Tootsie`s post, brings to light a very scary scenario.....what IS
going to happen to all those unwanted ferrets when so many overworked,
overcrowded shelters are closing??
 
How to stop pet shops from selling kits is, in my opinion, spotty at
best.  You may be able to convince one, 'small' petshop to stop this,
but as long as the "giants" of the industry continue to LIE to us, and
as stated in a recent poster here, "Another" PETSMART has started to
sell kits.  "Dr. XXX from Petsmart(remember him?), WHERE ARE YOU??
Nice, they lied, they will continue to lie, and drive home in their BMW`S
when they close up for the night!  I DO AGREE with your post, Eleanor,
and I will try to help to come up with at least some suggestions on how
to accomplish this feat!.....This is, or is going to be the worse problem
ever, for this species!  As I stated the other night, my local small
petshop stopped the kit sales, but that is only one.....Another in my
town, "Family Pet", who used to always handle ferts, kits &
surrendered(never free to good home surrenders), along with puppies,
kittens, .....anything you might deem "cute", especially around the
holidays,stacked temporarily in cages, right at the entrance, is now
defunct!....I stopped patronizing them, and spread the word anywhere I
could.  Maybe more customers than myself became "former" customers......
I hope all of us can come up with useful, and well thought out ideas on
this topic!....
 
And as far as "educating" general shelters about ferrets, as Sukie
mentioned, forget it.  I`ve belong to, and worked with, my local county
spca for over 30 years, and they do not have the funds, the time, nor
the interest in adding to their inventory of available pets for adoption!
Most are funded by the county goverments, at least in this area, and
their "budget" is small....too small.  My God, in 1985, a "rotted thru"
water heater at the shelter, would not be replaced by the county,....no
hot water.....until I led a Fire Dept.  Inspector there to 'condem' it!
They got one then!  I also am considered by these good people at my spca,
their ferret 'rescue'...because of no time for 'specialty' pets, no
knowledge on anything about them, and not really wanting to add to their
duties.  And one other thing, dogs & cats(as pups or kittens too), are
usually adopted after a 'familiarization' meeting in a private room,
walked around the outside of the building, given a sample bag of food,
and a minimal check on the potential adopter`s knowledge of how to CARE
for this canine or feline,....and of course, check for any negative marks
in the "cannot own animals" because of earlier cruelty complaints.  And
dont forget, they also DO the cruelty investigations!  Now, if they
started accepting ferrets for adoption, I do not think they could take
the time to check up on these adopters even "half as thorough" as our
current Ferret shelters/rescues do!  They just can`t.  There has to be
another solution.  Maybe other general shelters elsewhere do things
differently,(like the aspca, hsus, etc.), maybe 'private' organizations,
but I cannot see how most can "benefit" the ferret community....not when
the farms, chain petstores, and even the small stores keep up the
"production & sales" increases.
 
Please, if you have a suggestion, do not hesitate to post this,....it is
all relevant!.........Tootsie, Sukie, & Wolfy,...all have the problem in
their sights,.....let`s all hope that the "targets" in their sights are,
or will be, reached!.....
 
I hope for the best!
 
Dooks..John Rich & the n.j. gang, USA.
[Posted in FML issue 5320]