I have given this alot of thought.  When I first got ferrets in 1992, they
were a rare and unique pet.  They weren't very easy to find, and only a few
petstores sold them.  The books available at the time weren't very good,
and the internet wasn't really used by the average person yet, but a really
diligent owner researched as much as possible and learned by trial and
error.  Ferret clubs and rescues were few and far between.  Most people
had a very negative opinion of ferrets.  But, when a ferret needed a home,
there was usually someone ready to take him.  (Whether or not that was a
good home is another issue unfortunately).
 
Then as the years passed, ferrets became more popular.  Less people would
sneer at them and more people would say, "Oh, I know someone who has a
ferret", or "I have ferrets.  They're great." Well, I am happy about this.
There are clubs and rescues all over the country, and all but 2 states have
legalized them.  Ferrets have been seen in movies, on TV, in magazines and
in the news.  Most people with half a brain now know that they don't eat
little children, they don't spread rabies, and they aren't rodents.
 
However, the problem I see now is that what was once a unique and special
pet has become a dime-a-dozen throwaway pet.  And this isn't MY opinion of
ferrets.  I still worship them like I always have, and I get upset when
others don't.  It's just that this is what they seem to have become because
they are so plentiful now.  Shelters are overloaded, and I see lots of ads
in the paper with people looking to get rid of ferrets.  I hear stories of
abuse and neglect.  I go in some petstores and get so angry when I see the
conditions in them.  Why?  Because the ferret mills are pumping out the
ferrets so quickly?  Because they are too inexpensive and therefore easy to
get?  Quality has been replaced with Quantity.  Now any Tom, Dick and Harry
can get them.  When New York State dropped the requirement to have a permit
to own ferrets back in 1997, I saw the problem get much worse.  Now, with
pending legalization in NYC and eventually California, there are going to
be that many more petstores with ferrets for sale, and this will mean, more
homeless ferrets in the long run,because I find that a large percentage of
people who buy new ferrets get rid of them, due to lack of education by the
petstore who wants to make a quick buck at the expense of a living thing.
I'm not kidding.  I have seen this.
 
Now, before anyone gets mad at me for saying this, I am not saying that the
petstores there shouldn't sell ferrets.  I AM saying that maybe they can
start a precedent for the betterment of ALL ferrets.  I don't want to see
ferrets become something that only the rich can afford, because I see many
people who are far less than wealthy who take wonderful care of their
ferrets.  I read a post that said people should have to pass a test before
they can obtain a ferret, and this is more along the lines of what I am
thinking.  I think that a permit should be required to own a ferret and
that an application or something should be filled out with basic
information.  Then it should be reviewed and then a person can get a
ferret.  How would this ever be implemented and enforced?  Well, it would
start with a breeder who supplies to the stores having a conscience and
deciding to make a change for the better.  It could be started in the newly
legalized areas (when they DO become legal, of course).  Then maybe other
areas can follow?  Maybe a petstore has to be licensed to carry ferrets
too, so that even if they manage to get ferrets from backyard breeders,
they still have to follow permit rules when selling them?  Am I
fantasizing?  Maybe.  But, while the small quality breeders/rescues care
where their babies go, there is no way for the large breeders to keep track
of where their ferrets end up, and bringing back a permit may make some
people think twice when purchasing a ferret, and in the long run, help
ensure that the ferrets go into better homes right from the start.  Just a
thought.
 
Any ideas?  No, I'm not a cop, lecturer or smart_ss, and I don't play one
on TV either.
[Posted in FML issue 3424]