Hi everyone, just a warning to shelters who adopt to Delaware.  There is
a gentlmen named Robert Williamson, who contacted me over the weekend,
actually called me last night at almost 11pm.  On his third sentence my
blood started to run cold.  Apparently this guy adopted from a shelter
in Maryland about a year or so ago, didn't mention the name (I tried to
get it out of him).  The ferret started to display symptoms of adrenal
and he couldnt' afford it, so as he put it, he put the ferret out of it's
misery.  I thought he meant put it down by a vet, but then he continued
to explain that he put rat poisoning into the animal's water.  He said it
was humane.  I dont' know severe the adrenal was but then to my amazement
he continued to explain that he had several sick ferrets and put them out
of their misery as well.  I politely asked him how many ferrets did he
help cross over the rainbow bridge (had to explain rainbow bridge to
him), and his response was that he helped so many, he doesn't remember
the number.  I asked him how many did he own over the years and he
responded by saying that he wasn't going to tell me that because another
shelter earlier in the night asked him that and then went off on him.  I
asked him if he ever sought medical attention for the ferrets and he
said no, he saw the signs, especially since he gets the ferrets magazine
and it shows him pictures, so he took the opportunity to put them out of
their misery because medical attention wouldnt help.
 
Please warn others about this gentlemen, I would hate to see another
ferret terminated early because of his stupidity.  He never even gave the
ferrets a chance and he may have misdiagnosed the ferrets as adrenal and
then ended their lives.  I cried half the night to think about how many
died that could have been saved.  I hope that this warning reaches as
many people as possible.  I am sorry that I don't have more than his name
and where he lives but his number came up as unavailable and he wouldnt
give me his information.  He hung up on me when I told him that our
conversation could go no further without more information, such as how
to contact him, etc.  I wasn't about to adopt to him but I thought maybe,
just maybe, if I could get an address or a phone number, if others got
this guy and they recognized the phone number or address, then it would
prevent more ferrets being poisoned to death.  I am in total shock and
horror that this man used rat poison instead of attempting to get medical
attention or seeking out the shelter he adopted from with the problem,
some shelters would have taken the ferret back and sought medical
attentions, others might have been able to offer him an alternative.
Please, please, please, if this man contacts you, don't adopt to him.
[Posted in FML issue 5125]