You obviously have alot to learn including what your email address and
your name since you can't post either of them. I happen to have alot
of Petstore ferrets who I consider just as precious as my home bred or
breeder bred ferrets. I have rescue ferrets who were cast away by
society and have gone on to win trophies and ribbons. They all mean
the world to me and I really take offence to the fact that you can't
understand this. Or you think I am totally opposite of who I am.
The AFA shows are WONDERFUL shows, and I support them 100% of the way.
They give our family a wonderful hobby we can do as a family. We don't
care if our ferrets place first or 12th. They still got a ribbon. And
they are #1 in our hearts. If anyone has not gone to a show, go. IT IS
A BLAST! My kids all take their trophies to school the following Monday.
If they were not fair or character building, I certainly would not take
my kids to them. The AFA is a community of Ferret Lovers who come from
ALL walks of life......and they are family oriented and are out for the
betterment of the ferret's health. The breeders who are associated with
the AFA are out to better the ferret's health, and to provide ferrets who
are not going to get sick as easily. I have a Marshall Farms Ferret who
had FULL BLOWN ADRENAL at 8 months old. Totally bald after owning him
for 6 months. That to me is TOTALLY unacceptable. If you are happy with
that, then fine, I am not. I don't think a person should have to shell
out $500 for a surgery within 6 months of owning a pet. Sorry.........
Lets face it, Path Valley and Marshalls are NOT out to produce good
breeding stock, or to better the breed. If they were, then 89% of the
ferrets would not get sick from Adrenal and other health issues. If you
think they are out to better the breed and that those petstore ferrets
are healthier then home bred kits you are in another world. It has
absolutely NOTHING to do with how much they are worth to you or how well
they do in shows. There are some great ferrets out there who are from
both those ferret farms. But the breeder ferrets are by far better off
genetically.
The private breeders take the time and only breed the best. Why should
they not win? After years of breeding and studying the lines, why should
their ferrets not be the best. Sorry.....but that is the way it is. It
is contest for the best of the best. Even breeder ferrets can be bet out
by petstore ferrets because they go through seasons and coat changes.
But over all structure is much better on a home bred ferret. This is due
to YEARS of hard work. And let me tell you, breeding ferrets is far from
fun or a money making adventure. LEARN instead of putting people down
Ms. No-Name.
You also have no idea about what the classes are, or who can enter into
them. A Late alter is a ferret who is spayed/neutered after the age of
1 year old. The class for that ferret is Late Alter. Adolescent Class
requires the ferret to be intact, meaning having it's reproductive parts
and are under a year of age. The last time I checked, Path Valley and
Marshalls, which are the ferrets you get at the petstore, are neutered
at the VERY YOUNG AGE OF UNDER 6 WEEKS OF AGE. These therefore can't
compete in that class either. The companion class is for ferrets who
were neutered/spayed early on and is for Petstore Ferrets. This is
where your ferrets would go into. This class is a HUGE class, meaning
there are alot of people showing their ferrets who come from petstores.
Meaning: We VALUE our petstore ferrets as much as the ferrets who are
home bred. Then there is Breeder class, and of course you need your
parts for that also. I suggest instead of putting everyone down, read
the AFA show guidelines first.......see where you ferret fits into.
(www.ferret.org)
Read and learn before putting down something you no nothing about. You
may find that the AFA is a nice organization to join. We did........
Marguerite
Life is not how many breaths you take, but
how many times it takes your breath away...
TinyPrints Ferret Rescue PetFinder Web Page
http://www.tinyprintsontheheart.petfinder.org
TinyPrints Ferret Rescue Store
http://www.tinyprintsontheheart.com/onlinestore.htm
Aloha Ferrets Ebay Store
http://stores.ebay.com/Aloha-Ferrets-Store
[Moderator's note: Many people who post on this topic choose to post
anonymously. I think that is to be expected since people may perceive
there is a chance of a judge's opinion being swayed if people can be
identified with their comments during a show. Many people feel it's
fairest for all concerned to post anonymously abut judging. BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4990]
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