Condolences to those with lost, sick, or angeled shoe shiners...
 
(Hey look...his shoes are on the floor!  I wonder what they taste like
today...licklicklicklicklick...ah...he cut the grass!)
 
Recently, there have been a number of comments from people, telling us
how sad they are that someone or other has been selling their ferrets.
The situation is usually different, going from one case to the next,
but the common thread is that they tell us that once we've bought our
ferrets, it is our duty and responsibility to keep them until they die.
That's really a nice sentiment, but...
 
The reality is, that life isn't perfect.  I've rescued ferrets for some
really strange situations.  One family said they had to sell their
ferrets (Bump and LittleRhunGirl) because they daughter was getting
surgery and wouldn't be able to care for them.  The reality was that
they were foot-biters and terrorized the dog.  They had also never been
litter-trained, making cleaning their cage a smelly and time-consuming
chore.  It wasn't the ferrets' fault, but then, the people weren't
willing to take responsibility, either.  The end result was that I
rescued them and they live here, now.  They don't bite, they use the
litter boxes (most of the time!) and they are sweet little critters.
That is because I took the time to teach them.
 
Another pair (my most recent rescues) came from a home where the mother
and kids really liked them (the father moved out after the divorce), but
no one wanted to clean the cage or pick up their droppings when they got
out to roam the house.  The lady said she tried to clean up their cage
"every few days", but it was often a week or more before she got to it.
Of course, a litter box doesn't clean itself and once its' full, business
is conducted elsewhere.  That made for a stinky, dirty, unhealthy cage.
The ferrets were loved, but there was no care taken.  Now that they live
here, and their cage is cleaned daily, they have a 100% hit rate, both
inside *and* outside the cage!
 
There is a reason for shelters and rescues.  There is a reason for "want
ads" being placed.  There is a thing called "reality" and it really
bites.  The fact of the matter is, some people just aren't responsible
enough to take a ferret (or two, or three) and care for them until they
die.  In many cases these people can't even properly take care of
themselves for that long.
 
In other cases, the people are offended by the odors that come with
caring for ferrets.  No one really explained that part to them and they
aren't capable of doing research to reduce those odors, so its really
in the best interested of the family *and* the ferrets, that they be
relocated elsewhere.
 
In yet other cases, people just aren't educated enough to know what on
earth they are doing with the ferrets and the ferrets have to be rescued
for their own good (Spazzie and Dancer were being fed fruit when I
rescued them!!!  The guy said 'hey, we bought it at the pet store...we
thought it was good for them!').
 
The world if made up of many types of people.  This is required.  If it
weren't for that, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the good ones, and feel
sorry for the bad ones.  We must also realize that not everyone makes a
good parent--for ferrets *or* children (yes, there are parents that give
away their children because they just can't do the job--I've known some
of these people).  It should come as no surprise that there are people
that would harm or neglect a ferret.
 
Our best option is to be there when the worst happens and provide (even
a temporary) home for those ferrets that fall into unfortunate
circumstances.  Even giving them a place to live for a week, can make
all the difference.  Those little ferrets can't pack up their things and
move out on their own, so we need to provide what assistance we can.
 
Sorry--I just had to educate.
 
Todd and the Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns
---
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http://www.netconex.com/toddl/page2/
[Posted in FML issue 4232]