Hi Everyone:
 
Okay, here's the run-down on the Ferrets Across America program, and at the
bottom of this message we have a *new* transport to get set up, so read on!
 
Many times on the FML, there have been posts about ferrets that for one
reason or another need to get from one part of the U.S.  to another, without
anyone to transport them.  Sometimes folks use Delta Dash or other shipping
means, which I'm not crazy about (but that's not my point here).  So, to get
a ferret from, say, Kansas to Massachusettes, we scramble, put out posts,
ask if anyone's making a trip from KS to MA.  It's not usually likely that a
trip is happening at the same time a ferret is in need (of course, unless
Bob C. is on the road <g>).
 
So I have been thinking for the past month or so, why not set up a
centralized location (that'd be my house) to organize these things?  Get
volunteers up-front that would be willing to drive x number of hours from
their home to help a fuzzy in need?  That way, when a trip comes up, all
I'd have to do is look at my nifty map, see what flagged-pins are along the
route we need, and make a few phone calls to see if volunteers can take a
leg of the trip.  Better to have possible people lined up before an
emergency arises, right?
 
Well, with this transport from Florida to PA, I figured this was my time to
launch this program.  I already have over 20 cute little flags on my huge
U.S. map of volunteers that have already signed up (THANK YOU!!).  The
winner for the farthest volunteer from me goes to CJ LADYBUG.... I've got
all of these flags from central U.S. east and south, and then this one
lonely little flag all the way out in Idaho!  Thanks, CJ!
 
So here's the deal.  Volunteers are just that...volunteers.  If a transport
comes up that you might be helpful in, I will call you and let you know.
You can accept or decline....nobody can be on call to do this all the time.
When you sign up, let me know how far you're willing to go from your home.
At this time, there's no "application" per se, and I can't verify that
everyone has a valid drivers licence or such.  I would hope that if you
sign up to do this, you are responsible enough to be entrusted with the
care of a ferret that someone at the end of the transport is so desperately
waiting to meet.
 
This will hopefully open up a lot of doors for helping to lessen the burden
of shelters, too.  If a shelter in Florida is overrun with too many ferrets,
and a shelter in Virginia has only one or two, why not get a transport going
to take the burden off of the overrun shelter?  It will also help small
breeders to allow their ferrets to go to homes farther from the town the
breeder is located in.
 
TO SIGN UP: Send me an e-mail with ALL of the following information: your
name, address, telephone number, and how far you will be willing to travel
*each way* (if you tell me 3 hours, I'll assume it's 3 hours each way).
Also, if there are particular cities or states that you can go to, let me
know that, too.
 
IF YOU NEED A TRANSPORT: E-mail me with the details of the transport.  The
more time you can give me, the better I'll be able to cover the trip.  I
will go through my listings of volunteers, and hopefully get the entire trip
covered.  If not, we can then use the FML to get extra people to cover the
trip.  I check my e-mail at least once a day, barring show weekends and an
occasional one-day rest from the computer.
 
If you volunteer, it is with the understanding that the cost of travel must
be your responsibility.  I would like to say that volunteers could be
reimbursed for the cost of gas, etc., but that would have to be left up to
the people on the receiving end of the transport.  I personally will do this
without asking for a dime...it's all a part of doing what I can to help the
ferret community.  However, if someone's making a particularly long trip
(i.e., involving overnight lodging) it might be nice if the person receiving
the ferret at the other end offered a bit of help.  In any case, it's not
stated in this program that fees will be covered.
 
I hope everyone agrees that this program is a good thing, and I hope that I
can help in getting ferrets where they need to go!  That said, we have our
second transport (and third) already lined up (and we haven't even settled
the first yet...what have I gotten myself into THIS time?  <g>) Troy Lynn
Eckart has five ferrets in Chicago that need to get to her in Kansas.  There
is also a ferret in Montana that needs to get to Kansas.  If you can help in
either of these transports, or if you just want to volunteer, let me know!
 
Kymberlie Becker Barone
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady
[Posted in FML issue 2252]