>From:    Paula Bryder <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Dr Kemmerer
>I read the IFNS report on declawing, and was disturbed by the
>characterization of Dr K as 'boasting' about the number of declaw
>procedures she performs.
 
If its in the INFS its not necessarily credible.  We trust Dr. Kemmerer
far more than we trust that publication.  Quite a few people have claimed
they were misquoted or worse in there or in its predecessor publication.
 
>From:    [log in to unmask]
>Subject: AFA benifits
 
Again we are not writing FOR the AFA but our opinions about the AFA...
 
>Ok here is a silly question for all of you but if afa is a corporation
>that doesn't get to pick its bosses then do we get paid like at work?
 
Somewhat serious answer... most large charity type organizations are set up
as not-for-profit corporations.  Most use volunteer labor with some paid
staff.  The AFA has tried a few different approaches to the day to day grind
work that it is nearly impossible to find volunteers for.
 
>There aren't any AFA shows in my area so how can the AFA benefit me and
>my ferrets.
 
What do you WANT the AFA to dofor your ferrets?
 
>If there isn't any benefit and i get no voice in the issues and how things
>are handled (even a small voice) why would I join.
 
If you want a voice join and volunteer.  After a while try for a leadership
role.  Then you'll have all the voice you can handle.  We are somewhat
influential with the leadership in some areas.  We do not agree with all
decisions and we aren't asked on all of them.  As a licnesed AFA judge,
bill gets to vote on many issues involving the ferret standard.  No point
in polling the whole of the membership as it is a specialized area.  bill
went through a year's training and now after a few years of work in that
area does feel competant to be involved.  If you have areas you ARE
interested in - volunteer and do the work!  Lack of volunteers is a problem
for all such non-profits.
 
>I believe that if any group can successfully bring together all the
>'warring' factions of ferretdom, and create a 'club', where we have a
>'voting say' in the executive board, AFA will fade to the background.
 
What warring factions?  The "wars" are pretty much over.  The AFA outlasts
all the others.  Has anyone ever heard the AFA "fighting" another group?
We haven't.  Mudslinging by others doesn't mean the AFA is fighting.  That
is one of the main reasons we DO support the AFA.  The warring is from a
few noisy folks.  Not the AFA.  We are not the AFA just members.
 
Now on to that "voting" issue.
 
Lets examine the AKC.  From their web-site:
  The AKC does not have individual memberships.  Rather, it is composed of
  approximately 500 member clubs and over 4,000 affiliated clubs.  Each
  member club exercises its voting privileges through a representative
  known as a "delegate." The delegates are the legislative body of the AKC,
  making the rules, and electing directors from among their number.
 
Okay.  You can't "elect" the AKC directors.  You can join a breed club and
perhaps chose who from that club gets to make all the decisions for you.
But there aren't breed clubs for ferrets.  There aren't "breeds".  The
individual local ferret clubs are NOT the equivalent of breed clubs but are
the closest parallel.  Very few of them seem to want to be associated as a
"part" of a whole national organization.  LIFE was at first supposed to
fill that role and can be seen as parallel to how the AKC functions.  But
it failed.  The founding clubs have mostly quit or been kicked out for not
toeing the line.  Can we get the local clubs to agree to be "under" the
AFA?  Perhaps get a "legislature" of representatives in the AKC model.
Sounds good to us.
 
The ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) is far newer than the AKC:
  Voting Privileges: ACFA Members are the ones that dictate the futur e of
  the Association, not the Board of Directors or the Clubs or Committees.
  The Members elect who will represent them on the Board of Directors; the
  Members suggest and ratify any amendments to the Rules of the Association
  -and- the Breeders of a particular breed vote on any changes to their
  respective breed's Standard of Perfection.
 
Sounds like there is some good reason to push for the AFA to change to some
sort of elected representative system.  Bring the issue up WITH the AFA.
Sitting on the sidelines and writing to the FML will not get anywhere.  We
do not disagree that some form of elections WOULD be better.  The biggest
problem isn't lack of elections.  To have elections you'd have to have
candidates.  There is more trouble keeping people willing to fill the jobs
than there is with picking between two candidates.  Maybe if we can get
more folks to volunteer to help with these jobs then we can get to the
point where the AFA will be able to have elections.  We do NOT disagree
with the idea that it would be better.
 
So write to the AFA at [log in to unmask] but remember that it is one volunteer
reading all the email.  (Last we'd heard.)  We did just before we sent this
in.  You can even blame us for telling you to write to them.  We'd like it
if a base change occurs that permits more voting.  Even if we do understand
why there hasn't been up to now.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2273]