First let me say how sorry I am to read of all the sick fuzzies as of late,
and I offer my condolences on the ones recently gone on to the Rainbow
Bridge.  It is always a deep loss when we lose one of these precious
little guys.  My heart goes out to each of every one of you...
 
In terms of the animal auction, these have been going on for centuries
in one way or another, and they happen everywhere.  As north americans,
we tend to think that animal abuse is something that happens in other
countries and immediately think of animals slaughtered for a handful of
parts for medicinal purposes.  Many animals have been brought to the
brink of extinction merely by the greed exhibited not by the third world
countries, but by so-called well educated first world nations.  The Humane
Society can only do so much... their guidelines even in today's day and
age, can still be viewed in some aspects as archaic, but they make a little
progress each year that they can hold on to.  And they will not give up.
But change is slow and that is what is so frustrating for most animal
loving people.
 
What has to change globally is the idea that animals are not merely a
commodity to be bought and sold.  People have to be retrained in their
thinking to understand the moral dilemmas placed on Society when talking
about animals for food, and those for the pet industry.  Children have to
be taught the value of life no matter what form it takes, and to have
respect for the food on their plate when served a dish where an animal
sacrificed it's life to feed them, or the skin used to make running shoes
for their feet.
 
Children are the future, and if they are not taught the value of good
stewardship when they have a pet at home, how can we expect them to be
the crusaders who will change the way animals are treated in the future.
It is up to each and every one of us to take a child by the hand and
guide them to know that all animals deserve respect and to be treated
with dignity.  The more we can reach, the more animals will benefit in
the long run.
 
My friend runs a daycare, and I was so impressed with how far she has come
in her attitudes in her thinking when it comes to animals.  She use to be
someone who separated dogs from humans but in such a way that there would
be no question who's life she would give up if she had to make one.  She
loved her dog, but she felt that animals had a certain order in the world
and that they were pretty low down on the scale of things.  Since she has
met me, and we have become good friends, she has heard my compassion for
animals in all walks of life.  Now we talk about animal issues all the
time, and she now feels more sympathy to their plight.  Now I hear and see
her talk about the plights of animals in the world to the kids in her care,
and they are listening with great enthusiasm.  The other day I took my
poor little Spaz man over after his biopsy so that the kids could see that
animals need our love and care, no matter what they look like.  Spaz is
presently bald in patches, has red rashes, has no hair on his tail, and
large lumps on his side from his cutaneous lymphosarcoma.  My friend gave
me time to talk to them about his medical needs and how important it is
to be a responsible pet owner.  She added things as we went along and it
became two people starting the seed that will someday lead to gentler
adults with more compassion for the animals under their care...
 
I did this also because I fear a future where electronic animals will
be more of a "convenience" than a real one.  Every where I turn I see
Poochies, Meowchies, Furbies... electronic and virtual pets that don't need
actual food or water, and don't leave pee or poop stains on the rug.  These
kids at the daycare had them, and so I took it upon myself to talk about
the rewards of being with real animals.  When I left, some of the kids
wanted a ferret as kids do, but they seemed to understand that ferrets are
a lot of responsibility and would not consider getting one until they were
older.  They are truly our future...
 
Kathy... great minds think alike... in the up and coming newsletter, I have
included an article on the importance of arming one's self with knowledge
in regards to the accidents that have killed or seriously injured ferrets
in the past.  Let me know what you think when you get it!  I too have been
collecting posts for the past year and a half that share tragic accidents
so that I have them on file and can use the info gleaned from them to
educate future ferret owners on the dangers of seemingly innocent items.
 
Betty and Her Blur O Fur
For the love of ferrets...
[Posted in FML issue 3391]