I knew when I wrote the post that I would get some negative responses,
however much of what I said was taken very, very wrong.
 
My intention was not to insult breeders in general.  Honestly, my feelings
were really directed towards people who want to breed animals who haven't
really thought it through.  There are many responsible breeders out there,
and anyone who subscribes to this list is obviously incredibly dedicated to
the well-being of their ferrets.
 
You said:
>Hobby breeders offer the late alter, non-descented ferrets.  Isn't this
>good to have healthier ferrets available?
 
I said in my original post, and I quote:
 
>If there were a demand for a *better* ferret/puppy/etc. and there was
>someone willing to do this, I wouldn't argue.
 
In other words, YES!
 
Please re-read my post and you will see that I did not attack breeders in
general or those with good intentions.  In fact, I didn't attack anyone at
all, only tried to encourage people to be sure they aren't doing it for
selfish reasons.
 
I would like to give an example which illustrates my point.  A friend of
mine bought her first dog recently.  She has only had the poodle for a few
months and it appears to be in heat.  I asked her whether she was planning
to get her fixed.  She said she didn't know - maybe she'll let her have one
litter first.  The next day, her roommate told her she knew someone with a
male poodle who wanted to breed him.  So my friend immediately jumped at the
opportunity and decided she would breed her dog when she got a little older.
She obviously hadn't given it much thought and she has never owned a dog
before.  She made it clear to me that this would be a "fun thing to do".
Some people just don't THINK, period, before they make this type of
decision.
 
There are people who breed on a whim, and this can lead to problems.  Nobody
can deny this - many of the animals that end up in the Humane Society (my
dog, for instance), are mutts or animals that people bred and couldn't sell.
 
>There is no single person or group quailied to be the arbiter of "what is
>good for ferrets".  We all have our own #005#opinions.
 
You're right.  Which is exactly why I said that when others express a
different opinion, this shouldn't be taken personally.
 
And in my opinion, someone who breeds ferrets for fun, without considering
what could happen to them is irresponsible.
 
I'm sorry if I managed to insult you personally because you are one of the
"experts" whose posts I enjoy reading.
 
- Adrienne
[Posted in FML issue 1711]