After reading some of the posts lately about *invasion of privacy* I felt
compelled to respond.  I have been doing ferret rescue for almost 10 years
w/2 different organizations - AZ & now GA.
 
As shelters, please understand our concern for our wards.  We regularly take
in unwanted ferrets into our homes & care for their every need until we can
find loving, permanent homes.  We accept unacceptable biters & do our best
to rehabilitate them to socially acceptable pets.  And we are a haven for
neglected & abused ferrets, we nurse them back to health or have them die in
our arms.  Many will be w/us for the rest of their lives.  The icing on the
cake are the human idiots we have to deal w/ - day after day after day.
Like the woman who called me for 2 *free* ferrets for her daughters - they
had to be free because she would be wasting too much money if her daughters
didn't take care of them (like they did w/the hamsters) & she had to "get
rid of them."
 
Whether or not you agree w/the policies/guidelines of a particular shelter,
take a moment & try to understand where these questions come from.  Maybe
it's because of a call like I got the other night.  This woman wanted to
"give up" her ferret to a place "where she would be taken care of" because
veterinary care would be too expensive.  I don't know how she knew that
since she had never taken her obviously sick ferret to a vet.  I guess
she'll do the same to her other 2 when they get sick.
 
Is it too much to ask for a shelter to want to know what kind of a place
their fosters - who've become part of their family - will go?  Would you
drop off any of your pets for boarding w/out checking out the facility?
Wouldn't you do your best to insure their care & safety?  The ferrets that
come into shelters have already been *given up* at least once, sometimes 2
or 3x.
 
I do ask questions that some might consider personal, but I ask their
permission to do so before I start.  Every question I ask is based on the
fact that so many ferrets have been given up for a particular reason.
Although I don't inquire about personal finances, I might ask that if faced
w/a medical situation, would they be able to handle the responsibility of
veterinary care.  We also inquire about the family & the knowledge of the
person interested in adopting in an attempt to insure that the new parents
understand how to properly care for their new pet.  Shelters also give you a
very complete personality profile on their adoptees.  We want to insure that
the temperament is complementary to the new home & family.
 
Most shelters require that if for any reason you can not keep who you've
adopted, that it be returned to them - try that w/most pet shops.  They are
also available w/advice about care, veterinary resources, state/local
guidelines.  You can ask the same question in 5 different stores & get 5
different answers.  Most pet stores can't even tell the difference between
male or female.  One of our biggest problem w/pet stores in GA, is that pet
stores tell customers that the 6-8 week old kit has had *its shot* leading
to a false impression that no further vaccinations are necessary - ever.
 
Ferrets are living, feeling creatures.  I know that ferrets are not in the
same category, but do you think you could adopt a child w/out a full
personal & financial review.  From what we hear in the news about children
slipping through the cracks in the adoption system, I think we take a real
personal interest, on an individual basis, in the welfare of those in our
care.  The rescues I bring into my home are no less important to me than my
own fur babies.
 
But, if you feel that a shelter's inquiries are too much of an imposition,
you can go to pet stores who will sell a ferret to anyone w/the $.  But
remember, that's why there are so many unwanted ferrets.  The majority of
people that walk into a store for a pet probably have not taken into
consideration the long-term responsibility.  Unlike those on this list,
they'll probably never take the trouble to learn either.  They can just get
rid of it if it's a problem or becomes inconvenient.  And you can bet, the
pet store isn't going to discourage the sale.
 
Every animal a pet store sells enables them to sell another to someone who
may not be as concerned w/their welfare as you are.  Please don't empower
pet stores to continue selling animals to anyone who happens to have a few
dollars to blow.
 
From shelters to breeders; supplies to advice, he FML is an invaluable
resource for *anything* you need when it comes to ferrets.
Thank you again BIG.
 
LONG LIVE KODO
 
Juliana
Frodo, Rocks, Anola Gay, SNAFU, FUBAR, Tabu,
Chaos, Tuxedo, Bijou, Fiasco, & Dazzle
[Posted in FML issue 2154]