First gentle readers, I apologize for the ongoing soap opera and
lengthy posts but you may not want to skip over this one.......if
you're interested in facts.
 
I will be happy to answer this post by the person who felt it necessary
to hide behind an anonymous post.....coward.  I knew this wouldn't go
public without flames.
 
I did take the proper steps, I consulted with other rescues and animal
control as well.  Animal control, as you see did NOTHING.  The only
hope those particular ferrets had of getting out of there was us.  With
large scale breeder rescues, I do know that it is a delicate situation
dealing with the mentality of the breeders as well as the well being of
the ferrets.  There was no need to contact & involve other shelters.
Somethin Up My Sleeve Rescue was prepared to take every one of those
ferrets in and had the financial support for their veterinary care.
Pictures WERE taken by the way as well as a diary kept.  Fat lot of good
that did.  Animal Control would NOT PRESS CHARGES, so what exactly were
we supposed to do?  I wasn't about to walk away from the situation.
Animal Control is continuing to "monitor" the situation but they have
told me that it's pretty much a dead issue.  How dare you flame me
having absolutely no knowledge of the details of this situation!
 
By the way Dawn, I have some more questions for you.  Yes, let's get it
all out in the open.  You have banned these abusers from showing ferrets
yet their is just a little more to the story, isn't there?  A second
breeder is involved here.  One that is the true enabler here and that is
the breeder that is selling kits for these abusers.  Not only were they
allowed at the Ft. Washington show but were also allowed to bring in a
cage full of kits no more than 4-5 weeks old in a tiny cage with two
pans side by side, one for sleeping, one for releiving and only a towel
for bedding.  They were kept hidden under a table.  You were aware of
this and LET it happen.  Why?  Secondly, you reported to my rescue
Co-ordinator at a BFC meeting a couple months ago that these breeders
had moved to PA in May and left ferrets behind and no one knew if they
were alive or dead or being cared for.  Our group went to the house
immediately and found that they had not moved and everything was under
control.  If you thought for a minute that ferrets had been abandoned,
why didn't YOU take the appropriate steps and contact the authorities or
a "Real" rescue.  You claim to have this knowledge but did nothing to
check out the situation?
 
>(THIS IS ABUSE OF ANIMALS)
 
Excellent observation.  How many years of experience in rescue did it
take you to determine this obvious fact?  You are obviously a very
gifted rescuer with a keen eye for detail.  Unless animal control
agreed to press charges, the only hope these animals had was us.
 
>Give yourself a pat on the back you went in, cleaned up the place,
>removed ferrets, never mind the fact about animal abuse here.  You only
>give these people another chance with a clean place to do it ALL OVER
>again!  What were you thinking.????
 
What other alternative did we have exactly?  ANIMAL CONTROL DID NOT WORK
FOR THE FERRETS.  What should we have done, steal them all?
 
>>We have been in touch with the officer regarding the situation as a
>>result and they will continue to monitor this person but essentially,
>>they have done nothing for the animals.  As long as this person complies
>>with breeding laws and obtains a license, they will be allowed to carry
>>on.  The law is obviously not working for the animals.
 
>As far as the law there is no way in the world that animal control would
>have let this go if in fact you told them everything.
 
This is crazy.  Why would we not tell them everything?  In no way was I
protecting this breeder.  Fact: Animal control did let it go.  We offered
to testify, we took pictures, kept diaries as they instructed.  THEY did
not pursue it.  I even called the County Commissioner who was equally as
useless.  As Pat Stauffer told me, Animal Control is not what you see on
Animal Planet.  At least it wasn't in this county.
 
>Animal control doesn't work that way in your state.  Or is it maybe you
>waited to remove some ferrets over a period of time either for yourself
>or the breeder before you decided to say anything!  You call yourself a
>shelter?
 
You apparently don't know as much as you think you do.  Animal Control
DID work this way.  Your accusations are ridiculous.  The ferrets we
have from this breeder have been vetted and are up for adoption.  I kept
one hob and one kit.  Period.  And before you even come back at me for
having an intact ferret, let me launch a pre emptive strike.  No, I am
not having him neutered.  I love the musk from a whole hob.  He's big
and sweet and no I'm not breeding him.  He is my personal ferret that I
am keeping whole because I like big stinky hobs.  Period.
 
>You didn't enable a thing because the proper steps weren't taken.  Do
>you know for a fact all the ferrets out of this place or did you let
>the breeder keep any?
 
>Finally something we agree on.  We did not ever intent to enable them.
We insured that all the proper steps WERE taken.  Animal Control was
monitoring the situation while we kept the ferrets in livable conditions,
all the while taking in as many as these people would turn over....ANIMAL
CONTROL WOULD NOT CONFISCATE THE ANIMALS in spite of our repeated pleas
to do so.  In the past month, it seemed that animal control was really
not going to be of any use, the breeders stopped surrendering and I went
public with it in a final attempt to shut these people down.  And for
that, I'm getting publicly flamed...not a big surprise considering the
source.....I'm pretty sure I know who you are Miss Anon Poster, and if
my suspicions are correct, this is nothing more than you getting your
drawers in a knot because you think you're the be all end all of ferret
rescue and didn't have yourself involved so you could collect the power
and glory of yet another large scale rescue under your belt.  Get off
your high horse.  Real rescue works for the animals, not notoriety in
the community.
 
There are still about 10 ferrets up there.  I have no authority over
"letting" the breeder keep any.
 
>Why do you need to know what other MD rescue turned ferrets and kits
>into Dawn.?  For all you know the breeder themselves could have turned
>them over to Dawn.
 
I would like Dawn to substantiate her claim.  Additionally, there are
several people aware of our work with this breeder and in no way do I
want anyone to think that we are the "MD rescue" that turned ferrets
over to Dawn.  I know damn well where she got those ferrets from.  She
got them from the breeder that was doing the selling while the abusers
did the breeding.  Talk about enabling the abusers???....not to mention
making a sweet little profit for yourself Dawn, off of your "adoption
fees".  Very interesting Miss Anonymous Poster that you are so supportive
of Dawn.
 
>Lets see how YOU answer this publicly!
 
I did so quite adequately I beleive,...now let's see if you have the
conviction and the cah*nes to sign your name to your posts.  I did.
 
Kim Fox
 
Kimberly Fox
Director/Rescue Mom
Somethin Up My Sleeve Ferret Rescue
http://companiontalk.terrabox.com/SUMS-Rescue.html
Help The Helpless. SUPPORT PRIVATE RESCUE
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[Posted in FML issue 5341]