To Jeanne Stadtmiller:
 
 You have made one of the most impressive presentations I have seen. Wow, do
you know your facts! I have seen Totally Ferret bring ferrets on the edge
around. My guys love it, but I do still feed a mix. In the past year we have
seen some super ferrets come through the LIFE shows who were eating only TF.
 
By the way, in case it was a problem for anyone, I understand that their new
bags have been printed, and they have eradicated all mention of  the AFA.
 
To Mary McCarthy:
 
I agree with you 100%! You have raised some tremendous issues that EVERYONE
who discusses this should consider. I didn't know it was illegal for anyone
but Vets do do spay/neuter in NY. Let's do a little math. MF has said that
they have 10,000 breeding ferrets and ONE vet. Assuming 3 litters a year per
jill (at equal numbers of jills and hobs--it could be 9000 jills and 1000
hobs, we just don't know) and an average litter size of 8, = 290 surgeries a
day to keep up. Are we supposed to believe they are all performed by one
vet???
 
Anyway, that makes *at least* 120,000 ferrets a year. We know that not all wil
l make it. So let's estimate 100,000 ferrets sold a year. MF says that no
more than 10% go to medical research. They are the pet industry's MAJOR
supplier...
 
In a recent survey of shelters that I conducted we found that about 90% of
all the ferrets we get in are pet store ferrets. We as rescues don't love
them any less, we love them more, because we usually get sick or discarded
animals. Shelter's vet bills run in the hundreds a month...mostly for the pet
store ferrets.
 
 In my 12 years keeping ferrets I have never had a pet store ferret live
longer than 6years- and at that age usually riddled with some kind of cancer.
We hold these ferrets a little closer, love them a little more, and do
everything medically possible to try to alleviate their suffering, because we
usually get them when they "aren't any fun anymore," or have lost all their
hair, or have a big bulge, so the owners say they "have to get rid of it."
 
 In my opinion, people should have to adopt animals just like they adopt child
ren, but then again the courts are full of child abuse cases too.
 
I don't know what the answers are, but I know first hand what the problems
are.
 
One final word: Whatever differences there may be over issues, I think we all
agree that Bill Gruber deserves tremendous credit for the great job he's
doing.  FML is better than ever !!!
 
Ann Davis,
ACME Ferret Company (Rescue & Info Service)
LIFE National Coordinator
LIFE Championship Judge
Publisher, The Independent Voice
Project Breed Rescue Directory Natl. Ferret Coordinator
FFIRC Disaster Response Codirector
Member of STAR* Ferrets and just about about every other
ferret club in the universe, etc., etc., and so forth.
(Rose Smith taught me how to sign this way<vbg>).
[Posted in FML issue 1071]