>From: Kymberlie Barone <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Shutting shelters down >I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever attempted to shut a shelter >down for being a very bad place - be it a ferret shelter or any kind of >shelter. The simplist answer is to have complaints called into the county, state or city department of animal control. If it is a cat collector, a ferret shelter with cramped cages and feces piles taking up half the cage, a bad pet shop or dogs barking and without food or water, to launch an investigation, the "policing" authority is the one to call. Unfortunately, many animal control officers have little or no training with species other than cats and dogs, so what we consider unacceptable (cedar chips, poor quality diet, small cages, etc.) might be acceptable because the Animal Welfare Act by USDA has no guidance on certain species. I recommend that if someone calls to complain about a rescue or place, that they have several friends visit the same place and then make multiple calls of complaint to the authorities. This way, the action to check out the facility will look more urgent, but these same individuals need to be cautioned that if the authorities don't view the species needs the same, their point is futile. Now, assuming the problem is real - you have to also consider what action will be needed to clear the problem up. Let's go with this senario which existed many years ago in my area: A couple in a very small house had their living room stacked floor to ceiling on three walls with ferret cages, and rodent cages stacked in another room. The house reeked of amonia inside and out - brought tears to my eyes. Their concern was that their ferrets (breeders) were having many miscarriages and false pregnancies. I knew the reason - over crowding. Sure those ferrets may have had roomy cages, but they could smell the crowded situation, and their noses are much more sensitive than ours. People called and complained to me. I did go for a visit. I did make some suggestions, but nothing much happened. Some people wanted to call the authorities, and I did want a visit by them to this home, but as one of only a few ferret shelters in the area, I could not handle that many ferrets as an influx and not be considered guilty of the same crime. Even with all the ferret shelters pitching in, we would all be too full. The ferrets here were healthy, being fed well, and had roomy cages (though I doubted they got out much). Turns out a neighbor complained about the smell and the health authorities came to investigate. After that, the family in question cleaned up a bit, then moved from the area. So you have to think of what to do, and how it might effect you. I'd never want the county to seize all those ferrets, then not only would i have huge neutering bills, but these people were show goers and I'd not want people thinking I had turned them in "just to get their ferrets". I would be bound by the county to not adopt them back to these people, yet I could not screen for their friends trying to return a few ferrets. And I'd have to take the ferrets, because the county at that time would have just put them down otherwise. So, think of everything before you get personally involved. Pam T. [Posted in FML issue 3067]