Bill and Diane Killian write:
>You are certainly entitled to your opinion just as we are entitled to ours.
>Since we were "involved" we felt we could legitimately express our opinion.
>Using baby wipes and paint masks is not the sign of long term planning in
>our opinion.  Neither is going to accomplish very much.  Chubbs do not come
>with a viricide.  (Having used them for 2 years with our son, we actually
>are very familiar with them).  No one strongly believes a paint mask can
>stop a virus - anyway we sure hope not.
 
I don't understand how you can say you were "involved".  You were not there,
you did not help plan the show.  The only way you were involved was in
flaming me for going and taking ferrets.  By the way, while I am on this
topic, I did go, I did take ferrets, all of whom had vet certs.  stating
they were free of disease.  It is now a week since the show, and not one
ferret owner has reported any illness in any ferret that was at the show.
Next time you choose to second guess my vet and spread rampant rumours that
I have had ECE in my household, please think twice about the unsubstantiated
rumours you are spreading.  ECE is a possibility in any ferret owners lives,
whether they attend shows or not.  In addition, the masks being worn were
surgical masks (I saw the wrappers), not paint masks, and the baby wipes
were soaked in ODOBAN, a product which kills bacteria, viruses, fungi, and a
host of other things.  I don't understand why you continue to propogate
mistruths about things that you have no intimate knowledge of.  The only
thing different at this show from the past was the wearing of the masks.
This was done as there has been a recent outbreak of influenza on the west
coast, particularly in CA, and it was a precaution to protect the ferrets.
It actually seemed to work as a secondary issue- that of not having strange
faces looking at ferrets, which startles many animals.  I hope that all
shows will continue to do this.
 
>We tried to give them credit but you attacked that.  We are very glad they
>attempted something.  Even these simple efforts would have accomplished some
>protection.
 
No Bill and Diane, it is you that have been on the attack.  You have had
nothing but crticism of anyone and anything involved with this show from day
1.  The sad part is, as with this post, you still don't have your facts
straight.  I WAS THERE.  YOU WERE NOT.  So don't say that I don't know what
I am talking about.  My info is first hand.  Your's is second hand at best.
Why do you think Heresay is NOT admissable in a court of law?
 
>Nothing was said about LIFE.  The comment was concerning first time show
>attendees used as judges, who obviously were not certified judges.  This
>was a small show based on the number of entries.  Sorry, it just was.  The
>number of entries listed in a show catalog is not a value judgement.  Its
>quantifiable.
 
Again- a gross mis-statement.  While there were several STEWARDS there
STEWARDING for the first time (and they had each attended classes that week,
taught by a LIFE Championship Judge), the judges were ALL experieinced
Judges who had done the proper stewarding and training classes prior to
being certified as Championship and Specialty Ring Judges.  Obviously your
info is wrong about this- possibly you might get it that much of the info
you have about the show is wrong.  The Judges for Championship Rings were,
Sharon Bowman, Jodi Scroth, Steve Scroth, Belinda Lorenzo, Dawn Smith,
Krystal Smith.  ALL of these are certified Championship Judges who have
judged Championship rings in the past.  I know.  I have been to several LIFE
sanctioned shows where they have judged.  Have you?  Even the Specialty
Rings were Judged by Certified Specialty Judges.  Cheryl Althorp, Suni
Killfoil, Debbie Coburn were also judging Specialties- none of them are by
any means a first time show attendee- and all are certified specialty
judges.  I think that as the National Show Coordinator for LIFE- Jodi Scroth
was there, the use of non-certified judges would have been noticed and
stopped.  In addition, there were many door entries.  This show was as big
as the last AFA show I attended, if not bigger.  And for arguments sake,
what does the number of entries have to do with the quality of judging?
 
 
>LIFE sanctioned the show but has practically disavowed anything else to do
>with it.
 
Again, a mistruth.  If LIFE didn't want anything to do with the show, then
why was the National Show Coordinator there, from the other side of the
country.  In addition, Ann Davis, head of LIFE did everything possible to
support this show. I don't know where you get this info, but mine came
directly from Ann.  In fact this is a quote from a recent letter from her...
"I was advised of the precautions to be taken for ECE before I left for the
HSUS, and was satisfied that they were above and beyond what any other show
has done anywhere in the country."
 
>The incident of first awarding and then taking away a trophy is
>questionable.  Is it disputed that that happened?  Would you like to see the
>pictures?
 
There is no dispute that it happened.  It did happen.  But it happens
occaisionally at shows sanctioned by all organizations, including AFA.  I
saw it happen at a FURO show a few years back.  There was a math error made,
and the sponsors and judges bent over backwards to apologize and correct the
error in the fairest way.  If we were all perfect I guess we would all have
halos.  The closest thing I have seen to a halo at a ferret show was on the
hand-painted angel ornaments that Jeanne Stadtmillers group makes.
 
>We are not flaming you.  We are merely expressing a different point of view
>from yours.  An issue was raised as to the wellbeing of the ferrets
>attending this show.  As almost everyone points out "we're only here because
>of the ferrets".  Therefore, it is everyone's responsibility to take care of
>their wellbeing.  This issue obviously was addressed at the show.  Pointing
>out that it was addressed is showing that the wellbeing of the ferrets was
>being tended to.
 
Considering that it was YOU who raised the issues to begin with...without
being a vet, knowing my ferrets health history, and examining them, then
making slanderous accusations without just cause even after I told you that
my ferrets had been examined by a vet who stated emphatically that they did
not have ECE.  It was you that alarmed the entire ferret community that I
was bringing ECE infected ferrets to the show even after I had told you that
my vet had emphatically stated it was not ECE.  As I told you before, you
are not a vet, So why do you continue to second-guess a licensed, accredited
vet.  Please get your ducks in a row before you do any further rumour
mongering.
 
Am I mad?...you betcha.  You have for the past two months taken every
possible opportunity to slander myself and LOS and the Seattle show and it's
sponsors.  I don't know what your motivation is.  I have never done anything
other than to try to get along with people in the ferret community, stay out
of personal issues between people, and try to do anything possible for the
benefit of ferrets.  I have worked closely with members of AFA, LOS and FURO
in order to get repressive laws changed.  You have without provocation, gone
out of your way to attempt to discredit me and the organizations I am
affiliated with.
 
Anyone who has not agreed with your opinions has been flamed with a blow
torch by you.  I have not posted any response to anything you have said to
the FML, but instead let you continue to flame me.  But now I am responding,
because many of your statements are so far from the truth that it is
absolutely ridiculous.  In a sad, sad way, I would love to know where you
come up with some of this stuff!
 
-Mrs. Duck
[Posted in FML issue 1858]