I received so many interesting e-mails from people on the subject of ferret
shelters.  I understand now why some were confused by what I wrote.
*** DUH!****  It wasn't how I phrased what I wrote.  It is that Dozens of
you feel that you are shelters ,and I would not have ever thought so!!!
 
I know of a breeder that calls herself a shelter.  She has a porch for the
kittens that she can't sell that she breeds.  She calls her porch of
kittens and cats she could not sell a shelter.
 
There is the person in Michigan with all those ferrets she neglects
according to e-mails I have read.  She seems to be addicted to ferrets.
They suffer under her lack of care.  But she calls herself a shelter.
 
There was someone on food stamps that sells them for money for ferrets she
takes in.  Since she is sheltering animals that others are throwing out-she
writes that she is a shelter.  She loves these animals and says she cares
for them very well.  And could I make a donation?
 
Then there are those with no phone.  They live with someone else and might
take in ferrets others are getting rid of.  They ask around if anyone
wants a ferret.  If not-these ladies keep the ferrets.  They are shelters
according to their beliefs.
 
Then there are those of you with dozens of ferret cages in your house for
dozens of ferrets, and have no name or even a seperate account for your
shelter.  You are all shelters in your belief.
 
Personally, I took in and found homes for 4 animals just in the last 10
months.  Three others I took in in the last year I am sheltering.  One was
going to be euthenized 30 minutes from the time I walked in to a shelter.
One was left to die at Petco.  One was kept covered in excrement in a
bathtub in an unused bathroom by a nice woman whose son had dumped the"
ugly rat thing" on her..
 
I spend $12,000 to $18,000 a year on animals that are wild, feral, at
shelters,sick, starving, animals that were abandoned, are injured, or in
need of surgery.  Currently-I am trying to save the lives of two kittens.
They are skinny, cold, and homeless.  I have bowls of fresh water out day
and night with expensive kitten food to try and keep these guys alive.  I
just spent $63. tonight for a house for them on the porch.  I ran a heating
pad out there and placed it in the house.  The 5 to 10 pounds of food each
night for the other animals is also there.
 
What is a giant surprise to me is to learn that I am a shelter.  I have a
seperate account for the animals, a listed phone number with my name, and I
shelter animals.  I AM a shelter by the standards dozens of you gave me.!!!
 
I never looked at things the way so many writing to me see things.  It
sounds too pridefull to say I am a shelter right now.  I love animals, and
take time and money to care for them.  They are all too often helpless
victims in the schemes of mankind.  I wish everyone could help jsut a
little bit.  If all of us helped-there would be major differences..'  That
is how I would define me instead of a shelter.
 
I will have to live with all the info.  you guys have shared with me for
awhile to decide what I am.  Meanwhile, I would like to say something:
 
ALL of you wrote politely and kindly despite my stunning ignorance of how
many of you define a shelter.  BIG is so right.  You guys are wonderful!!!
 
Lisette
[Posted in FML issue 2876]