Hi all, I went back and re-read my post which was written with 3 purposes in mind. First and foremost, I felt I needed to locate a good quality ferret food to sell, as product sales are the primary source of funding for our shelter. We have a reputation of carrying good, safe and healthy products, and I wanted to gather opinions from the largest ferret resource I'm aware of and that's the FML. Second, I did want to voice my frustration in dealing with a company for 5 years, going through their ups and downs with them and remaining a loyal "fan" and then being told (by insinuation) that we were now too small to deal with. And third, I wanted others to know who their new TF vendor is, a company which sells both "food animals" and "pet animals" as well as Totally Ferret to "pet supply" stores. (I did make an error in my previous post; anw does not sell to "all" pet stores in the Seattle area, many stores purchase their animals from other vendors.) I received a total of 29 private e-mails. People were all very helpful and provided me with lots of information about the various diets they have been using (and I'll be getting back to all of those individuals). 23 of these e-mails also detailed similar problems they've experienced with PF, many voiced feeling the same sense of being told to "get lost" now that the company had become big and others reported situations that I had never experienced. Most of these people will not post their concerns here, because of the personal attacks which follow both off and on list. This is a DISCUSSION list. Bill allows people to post concerns about excellent veterinarians and he also allows posts which defend those vets, this discussion is no different. Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Subject: What's with the "kick me" signs and bullying again? >"Actually, I have heard some wonderful things recently about Performance >Foods helping some shelters when things got really rough for them, " My opinion is that the subject line in Sukie's post (isn't a "bully" the bigger guy?) would have been more meaningful and could have addressed the issues better using something like "Hurrah for Performance Foods" and just addressing the *issues*. A DISCUSSION list allows multiple people to present their views and then other people can decide for themselves (if there's any decision to be made) which side they agree with. If some people get their way and suppress these discussions then there is no longer a DISCUSSION list. >For some reason certain groups or companies -- no matter how much they >have done for others -- seem to get picked on regularly in the FML. It's not just groups or companies, it's also individuals and shelters. The Ferret Guy has sure been taking a lot of hits lately. And just because The Ferret Guy and PF have both done great things doesn't mean that there aren't other issues that people also care about. One killian said in a silly tone, that dealing with us directly is "hurting" Performance Foods and indicated that they'd not be able to help ferrets if PF put "all of their income into supporting our business". I can guarantee you that PF has been making money from our shelter (a non-profit "business") for 5 years now. They have not put one red cent into our business and they have not donated even one bag of food to us (nor have we needed or wanted them to do so). All of you can rest assured that Performance Foods can continue to help ferrets (if they wish) while also making money by selling their product directly to our shelter. Sandi Ackerman Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House a non-profit animal shelter 14325 Lake City Way NE Seattle, WA 98125 (206)365-9105 or visit our on-line store at: http://www.rabbitrodentferret.org [Moderator's note: Still waiting for a response from PF -- I will be glad to post it when it arrives even if the topic gets out of hand and has to be "closed" before then. (It's OK so far, I'd say). One other poster also expressed similar concerns but wanted to post them anonymously. I didn't feel that was appropriate in this case. BIG] [Posted in FML issue 3392]