OK, now this ferret pelt thing has really got me thinking ..... I'm going
to play the 'devil's advocate' here but only for the sake of soliciting
opinions from a somewhat different angle - (translating, that means that
I do not necessarily AGREE with the statements I'm making but am moreso
just curious as to how/where a person would 'draw the line')
 
For the most part, those who vocalized their opinions were in opposition
about the sale of this ferret pelt on Ebay I think because the pelt is of
a 'domesticated pet' and therefore should fall under the same guidelines
set forth for OTHER domesticated pets by Ebay.  Or maybe I'm just
mis-interpreting the outcry?
 
In case I'm off base, what then is the real issue here that people are
deeming wrong?  The sale of something that is a product of a domesticated
pet OR the fact that a ferret pelt even exists since it really doesn't
seem to serve any purpose (at least in my mind) as it certainly isn't
considered a prized hunting possession or useful for anyting else
whatsoever.
 
Consider this: What about people who have their pet dogs and/or cats
stuffed and mounted so they can still be together after the pet has
passed on?  As creepy as that sounds to some or many, it isn't illegal
and is also not as uncommon as one might think either.  Is the 'stuffed'
animal acceptable (or just more acceptable) because it is whole and
intact vs. the pelt?
 
Going one step further, maybe the issue is the SELLING part?  I think I
could be tolerant of someone having their pet stuffed (although I would
never do that myself) and kept in their own home but if that person were
to then try to SELL that stuffed domesticated animal, I'd have a real
issue because it would really hold no signifigance to anyone else besides
the original owner and therefore I'd be hardpressed to agree with the
sale.
 
ON THE FLIPSIDE ..... (and there always is one to every 'discussion')
Somewhere along these lines I read that someone questioned whether or not
a pig (or any other non-traditional or barnyard animal for that matter)
is a "pet", in the same sense as our ferrets, since humans consume
various meat products on a regular basis, often without a second thought.
Well, I personally know of quite a number of people who own typcial
'barnyard' animals and raise some of them strictly as their "pets" - in
the same manner as I raise my ferrets and dogs and birds.  Those people
are no less attached to and no less love and care for THEIR pets as I do
MY pets but they don't lash out at me for eating beef and pork and eggs
and for wearing leather products, although they may have a very strong
case for doing so.
 
So where does one draw the line in these types of issues?  Just curious to
know what others out there think ...
 
Jennifer, Sasha & Snowball
 
P.S.  And just for the record, I AM, by and large, opposed to the
killing or destruction of anything for profit or mere enjoyment but am
also willing to consider the circumstances as a whole before drawing
conclusions and forming my opinions.  In the case of the ferret pelt
however, I just cannot comprehend what purpose a ferret pelt would
serve to anyone.
[Posted in FML issue 4640]