Hello Fellow FMLers
 
About a month ago I posted to the FML regarding the possibility of the FML
(and ferret lovers everywhere) exerting our influence towards the goal of
getting the larger chain stores to stop selling ferrets.
 
I believe our "tack" with Petco should be this: Ferrets should not be
purchased as impulse items due the complexity of keeping them.  I feel this
is supported by the sheer numbers of surrenders in our shelter system.
 
I believe local clubs and ferret organisations can work with Petco to
educate the public and place shelter ferrets.  This is good for Petco as
well as for ferrets because everyone wins.  Petco wins by selling supplies,
cages and the like to newly adoptive ferret owners, shelters win because
they have a new venue for placement as well as (hopefully) a reduction in
surrenders.
 
Petco seems fairly responsive to appeals from the outside world (they are
a public company) and I felt they would be a good place to start.  In
December of 1997 the House Rabbit Society was able to get Petco to stop
selling rabbits by a letter writing campaign.  Just in the last 30 days
Petco has phased out the sale of iguanas - another animal that isn't a
good impulse purchase due to the complexity of care.
 
Hopefully our success with the larger chains will help in influencing the
smaller stores to reconsider *stocking* ferrets.  The smaller stores will
have to be approached one by one in your area.  Obviously some will never
stop the retail sales of ferrets, but perhaps we can work with them in
terms of providing educational materials and access to club involvement to
potential ferret purchasers.
 
If you are reading this, and belong to a club that provides education and
is involved with a ferret shelter(s) and are interested in doing shelter
and adoption days with Petco, could you drop me an e-mail with contact
information?  I'd like to include that information in my own letter to
Petco along with some shelter statistics.
 
If you'd just like to write a polite letter asking them to stop selling
ferrets, please e-mail me and I'll send you a basic letter template, names
and addresses!
 
I know not all of you may agree with this.  You are certainly entitled to
your opinion as I am ; ).  I'd like you to know that nearly everyone who
responded to my first posts about this was postive.  While I certainly
wish more people had expressed interest either way, I only heard from 2
out of 17 people who were opposed!
 
Thanks
 
Ann
[Posted in FML issue 2405]