The holidays are coming--and this is the time of year when people start thinking about helping the shelters and sanctuaries out there (even though expenses go year round!) Where will you send your ferret dollars this year??? Who will spend your money so that it best benefits the ferrets?? Is the shelter/sanctuary even real??? Before you part with your hard earned dollars, do some research. VISIT the facility in question, if at all possible! Talk to reliable sources you trust, who have BEEN there!!! Be sure the owner/operator is really giving the fuzzies all the love, & proper care they deserve. (Are you comfortable that your donations will GO to those fuzzies???-- or might the funds be mis-used, somehow...) Be certain the people there have the best interest of the ferrets at heart.(Are those babies in a safe, clean, loving environment? --or are they being held hostage in a dirty prison....) We have had visitors from all over the U.S.--and most of them have become our greatest supporters! Once you determine the credibility of the shelter/sanctuary you`re considering helping---Please give. Maybe you aren`t able to take in another ferret, right now--but help a shelter out there to do that, & to find that fuzzy a good home. Food, litter, & vet care are expensive. Maybe you can`t take in an abused, abandoned, mistreated, elderly, or unwanted ferret--One who has no idea what a litter box is for, or one who bites severely... a ferret with adrenal disease, a ferret with insulinoma, or other health issues.One who hasn`t long to live etc. That`s our job, but expenses are great. We, as a sanctuary, do not receive adoption fees, because we don`t adopt out to the general public. However, we have rehomed some ferrets to extremely trustworthy friends in the ferret community whom we know. Also to some reliable & trusted volunteers. So much funding comes out of pocket--and the rest comes from people who have been here, & have seen what we do. If you can`t take in another fuzzy right now, but you`d like to help, please consider sponsoring a ferret at a credible shelter or sanctuary.(There are some good ones out there!) And if you`re near enough to one, consider volunteering. Even if it`s only once a month, it will truly help. It`s nice when people say "You`re doing such a wonderful thing for these creatures". It`s even nicer, if they support that effort. Off my soapbox.. Love, Zoo Zoo`s Ferret Sanctuary, N.F.P. www.zoosferretsanctuary.org [Posted in FML 5426]