[2 posts combined. BIG]
 
Eric,
 
First of all, we love Modern Ferret magazine.  We don t have a subscription
(yet), but we get every issue at the local bookstore and have picked up
some of the back issues at the shows.  However your post totally baffles
me!  I would say, it was a real sell job for your magazine and a bash
attempt at Ferrets USA and in my opinion, not very professional.  I never
expected you to be so narrow-minded.  You of all people should be
open-minded not just to context but to the content of a story.  I agree
that bad information is no good to anybody.
 
Ferrets USA was the first and only special interest publication about
ferrets that we knew about.  We have gotten a lot of useful information
from it.  I would say nobody, not even you and your magazine are infallible
to making mirror mistakes.  What is it that people want?  Do you want to
see Ferrets USA cease and desist?  Do you think it would be a positive
thing for the ferret community?  My post was the result of comments that
suggested we should contact advertisers and urge them to stop supporting
the publication.  A publication that you and your wife recommend reading
(see Chapter 12 of The Ferret An owners guide to a happy healthy pet.)
 
What Russ Case wrote about had nothing to do with destroying the reputation
of ferrets (directly or indirectly) but strictly about his first memorable
experience with them.  And if you quote something why didn t you quote some
of the positive lines like:
 
I have since had the opportunity to interact with ferrets many times and
always find it an entertaining experience.
 
It s a shame that not every U.S resident can enjoy the same camaraderie
with ferrets.  (Talking about a friends ferret and how they play together.)
 
You responded to Melissa with:
>Check out any of the ferret web sites devoted to ferret legalization and
>you will find all sorts of documentation of how much more frequently and
>severely people are bitten by dogs.
 
I am a legislative representative for several special interest groups
(primarily conservation) here in Ohio.  My responsibility is to find,
prove, use and tear down if necessary statistical information.  The fact is
I am an expert in the manipulation of that data the result of which I use
to testify in the best interest of the group I represent.  Let me clue you
in!  Statistical information is hardly ever non-bias.  You should have got
a little taste of that in my last post.
 
>And yes I heard the facts, ferrets are two hundred times less likely to
>bite per capita than a dog.  Of course >how many dogs are kept in a cage
>or in a house the majority of their lives, which happens to be two times
>longer than a ferret.  I m also curious just how many times and how many
>different people a dog has contact within its lifetime compared to a
>ferret.
 
How many strangers would you estimate those 5-7 million pet ferrets (Page
12 of The Ferret An owners guide to a happy healthy pet) could potentially
have contact with in their lifetime, compared to a dog?  Half?  A quarter?
An eighth?  I ll bet the number is pretty low.  That one number alone could
significantly change the statistic.
 
By the way! I use that statistic constantly when I talk about ferrets.
 
You wrote:
>To illustrate my point, imagine this as an editor's note from a horse
>magazine: "I don't know how to stand the odor of horses.
 
Bad example Eric!  Your context represents all horses in general.  Mr. Case
wrote about a specific number of ferrets (two out of a group of twenty).
It s everybody else who took it out of context as if he was talking about
all ferrets in general.
 
You wrote:
>My ferrets are not biters that latch on to people's hands (ask anyone who
>has met them).
 
What are you talking about?  Did you even read the other 721 words of my
post?  Who even suggested that you or for that matter anybody s ferret is a
bitter that latches on to hands.  I m sure our rescue Cinnamon, is the only
ferret in the world who latches on to people's hands .  Give me a break!
And besides my post was not about aggressive biters.  It was about taking
things out of context and expressing an opinion.  An opinion based on
thirteen years of experience.  I m not a vet or a ferret expert.  There are
enough people on this list who are.  I have a great deal of respect for
several people on this list.
 
>I don't present to people that ferrets are biters that latch on to
>people's hands.
 
 Neither do I!
 
You wrote:
>I think it is the responsibility of our magazine (Modern Ferret) to be
>pro-ferret and to help ferret owners take better care of and have more fun
>with their ferrets.
 
Here!  Here!  I agree with you!  And it s great that you have such a great
forum to do so.  But everybody should make an effort to help educate those
ferret owners who don t have access to your magazine and quite frankly don t
have a clue about the kind of pet they have.  Like you, we take our best
examples out to meet the public.  When we do, we try to tell them as much
truthful information as we can.  We emphasize the importance of handling,
care and maintenance.  We also talk about the pro s and con s.
 
Sugar coating or hiding the truth never benefits anybody, just ask Mr.
Clinton.
 
California s problems are much deeper than bite statistics or a few
misrepresented articles or pictures.  I can assure you, deep pockets and
the right combination of political influence will go a lot farther in
resolving that situation.  As you already pointed out, there is no rational
reason why ferrets are still illegal while dogs and cats enjoy the good
life of freedom.
 
Animosity within our ferret community will not benefit anybody.  To reach a
common goal we need to be constructive and rational.
 
Have a Great Holiday Season!
Jerry, Nita and The Ten of Hearts Gang
http://www.angelfire.com/oh/jnjack/antics.html
[Posted in FML issue 2517]