>From:    Richard Beveridge <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: no ferret zones in Ontario
>Never having lived in Ontario with probation first time.  A lot of laws
>are there.....just in case; there is a problem.  Which means ( assuming
>common sense prevails....which; it usually does) if you have a ferret in
>your home.....doesn't tip cows,; doesn't chew off babies faces, and whose
>only crime is stealing hearts and; socks....  then you don't really have a
>problem.
 
No flames intended, just some observations.
 
In many cases, local police will act in the manner you describe.  There
will always be a few assholes, though.  I've have over 15 encounters with
cops in Califonia when I have had my ferrets out in public, so I speak
from experience.
 
In two cases, they came close to confiscation.  One asshole in San Francisco
only stopped because while he was harassing me, a bunch of kids were petting
Felix right on a busy street, and he didn't want to be seen as a "bad guy"
in front of a large crowd that was entranced by Felix the cuddle.
 
The other near-disaster involved a small suburban PD, where they have less
"serious work" to do.  There's a definate pattern of lack of ferret
enforcement in big cities with high crime rates vs.  little burgs - the cops
in rough neigborhoods *know* what real crime is, seems like.  (Side note:
the worst police agency in America is easily BATF, Alchohol, Tobacco and
Firearms.  They just don't have enough to do, or to justify their existence,
and have been known to "create work".  See also the Randy Weaver affair (and
NO!  I'm not a "militia member"!)
 
California's Highway Patrol has a rep for total enforcement of every law
on the books - to them, a ferret is a welcome diversion from the
same-old-same-old traffic cop stuff.
 
Fish and Game wardens will *always* confiscate.  F&G screwed up royally in
the first place on banning them, and like all gov't agencies, are sensitive
to criticism.  Since ferret owners are their biggest critics, we are
*heavily* persecuted by them.  It was F&F held the multi-day stakeout of
some SoCal dude's house a while back, when they *knew* a ferret was in there
but the complaining neighbor wouldn't sign the search warrant.  (Note:
Technically, there's a difference between the F&G "Commision" and the
"Department".  The commision is appointed by the governor and has powers
granted by the legislature to pass *laws* (regulations - still enforced at
gunpoint(!) like every other law) over wild and domestic animals.  For all
practical purposes, the Commision is a legislative group with their own
private armed police force, the Wardens of the Department.  Has anyone else
noticed the blurring of the Exectuive and Legislative functions?!?!)
 
Finally, there's local animal control officers.  Mixed bag, very
unpredictable, although I've personally had a good encounter with one.  The
personel in the offices are usually very good people; the ones in the field
are sometimes trouble, especially if they've been deputized as "animal cops"
and given guns (very common).
 
The biggest single problem is always nasty neighbors, especially when a
dispute breaks out.  If a neighbor threatens your skinnies, let them know
that any search warrant must have their full name on it to be valid, this
should shut them up (USA only).
[Posted in FML issue 1546]