In the 6/25/96 FML, Bill Killian states:  Regarding your posting on Grant
Kozak:
 
>I know all to well that certain folks in the ferret community will tell
>partial or complete lies about others and get themselves and others into
>potentially deep legal trouble.
 
I am sure that you do, since people are people, no matter what their
interests are.
 
>I do not defend Mr. Kozak's actions but I am sure that some details are not
>coming out.
 
Especially from Mr. Kozak's side, from what I have been able to gather.
There appears to have been a great deal of misinformation spread to support
Mr. Kozak's position, especially in light of his receiving the (extremely
painful) series of shots.  There was a claim on the news that Mr. Kozak is
allergic to the treatment.  If that statement is accurate, perhaps he should
look into non-mammalian pets -- specifically cold-blooded ones -- that
cannot carry rabies.
 
>Mr. Kozak apparently felt he was not well treated and decided to get
>recompensed.  The stated reason was he was bitten.
 
Well, isn't THAT special?  IF he was not, in fact, bitten, he caused the
unnecessary death of three animals to satisfy some real or imagined slight.
As a breeder, would YOU want someone like that to purchase a ferret from you?
 
>I have been rudely treated by private animal shelters where they thought I
>was "unworthy" of one of their animals <snip> We who operate shelters need
>to be careful then about how we handle potential adopters especially if we
>decline to let them take a ferret.  Especially when we reject them on
>"opinion" not "fact".
 
Gee, that sounds familiar.  My SO and I were at a ferret show last year
where a certain breeder had a 2-year-old sable sprite for sale.  As we
attempted to speak to the parties in question, we were given a "go away, get
away from our ferrets" look from the woman there.  I believe the sprite's
name was "Imp." I can assure you that neither my SO nor I will forget the
rudeness and that we will not patronize that particular breeder.  So yes,
Bill, it IS important how we treat people.
[Posted in FML issue 1618]