An anonymous reply:
>All I'm trying to say is, turning down a ferret because you have 82 is
>sure death for the ferret most likely, networking with other shelters
>to see if they have someone who wants to adopt is one thing to do, but
>don't turn the ferret down, it's only going to suffer.
 
Your post was well written, however, I must disagree with you on this
point.
 
While every shelter may start out with good intentions, if they do not
adhere to their personal and possibly state-set limit, it can quickly
become out of control.  What's one more ferret, when I have 100 here
that are in need of medical care?  No problem for me, as it will become
someone else's problem shortly.  Those new surrenders will be suffering
more than you can imagine.
 
In this situation, anyone that has been involved with a massive rescue
effort will disagree with you.  If you have 100 ferrets, and are on the
brink of closing, you need to stop taking in.  Period.  Those 100 (or
more) ferrets will be (hopefully)left to other shelters and rescues,
that will have to foot the trauma of the rescue and the heartbreak for
those ferrets it's too late for.  If there's nowhere for them to go,
the alternative is mass euthanasia.  Not a pleasant thought.
 
Shelter people must come to the realization that they alone cannot save
every ferret in the world.  Sorry to remove the rose-colored glasses, but
it's the painful truth.  No matter how many you have, there will always
be more waiting to come in than you have adopters for.  More than you
have room, time or finances for.  It is the responsible shelter operator,
like the designated driver, that knows when to say when.  It's never easy
to do, but you can actually work with people, to help them find a home on
their own, and they are very often willing to do so.  It's not an
automatic death sentence.
 
No, not all shelters are good.  Read some of the FML archives for Utah,
Hagerstown, the Christmas Rescue, Titusville, and so many others.  If
these shelters were encouraged to limit themselves, the tremendous hit
that rescue volunteers had to absorb may have not been so bad.  276
ferrets, 118 ferrets, Triage, ADV Testing, Cataloging, Vaccinating,
Emergency Surgery, spay/neuter.  If a shelter cannot offer these basic
services, it is up to those who perform the rescue.
 
I know that there are many people here who are preparing for the next
major rescue event, hoping that we have the resources, but knowing how
many mass rescues have happened this year, wondering if donations and
volunteers will be available, and where will we find the space?  We know
it's not a matter of if, but when.
 
I hope this is grammatically correct enough for all of you, and that you
can all grasp the magnitude of the situation.  I believe that many will
agree with me on this.  If you don't, you should search around the web
for some of the pictures of these past rescues, and maybe try to get
involved with the next one.  Your opinion will quickly change once you
see the horror that an overloaded shelter can result in.
 
For those who have valiantly stepped up to the plate in the past, and
taken control in these rescue situations, I thank you from the bottom
of my heart.  Without you, we have no hope.
 
[TM]
[Posted in FML issue 4309]