>From:    Troy Lynn Eckart <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Shelter/breeding issue
>What stands out to me on this issue is that some shelters that breed do
>not give adequate time or care to each individual ferret.  I'm not
>pointing any fingers at anyone but I do personally know of several in
>this position.
 
Please do not forget the shelters that do NOT breed that do not give
adequate time to each ferret.  Or the breeders that do not run a shelter.
Or the no shelter and non breeder individuals.  Its not hard to find people
that fit in any of those categories.  Not hard at all - unfortunately.
 
Its rather unfair to smear one group for a "crime" that isn't theirs and
theirs alone.  Absolutely no way we'd agree that there is any surplus of
this neglect in any category except non-shelter/non-breeders.  Shelters and
breeders are BOTH the types of places where more attempt will be made.
 
>The other issue is funds.  Are donations being used for only shelter
>ferrets or are they used for both or just breeders?  Do you push to sell
>your breeders and not the shelter ferrets?  Are your kits being bought
>while shelter ferrets sit in the cages day after day, week after week,
>month after month?
 
Looking real hard for ethical problems.  Why would a breeder/shelter not
want to find homes for the shelter ferrets?  It costs more to keep them
than to place them as you should well know.  We as both a shelter and a
breeder try to put the right ferret in the right home.  Sometimes its a
shelter ferret.  Sometimes its a kit.  First pets are often best as a
shelter ferret.  When folks who want to show a ferret the bets choice is
probably a kit.
 
Most shelter/breeders are not as fast to solicit funds as the shelter only
types.  But shelter only folks can just as easily use donated fund for
their own ferrets (or other purposes) as a shelter/breeder.  We do know of
one shelter only that was in our opinion abusing donated funds.
 
>For those that are loving responsible shelter/breeders - does one bad
>apple spoil the bunch?  In some peoples minds, yes.  Can you police your
>own?  What about forming a committee that can be used to report complaints
>and to send investigators?
 
In all honesty there is no need to "police" shelter/breeders seperately from
just plain shelters.  There are "bad apple" shelters.  There are "bad apple"
breeders.  Being over loaded isn't enough to make one truly a "bad apple"
and we honestly think those breeders that are also shelters tend to be the
better breeders.  They are showing extra responsibility by choosing to also
run a shelter in the first place.
 
>From:    Glenn Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: shelters/breeders
>Since we don't see wild born kits in this country, it's probably safe to
>conclude that every unwanted, abused, injured, sick (or all of the above)
>ferret that ends up in a shelter was originally the result of a breeder
>operation somewhere.
 
It is quite true that every ferret in the US was bred somewhere.  The only
way to absolutely guarantee no abused or unwanted ferrets is to have no
ferrets whatsoever.  Isn't that obvious?  Shelter ferrets quite often come
back into shelters.  Breeders have no lock on placements that didn't work
out.
 
But it is quite a dirty trick to blame all injuries and diseases on
breeders.
 
The usual mode on the FML is for folks to attack breeders.  Breeders don't
attack shelters in general.  We normally are both breeders and shelters.
Pretty simple truth that is being very ignored by many people.
 
Any war is between a small portion of shelters that hate the very concept of
breeding ferrets and the rest of the shelters, breeders, shelter/breeders
and in our honest opinion, ferrets themselves.  We like Troy Lynn but her
note kind of points that out.  She points out potential flaws in
shelter/breeders but these exact same flaws can and do exist in shelters.
Most in any ferret owner.
 
Wanting to get rid of all breeders is wanting to get rid of all ferrets.
Several folks have pointed this out by now.  How can that be in the best
interest of ferrets?
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2316]