As an Ohio shelter that orders from The FerretStore and a club that puts
on a show(FERRET BUCKKEYE BASH) that The FerretStore SUPPORTS by
sponsorship and participation, I'm truely saddened and disappointed to
read posts that questioned The FerretStore's love of ferrets, loyalty
and their high commitment to ferret shelters.
 
The FerretStore.com does more for the ferret community and ferret
shelters than any petstore out there especially in comparison to their
size and the size of some of the mega stores out there.
 
THE FERRETSTORE offers shelter discounts - do the MEGA Stores?  Can any
shelter go into a PetsMart, Petco, Pets Supply Plus, etc.  and say, hey
I'm a 501(c)(3) shelter, can I have a 20%+ discount on all FOOD & ITEMS
you sell - NOPE.  I've been in and asked for recently expired kitten and
some cat foods - NOPE - all goes to CAT and DOG shelters.
 
AND, how many shelters out there order with their shelter discount items
from The Ferretstore and resell them for fundraising.
 
THE FERRETSTORE does sponsorship of ferret shows for help in Education.
Which a one of the bigger stores have done also.  BUT To get anything
from the others you have to jump thru hoops, do ferret awareness days at
their stores at the LEAST every weekend and complete a multitude of
paperwork.  (AND then get moved into the back in favor of cat and dog
rescues.) Now we all know how much free time those that run shelters
have...
 
To boycott a store that has done so much for the ferret communty because
they won't stop selling a product that the ferret communty recognizes as
not healthy for a ferret is like boycotting a grocery store for selling
items that are bad for us that we know are not good for us.  In fact,
grocery stores sell raisins and cherrio's should we boycott them?
 
WE have the free choice to buy or not to buy.  WE control what our
ferrets eat.  If there is no demand for the product, the store will no
longer sell it, the manufacturer will have not the demand and will quit
making it.
 
The key to getting ferret owners to quit buying items that are not
healthy for their ferrets is EDUCATION!  The Ferrestore even has a forum
that they sponsor much like the FML for helping in education.
 
And to tell the truth, I'm still going to eat that bowl of ice cream,
candy bar and drink that occasional beer/foo foo drink knowing they are
not good for me but these are my treats and like in ferret treats the KEY
is MODERATION.  My fur kids get very few treats (N-bones, chew weasels,
ferretvite, ferrettone) but occassionally I get a bag/cup of other treats
in with a rescue and I'll throw the treats into the play pens for
enrichment.
 
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I don't post very often
but this is one of those times.  I would really hate to watch one of the
biggers supporters of the ferrety community get flamed.
 
Scarlett Gray-Saling, Vice President
Heart of Ohio Ferret Assoc. & Rescue
www.HOFA-RESCUE.org
FERRET BUCKEYE BASH 2005 - AUG. 27
Sponsored by THE FERRETSTORE
300 W. Broad St. - Veteran's Memorial Hall
Columbus, OHIO
 
Exhibibitor and Vendor registrations forms available at HOFA-Rescue.org!
[Posted in FML issue 4887]