This is lots of information and will probably be in more than three parts
(sorry BIG). [Arrived in 3 parts -- all combined into one here. BIG]
I must say that I enjoyed and appreciated that Peter Reid took about
two hours out of his day to speak with me and address my concerns. He
apologized for not getting hold of me sooner.
In preparation for this conversation, I had a detailed list of questions
ready for him and I recommend that anyone who wants to make headway and/or
voice concerns, go this route. It keeps the conversation on a level base
without straying so much from the issues at hand.
Here is the question/answer session:
"Why doesn't MF come forward and address the allegations people have made?
Answer: Peter told me in detail that most of the time, people will just
take it out of context. This is why emails have not been effective. He
also stated that anything he says will be used against him and has been in
the past. This is why his policy is not to put it in writing. My opinion
on this, is that I strongly disagree. If you cannot put something in
writing, it usually means that you are afraid of legal issues that might
occur as a result. I feel this way about ALL companies who wont
communicate.
"How come MF wont allow a respected member of the ferret community to come
tour the facilities (even in a hazmat suit)?
Answer: We have allowed people to come through but we do have to worry
about proprietary information. Germs are another concern. I suggested
Jeanne Carley or someone of that caliber, and he told me he knows Jeanne,
but it has never been requested or suggested.
"What happens to retired breeders?"
Answer: Some are adopted out, some have gone to vet clinics so that the
technicians can train on spay/neuter/descent procedures and then those
ferrets are often adopted by the clinics. He did say that some are
euthanized.
My response to this was that MF could put a program together where these
ferrets do not ever have to be euthanized. I suggested that they could
send these ferrets to shelters along with food and supplies (and continue
to pay for this stuff until someone adopted them). I told him that most
shelter operators hate knowing that retired breeders are being put down
for no reason and that this would also reflect well on MF - that they are
trying. He agreed to take this idea to the next meeting with the board.
"I have heard rumors that you get ferrets from a breeder in the UK, is
this true?"
Answer: No. We don't get ferrets from other breeders.
"How do you protect against ADV?"
Answer: Thorough checks and exams are done weekly on all our ferrets. We
have never had this happen but that is not to say it never could, we are
trying to make sure it never does.
"How do you address the ferrets being shipped too young?"
Answer: I know that this happens and I am trying to get MF to go back to
shipping at eight weeks, like before. It has been a big issue for him,
but changes don't happen overnight. He told me there are details to work
out and it is not so simple. I took this to mean that demand would be
hard to keep up with at the store level. I told him that three years is
too long for any change to occur.
"Do employees have to sign a confidentiality agreement? I have heard that
they do and that it is binding even after they leave."
Answer: I didn't have to and have never seen anyone sign a confidentiality
agreement in the fifteen years I have been here. They do have to sign a
"non-compete" agreement, but that is all. He told me that turnover is not
high and he has employees who have been with MF for 30 years, so it hasn't
been an issue.
"How do you address the issue raised about MF fakes?"
Answer: We have gone after distributors who have done this. No, we don't
believe it happens as often as some like to think.
"Your health guarantee states that in order to be effective, the ferret
must be on MF food, yet petstores (Petco in particular) don't feed it
because of the fecal smell associated with it."
Answer: All ferret feces smell. We both laughed at that. We cannot
mandate that petstores feed MF food. The problem is that other suppliers
can supply them with free food that they can use to feed their animals and
we wont go that route. This has been addressed many times by our company.
"I am disturbed that unlicensed vets are performing surgeries on your
ferrets."
Answer: The animal technicians here do a better job than most vets. It is
much better than a private breeder doing it themselves without adequate
supplies or a sanitary environment. I told him that there have been many
botched surgeries and that I just cannot agree on this issue.
"How are ferrets raised for lab work, kept seperate from those raised for
pet ownership?"
Answer: They are kept in seperate colonies. He told me they are very
careful about this and he said the margin of error is so small that he
has to laugh anytime he hears this.
"How do you track the ferrets and their genetics?"
Answer: They check all ferrets and pick only those with excellent skeletal
development and temperment. They are not concerned with breeding for
color since the farther you stray from the "norm" gene pool, the more
chance of genetic defects. He did state that they will see fancy colors
but that they don't "breed" for it. Each ferret is scanned and numbered
and they get ear tags, then this information goes into a computer. He
would like to go to microchipping, but it is cost prohibitive.
What happens to ferrets that are sent back with genetic defects?"
Answer: We don't take ferrets back. I work with the store to resolve the
problem and make it a good situation for all involved.
So, I enjoyed the conversation I had with him AND he apologized for one of
his employees bashing Totally Ferret food and the other things she said
to me. He also apologized for her lack of "compassion" with my situation
and when I told him that she promised to send supplies to Kista in
Spanky's honor (never happened) he offered to send supplies again. I told
him that I would like MF to send shelter supplies on a regular basis to
all shelters, since they deal with so many MF ferrets that are dumped. He
told me he appreciated my feedback and that he understands that we might
not agree on some issues. I told him my intentions and we discussed
options for dealing with them. Such options to prevent "impulse" buying
that he has suggested are raising the price of ferrets. We both agreed
that stores wont do this (they would sell less) and that his competitors
would simply step in and undercut the market (Triple F, I know, has done
this). I told him that I would like to see things go back to the way they
used to be, where ferrets are not sold in mass distribution, chain stores.
We talked about how it is difficult at store level due to high turnover of
employees and it is one of the things he wishes could change. He told me
that he has offered to send MF people to the stores on a quarterly basis
to train and educate employees, but Petco has not agreed to it (I plan to
find out why not). It looks to me like he has tried to do some things to
better the situation. He told me to watch and see if the ferrets shipped
to the stores, are older, in the next couple of weeks. He agrees that
shipping too young lessens the likelihood of survival and good health when
they reach the stores and he really wants to change this. Sending your
experiences with this would be beneficial, people.
Also, he is very knowledgeable about nutrition. He told me he was sorry
that his employee bashed TF and that he felt it is a sufficient food. He
did say that there are some foods out there, that really are bad and we
laughed about "fruity pebbles" (I call Kaytee ferret diet by that name).
He did not specify any foods he felt were inferior and I appreciated this.
All in all, I agree with Sukie that this person is nice. However, I am
still going to try and change things that I do not like. In addition, we
talked about the ALF, PETA and others who are extremists and really often
do more harm to the animals than good. I told him I am sorry about what
just happened (the break in) and that I don't condone this type of
activism.
Futhermore, he and I will keep in touch and there are some things that
might be "in the works" to help terminal ferrets. I told him, again, that
I am not trying to shut them down, but that the regulations need to be
changed and that in an "ideal" world, petstores would sell pet supplies
NOT animals. My next conversation will be with Petco higher-ups. Peter
is not able to attend the symposium due to other travel he has to do, so
that is a bummer. I would like to meet him.
All of you out there who are thinking that I am praising MF, no! I am
simply providing answers to what I have questioned. Some of my questions,
he was not able to answer due to proprietary stuff but I feel he answered
most of the questions and that he is open to suggestions on how to better
the situation. In a nutshell, customer service people are not those to
talk to in order to be heard. I am still going to try and change things
that I believe need to happen, but it was a relief to hear that he does
not say "we are perfect" or act "egotistical" and that he IS open to
suggestions (like the one I suggested about adopting ferrets out instead
of destroying them).
I am upset to find out that Petsmart "may" start carrying ferrets. I am
also upset to find out that some shelter operators have called him asking
for kits to sell during the holidays because they are "out of ferrets".
He could not specify who called him, but if this is the case, SHAME ON
YOU! Heck, I bet you could find some shelters that need help. Why would
you ask for kits to sell? This really irks me.
Those of you who still want to assist with changing regulations, etc...I
am still going for it. The conversation did answer things I needed to
know and did help me squash some of the "rumors" but the shipping too
young and the surgeries is something I just cannot let go. Hopefully, my
suggestion to him about adopting out breeders, will be considered. I am
sure he will let me know the results.
If you really want answers, he is the person to contact. He is the only
one there I have spoken with that has been knowledgeable about ferrets.
Just remember to have your questions already written and to remain calm.
Being rude doesn't get you anywhere. He has a quality assurance team and
appreciates any feedback that will assist them in resolving issues.
My fingers are cramping. Outta here.
[Posted in FML issue 3630]
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