Mary stated in her post yesterday that she didn't feel she needed to know
the reason for surrendering, and that she felt it was not the issue.  I
have to disagree.  It is indeed a very big part of the issue.  The bottom
line is, and always has been, the welfare of the ferret, and having their
needs met.  But knowing the reason for surrendering a ferret is a very big
part of the picture.
 
There are many reasons people give for surrendering their family members...
some have a basis for validity (as in the ferret is in a much better home),
while others could have just been preventable.  These preventable ones are
the ones that need to be dealt with and these are the ones where knowing
the history is a fundamental part of finding a solution.  These are the
ones that just may have a basis in pure misinformation.  But without
knowing why people have to give up their fuzzies gives us no place to
start.
 
After all, if one just keeps treating the symptoms, which in this case are
those ferrets that don't fair well in the transition from home to shelter,
then the cause is never dealt with.
 
If people didn't try to find out the cause of some of our so-called cured
diseases, we would still be fighting them today.
 
Cause and effect... they go hand in hand.  Both must be addressed.  It is
in the best interest of the surrendered ferret, and isn't this what we are
all in this for?
 
Betty and Her Blur O'Fur
For the Love of Ferrets...
[Posted in FML issue 3072]