Hello everyone,
The Fischer Zoo would like to take this opportunity to wish each and
everyone on the list All the Best for the New Year.
 
The new year has started on somewhat of a lousy note for our family.  As
some of you may recall, I have been on the F.M.L. for approximately one and
a half years now.  Over that time I have come to be leery of many of the
shelters and their claims of putting the fuzzies first.  And my first real
experience with a local rescue/shelter has done nothing to change my
opinion.
 
Over a week ago, a local shelter posted about 60 ferts being seized from a
breeder a short distance from my home and asked for help.  I immediately
e-mailed the shelter operator and volunteered my help.  All of this led to
my wife and I adopting two ferrets from the local SPCA yesterday, with the
understanding that the remaining ferrets, still in the possession of the
breeder were to be seized tomorrow.  This was to be 27 animals.
 
My wife and I immediately went to work on the phones and found good loving
homes for at least 14 of them.
 
However, this evening, we found that the local rescue had bought these
27 ferts from the breeder. While I have no problem with this, I do have
a problem with some of the information given to us when my wife and I
contacted the rescue.
 
According to this shelter operator, when informed that we had homes for 14
ferrets, she might be able to let us have a few, but most of them had been
offered to various shelters/rescues in the U.S.A..  This is where my
problems comes in.  Several issues of the FML back, there was a shelter
update, in which almost every one of the listed shelters had a large number
of ferrets in residence.
 
Why in hell would anyone supposedly concerned about ferrets first, want to
ship Canadian ferrets to already over populated American shelters.
Especially when homes for these ferts already can be found locally.  As far
as I am concerned, this only reinforces my feelings that most shelter
operators feel that they, and only they, can know what is good for a ferret.
 
As far as I am concerned, I will be doing everything I can to start up my
own rescue/foster home in this part of Southern Ontario, with the intention
of keeping any ferret I can out of the "shelter" system.  As far as I am
concerned, "ferret shelter" has become a dirty word in this household.  And
I make this promise to all existing operators.  Do not expect any help,
financial or otherwise, from me.  And in addition, be aware that I will do
everything in my power to keep helpless and needful ferrets out of the
existing system.  As I have already implied, this currant system exists only
to boost the egos of the operators.
[Posted in FML issue 2173]