>From:    Beth Comarow <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Caring for ferrets
 
Although it looks like its me yelling at beth or something, its not.  I am
just using her comments as a starting point.  Quite a few people here (and
elsewhere within the ferret owning community) have said very similar things.
 
>My response: To care for a ferret well (key word) takes work.
 
Very true.  Same with all pets.  Well okay, not true for pet rocks.
 
>But I don't believe they are pets for everyone.
 
Nor are cats, dogs, guinea pigs, goats, llamas, tarantulas...
 
Look at animal shelters every single day to see the problems with cats and
dogs.  They are *not* easy to care for correctly.  Ferrets do not have as
large a problem with maltreatment as these currently more popular pets.
We are just focused in on our own little corner and not noticing that our
is the nicest corner.  Its really not that bad.  Ferrets are not hugely
over-populated like dogs and cats.  More rabbits get into homeless types
of problems every Easter than ferrets get into.  Daily more dogs and more
cats are put down than there even are ferrets in all shelters.  Dogs are
given alcohol by deliquent owners.  Cats are declawed constantly.  Dogs
are beaten and tied to short leads in the hot sun or frezzing snow.  Puppy
mills are a far far worse problem than conditions at the major ranches.
 
It really does no good for ferrets in general for *US* as ferret owners to
continue to tell everyone that they are such bad pets.  *WE* are giving
ferrets their bad reputation.  *WE* need to stop this.
 
>I do not relish more popularity withouteducation, and the education
>is sorely lagging, especially given many sellers' uninterest in
>learning.
 
Then it is *OUR* job as ferret owners to strive to correct that.  When
we have folks, especially shelter owners, that continue to spread
mis-information about how bad our ferrets are and that we don't want more
and better private breeders, we end up with the reputation of ferrets
getting worse and worse.
 
It is our joint responsibility to educate.  Not to mis-educate.
 
It really makes no sense for us to egotistically as current ferret owners
decide that most people aren't good enough for ferrets.  Thats arrogant
and wrong.
 
(Sorry Beth, Really I'm not trying to call you in particular arrogant -
especially since thats my job anyway)
 
bill
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2859]