Dear Sir or Madam:
 
We would like to respond to an individual's accusation against KEVIN
GILBERT being an unreputable breeder in a recent issue of FERRET-L Digest.
We have had the opportunity to purchase ferrets from and talk extensively
with Kevin Gilbert and have only had the best experience in our purchases.
In fact, we feel that he has become a good friend of ours.
 
Mr. Gilbert is a highly responsible breeder, who's primary concern is the
health and safety of his ferrets, both kits and breeding stock.  He wants
only the best for the ferrets as well as future owners of his kits.  One
way he insures his kits will be safe is to ship them only when the weather
allows, which means if it is either too hot or too cold, he will delay
shipment until better weather conditions permit.  For our purchases, we had
to monitor the heat closely to see when the weather would allow him to ship
our ferrets for *their* safety.  If the heat is too much, the ferrets will
not be safe and could very well die.
 
Mr. Gilbert is always very clear about keeping the safety of the ferrets
as a main priority.  He wants to deliver the ferrets to their excited new
owners as expediently as possible, but when there is a heat or cold weather
advisory, he cannot in good conscience send the ferrets and risk their
safety and health.  We, as ferret owners, do not want him to risk any
ferrets due to weather or other delaying factor just to get the ferret to
a new owner quickly.
 
Also, Mr. Gilbert is in close contact with all the airlines he uses, and
the airlines refuse to ship animals of any kind when there is "extreme"
heat or cold.  Airlines only ship animals when it is safe for them to
travel.  Mr. Gilbert cannot possibly control the airlines' shipping
policies, and we respect the airlines' position on animal travel safety.
Kevin, as well as prospective owners, have to respect the airlines'
policies on animal travel.
 
Mr. Gilbert is an outstanding breeder who is kind and only wants the best
for his ferrets.  He is not looking to take money from people and not
deliver the ferrets.  He is simply looking to place very good ferrets in
excellent homes.  We who have ferrets shipped from him must understand that
he will ship the ferrets as soon as it is safe for them to travel, whether
the safety question is extreme weather conditions or age of the kits.  Mr.
Gilbert is very understanding of the excitement and anticipation new owners
feel, but he is most concerned with getting a precious new ferret to the
owner who is healthy, safe, and happy.  Sometimes getting the ferret means
experiencing a delay in shipment until the conditions are just right for
the ferret.  It may be hard in the excitement to hold our patience
together, but we must do so for the ferrets' sake and safety.
 
The ferrets we have received from Mr. Gilbert have been the most wonderful
pets.  We have enjoyed every moment with them.  Before we received them,
Mr. Gilbert made certain that we understood he would only ship them when it
was safe for the ferrets to fly.  Living in a hot climate, we understood
perfectly that he needed to protect the ferrets.  We are certainly glad
he kept the ferrets' interests as his main priority, because they arrived
safe and sound without a hitch.  We just had to be patient and wait on the
weather for our new ferret friends to come live with us.  We highly
recommend Mr. Gilbert, and have recommended him to several, as the breeder
to go to when looking for a ferret because he cares about the new owners
and his ferrets so very much.
 
We appreciate your attention to our e-mail, as we feel strongly that the
accusation made against Mr. Gilbert is highly untrue.  He is very
responsible, caring, and wants only the best for both ferrets and new
owners.  We have had more than one purchase experience with him, and both
have been very pleasant.
 
Sincerely,
 
Mark and Debbie Whitten
Ferret Owners and Lovers
[log in to unmask]
 
[Moderator's note: Can the person making the accusation let us know if
things ever worked out?  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2813]