I read the post about the recent situation in Oregon, and I have to admit
that I am both puzzled and troubled.  If this was a clear case of abuse,
why were the proper authorities not contacted and allowed to do their
jobs?  We seem to be running at least one or more major rescues a year
where abuse is involved, and each time, we rush in and take control, and
end up having to foot the bill.  How much longer can we afford to do
this?  We already have good shelters having to close their doors because
they can not generate enough income from donations to continue their
work.  We have causes like ADV research that desperately need funding.
And, sooner or later, if we keep going to the well for contributions, we
are going to find the well is dry.  Many people are tapped out for giving
money.  The economy is not great, and many people are out of work, or
working at reduced pay.
 
I am not saying that these ferrets or any others should be ignored, and
should not be given the care they need.  But, what I am saying is, it is
time we started doing things smarter.  Maybe it is time we learned some
lessons from the dog community.
 
Here is what I mean.  My mother has Siberian Huskies, and for many years
was active in her state's Husky Club.  The club was a nonprofit
organization, and one of their activities was to run a Husky Rescue.
However, they learned how to make Animal Control foot most of the bills.
 
When Animal Control got in a husky, they would notify the club.  At that
time, the state only had a mandatory 3 day holding period, and after
that, they could put down any unclaimed animal.  So, on the third day, if
the dog hadn't been claimed, the club rescue would offer to house the
animal for Animal Control.  It was sort of like a foster parent program.
The dog was still under the control of Animal control, and Animal Control
footed the bills.  They would pay the foster home a small fee weekly for
upkeep, and while it may not have really covered all of the food
expenses, it was something.  But the important thing was, ALL VETERINARY
CARE WAS FREE!  The dog had to be taken to a vet who worked with Animal
Control, and in the jurisdiction where the dog was originally impounded,
but the foster owner paid nothing.  The treating vet billed Animal
Control directly.  All surgeries, shots, checkups, and tests were
covered.
 
The Club Rescue also did prescreening for prospective adopters.  Any
final adoptions had to be approved by the Animal Shelter.  But, the Club
standards were actually tougher then what Animal Control had in place, so
if the club approved someone and forwarded them on to the Shelter, the
only thing that would prevent the adoption from going through is if there
was a record of abuse charges for the person.  And, because the Club did
prescreening, they could be assured that the prospective adopters
understood the particular needs of a husky.
 
During the time my mother was active with this, there were 2 occasions
where club members found out about a backyard breeder that was not
treating their animals correctly.  One instance the breeder wanted to
unload the dogs, and had actually contacted some of the club members to
see if they would take them.  Rather then go in and take responsibility
for the dogs outright, after seeing the conditions of the place, several
of the club members went to the local Animal Control and made a report.
They were allowed to go along when the raid was done, to assist with the
animals.  Because there were too many dogs for the local shelter to house
them, they were immediately placed in club foster homes, but under the
jurisdiction of Animal Control.  So, all bills were paid by the county!
 
This is what the ferret community needs to be doing, unless we all feel
we have so much money we can continue to pay for these rescues.  Although
some FML members are minors, and others live outside the US, I would
guess that many of us are paying taxes in the US to our local
governments.  And, in that case, we are already paying for Animal
Control to take care of abused animals.  So, why do we insist on taking
responsibility for things they should be covering.
 
One final thing - by taking over the financial responsibility for these
ferrets and taking the burden off of the local authorities, we are also
taking away a major incentive for them to prosecute the abusers.  If the
local authorities had had to foot the bill for the ferrets Jen Morrison
had, I doubt she would have gotten off so easy.  The local law
enforcement people would want to recoup some of the expenses by making
her pay fines.  When we take the financial incentive away, it is too easy
for them to just brush it under the covers.
 
Danee
[Posted in FML issue 3924]