In Jim Higgins post yesterday he wrote about the possibility of this woman being a collector, and believe me, this idea has already crossed my mind. With this woman seemingly going through as many pets as people have clothes, truly worries me. But bear in mind I did not know this when the woman first came to me. I had to look back into my original post because I thought I had mentioned that I had a written contract with her but alas, I was too unnerved by the whole situation and I guess that is why I missed putting in that crucial piece of info. The contract that I have set up with her states that all food, toys, bedding, litter and treats are to be supplied by her. The problem was that when the ferrets came, they were on crappie food, had no real bedding to sleep on, and had regular cat litter in their litter box. The food container was a tobacco can wired to the side of the cage. All of these things I could not stand by and just let go until she could provide me with better, so between my friend and I, we refurbished the 2 bare cages, and my friend supplied all the toys, new bedding and cage padding, plus proper food dishes. We did this so that the ferrets could have a decent cage. I also included within the contract that she is responsible for all medical care and veterinary check-ups and services. The only other thing in the contract that is of value is that if she cannot pay any outstanding amounts by the time she comes to pick up the ferrets, then I get to hang onto them until she is paid up in full. She has been making a habit of paying me in advance. So far, under the terms of the agreement, she has pretty much followed through on this. This up and coming weekend, she will be bringing food, of which I told her that I would be taking what I have had to put out for her ferrets. She found no problem with this. Hind site is 20/20 and if I knew some of the things then, that I know now, I know how I could have protected myself. But since I thought I was covering myself, and I thought that this woman was going to be better than she appeared to be, I have placed myself into a situation whereby I can only do what I can for the ferrets while they are in my care, and hope that either, she does not find accommodations for them, or that she realizes that they are too much financially to handle and ends up surrendering them. If this does not happen, then the best I can hope for is that she takes to heart all the wonderful things I am showing her in order to give these ferrets a good life. So onto the update... I took the step of talking with her vet to see if he could somehow convince her to at least stop at the number she has, and not to collect anymore. The answer I got may surprise you. What I got for a response was that he was in no position to tell her what she could or could not have as a matter of legal recourse. He was worried about the legality of what he considered to be stepping over the line, as he felt that if she wanted to get more ferrets (or other animals) that there was no way to stop her. I understood this fully and responded by telling him that because of her high respect for him that she would listen, like a friend, to the advice he had to give her. He felt that his only recourse was to report any abuse to the Humane Society first and that they would deal with the matter, and that he could only intervene if there was signs of neglect. I told him that as far as it goes for the Humane Society to intervene, that they would not, as all her ferrets basic needs were being met, even if this meant cages too small for the number of ferrets, and dirty blankets, and improper food. This has more to do with the moral responsibility to help a woman understand the total picture of what it means to "own" an animal and the care it deserves. I went on to explain that she does not even have a place to stay live and won't know if her future place will even take ferrets, and that she is acquiring more. I reminded him that she is not working, and that she could not afford the lab test necessary for he surrendered ferret. He replied with the most absurd thing he could have, which was that his costs were reasonable and his clinic made it easy for anyone to pay for medical treatments. HELLO!! I was in the office when she told him that she could only pay it over time, and he told her that he could not pay for the lab fee out of his pocket because it was separate from the his clinic fees and that the entire fee would have to be paid up front. Seems he has a short memory. From that point on, I realized that he was not interested in what was best for the ferrets in her care, but that he continue to get business from her. This is indeed a sad world when a vet cannot see past the almighty dollar, and is willing to sacrifice the lives of those he is supposedly trying to save. Thank goodness, he is only part of a very, very small minority. I think it is time to call my vet to tell him just how much he means to me and that he is the greatest! Betty and Her Blur O'Fur [Posted in FML issue 3063]