was closing Ferrets
Unlimited Ferret Shelter.  This is a severe blow to the NE Ohio ferret
community, and I wanted to be sure everyone knows how much she has done for
ferrets here, and how strong she has been to carry on as long as she has.
 
Jean would take ferrets no one else wanted.  She has a special spot in her
heart for the old, handicapped and very sick, and that often results in her
heart being broken when they leave.  In the last several months, she has
lost many ferrets, sometimes several in a short time period.  She lost a
pregnant jill and all but one of her kits; she lost her 10 year old
Barnabas, who would shower her with kisses.  She lost a sweet old lady with
rotten teeth, and youngsters who should have had long lives ahead of them.
Even in the midst of joy, there was sorrow: the day we celebrated Phoenix's
release from quarantine, Munchie, a 5-yr old died in her arms, apparently
a reaction to the anesthetic used during his neutering.  Munchie had been
turned into her shelter as a direct result of the Phoenix incident.
 
Jean works a full time job, and takes care of the sometimes as many as 50
ferrets in her home mostly single-handedly.  That in itself has been a
full-time job.  But the ferrets never go without love and excellent care.
Vet bills are paid before the mortgage.  They get top quality food, soft
bedding and abundant toys.
 
One of the final blows was the sudden death of Phoenix to an ece-like
illness about 3 weeks ago.  (For those who are new to the list, Phoenix was
accused last Feb of viciously biting an 5-week old Cleveland girl.  Mostly
as a result of Jean's having spent 2 years working with the animal control
officials, Phoenix was quarantined for 10 days and then released to her
custody.  More details on web page.)  It is so unfair that he should have
only had such a short time to be happy and well-loved.
 
Other recent events have meant that Jean does not have the time to devote
to the shelter that she knows it would need, so I understand her decision.
But I want to be sure that everyone knows that the ferrets in this area
have lost a guardian angel.
 
Linda Iroff
North Coast Ferret Shelter West
"The Raisin Retreat"
Oberlin, Ohio
http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html
[Posted in FML issue 2388]