At the risk of angering anyone on either side of this debate, I want to put
my two cents in.
 
First, I loathe the things these babies go through, both the ones sold to
labs, and the ones sold to pet stores.  This goes for all mill breeders,
not just MF.  However, there are a few things which are often overlooked
when our extreme emotions on the matter are so riled up.  The first is that
(and I don't know which labs MF sells to specifically, but we can make some
assumptions) at least some ferrets being sold to labs really is neccessary.
Were it not for some fuzzies lives being sacrificed, mine would not have
vaccines or other medications.  Would we know it was OK to give our babies
Amoxidrops or Baytril when they are recovering from surgery, etc.  As much
as I hate the thought of ferret 24601, I must put aside those feelings
knowing that my fuzzies' lives are made better for it.  Of course, in the
cases where the labs are testing cosmetics or cleaners, or other things
of that type, I, like any caring person in the world, am opposed.  I
personally would be interested in actual sales reports suggesting the
percentage of legitimate research labs verses cosmetics, etc.  BEFORE
making any accusations.  The only way to boycott ALL testing on these
animals is to stop owning ferrets at all, or to stop treating your ferrets
when they are ill.  Owning and treating a ferret automatically supports the
legitimate medical testing being performed.
 
The second thing many of us may overlook is that despite where these babies
come from, when it comes down to it, they are all equally deserving of a
good home.  By boycotting MF by not buying their ferrets, we would sentence
those babies to labs or to "ferret ignorant" owners.  Many of them would
end up in shelters, or worse.  To think that we can put MF out of business
by not buying their ferrets at pet stores is just plain silly.  I know
people who will not even buy MF ferrets from shelters, they are so opposed.
My point is not to insult those people who fell so strongly, but mearly
to point out that while they engage in their politics, there are lovely,
loving, babies sitting lonely in pet stores, or worse, lonely in their
cages in a home where their owner was unprepared for the responsibility,
or a lab cage, etc.  Breeder aside, all ferrets deserve our love and
attention.  I am PROUD to say that weeks after my last post on this same
subject, in which I firmly stated that I would not buy another ferret from
a pet store, would instead buy only shelter ferrets, etc., I became the
companion of a darling MF kit straight from Petco.  After observig the
conditions this sweet baby was in, and had been for a week or more, I could
not let it continue.  My money went to MF, but my love and joy went to this
very deserving baby.  Am I a monster for in effect supporting Marshall
Farms, or am I human, humane, and (like most of us) a sucker for a pretty
face?  Like I said, just my two cents.  (or perhaps three or four, OK OK,
it was probably more like a dime....)
 
Melissa, the loving friend of Mira, Cael, and now Tasha, and as always,
remembering my dear Booboo.
[Posted in FML issue 2961]