I received another response to my post the other day and it was pointed out to me that rather than travel 1000 miles to get a ferret I should be looking in my own back yard. Therefore, before someone else makes the same point let me clarify. >There are no ferret shelters in this part of Canada and the animal >shelters rarely, if ever, see one. While it may be correct that there >are ferrets out there needing homes, we just don't see them. On >occasion one comes up for sale on Kijiji (a craig's list of sorts). >The best that is available are kits from the pet store and not >everyone wants a kit. I prefer to give a home to an adult ferret who >has lost its home. I belong to an organized group of ferret lovers >and at this time, we have 5 families willing and interested in >adopting a mature ferret but there just aren't any. Our population >does not support the numbers that are available in most parts of the >U.S. There is only one ferret veterinarian for this entire province. >The other veterinarians refer to him because they are reluctant to >take on ferrets in their practice because they do not have experience >working with them. On occasion a person simply cannot travel across >this province to get to the ferret vet and will see a local vet who >will contact the 'ferret expert' for a consult. > >I have no issue with travelling the distance I did, which actually >was 2000 miles return in order to provide a forever home to a ferret >needing one, when I had the means to do so. I could have chosen one >that wasn't an Ohio rescue but since she was available, I chose her. >I only transported one because that is all I was allowed to bring on >board by Delta Airlines. > >I currently have 6 ferrets, 4 of them came from the same shelter in >Massachusetts I got the Ohio rescue from. In other words 5 out of >the 6 of mine I had to travel to get - or buy a kit. The shelter in >Massachusetts is the closest to me by air. True there are shelters >in Maine, however, they aren't much closer if one travels by car. >The closest ferret shelter in Canada from me is farther than the one >in Massachusetts. I also feel a sense of loyalty to the shelter in >Massachusetts because that's where my original 2 came from, and I >support them in other ways. So please don't assume the situation in >the U.S. with hundreds needing homes and being available to those >looking, is the same everywhere. It certainly isn't the case in my >back door. I am planning another trip next summer to pick up ferrets >from same shelter for our members here looking for one. At any rate it is a Red Herring to point out to me that it was "ridiculous to travel that far", it diverts the focus from what is at issue. [Posted in FML 5811]