Hello Ferret Family,
 
One question to begin with... Is there a shortage of ferrets in shelters
now or foreseeablely in the near future?  Please, any reply on this would
be appreciated and educating.  Thank you in advance.
 
I'm sending this note to clarify a perceived misunderstanding in my
statement to promise myself to never purchase another ferret from a pet
store.  One word.  Shelters.
 
There are too many people who will purchase a furkid on impulse and with
little education on these fuzzies' requirements for a life deserving of
them.  Hopefully more than a majority of those impulse purchases are from
generally good people who will seek a better home for the ferret, if they
cannot care for him or her.
 
We all hate to think, but unfortunately we know, there are some less than
moral people on this planet who in effect torture a ferret with neglect
and abandonment or worse.  Sadly, the ones who see this torture the most
are the proprietors of shelters.  For their dedication to these little
guys, we of moral fiber can be grateful.
 
The vast majority of pet stores, if any, do not require you to sign a
contract stating that if you ever get in a situation to where you can no
longer take care of your pet to immediately return it to them.  Theirs'
is a one way deal.  They only really what fresh merchandise.
 
Signing a contract is exactly what I had to do to "adopt" my last four
furkids.  My shelter of choice has all legal rights to these ferrets and
can sue me if I ignore or mistreat any of them.  Why?, because they CARE.
 
In my mind, a better world it would be, if all prospective ferret owners
were required to adopt their first pet from a shelter.  They'd get a fuzzy
that would be easier to take care of because he or she is categorized as
adoptable.  The shelter parent/s will have already assess the fuzzy's
health.  The shelter mom or dad will tell you if he or she needs litter
training or if he or she is a nipper, but those characteristics may make him
or her unadoptable.  But more importantly, the shelter parent/s will assess
YOU.  Why?, because they CARE.
 
Here's my Star Wars' Yoda statement... Education leads to understanding.
Understanding leads to awareness.  Awareness leads to caring.  Caring
leads to action.  If more people seeking any pet learned what to expect
with that species of animal, they could reasonably decide that that pet is
or is not for them.  All the better for both concerns.  Uneducated people
fill shelters to the brim.
 
I have been thinking a lot about the aspect concerning the general
populous' s awareness of shelters and their service to humanity.  If more
people were aware they could get a better socially trained and well
adjusted fuzzy from shelters, they would look there first, and now here's
the laugher, and if there were a shortage of adoptable fuzzies, they
could go to the next best place, the pet store.
 
So, if the better deal is found at shelters (which it is), the demand on
pet stores would go down.  It hurts to think of a six, seven, eight month
old fuzzy wasting away at a pet store, but think how much happier a fuzzy
at a shelter would be to go home with someone who will give him or her
more individualized attention.  Not saying a shelter parent doesn't have
enough love to give each fuzzy, it's a fact they do, but what is lacking
is the time.
 
I've been contemplating something about a lot of our excitement toward
"ferret sightings".  Most all of us love proving to the world, fuzzies are
fun, but an uneducated populous will also see these fuzzies.  The furkids
appeal leads to the impulse.  I'd bet most first time ferret owners these
days have cable TV and watch the 'Animal Planet'.  This logic compels me
to write the people at the 'Animal Planet' to thank them for the showing
of ferrets, but to also request a PSA or two or three during "The Planet's
Funniest Animals" and other shows, mentioning the best place to get new
pet is to acquire an abandoned one.
 
Well. keep lovin' those fuzzybutt furbrains, 'cause they do you...
[Posted in FML issue 3764]