I have a couple of comments regarding the seizure of ferrets from Carole McCraig on 1/29/08. Before I go into my comments and opinions, I want to give some background information on Animal Control and the SPCA. Virginia Beach Animal Control has taken in ferrets and adopted or released ferrets to shelters and the public for as long as I have lived in VB. That being said, while the vets on staff may not be on par with say my personal ferret vet, I believe that they have the essential knowledge and skills to make judgment calls on whether or not to humanely destroy a ferret based on the condition and overall well-being. Many times I have picked up ferrets from VBAC that have had medical conditions including adrenal gland disease (obvious alopecia), insulinoma, chordomas, lymphoma, etc. I was informed of those conditions prior to pickup. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, ACOs are required to investigate every complaint thoroughly and make decisions based on what they observe. They are not storm troopers who break down your door, grab Fifi from your loving arms and rush to destroy because they can. Every ACO whom I have met and worked with, including in this seizure, work this job because they love animals and as a group are caring, professional people with a sometimes terrible job to do. The SPCA has never taken in or released/adopted ferrets -- at least not in the past 15 years or so. That decision was made by the executive director, Sharon Adams. So this is a very unusual situation for the SPCA. Both the SPCA and VBAC have vets on staff who care for the animals in their charge. They are professional veterinarians who chose to work for these government agencies instead of branching into their own practice because of the animals. The seizure that took place last Tuesday was building for some time. How can I say that? Based on the number of people posting to the FML who were aware that Carole was having problems with her health for an extended period of time. If any one of these people had reached out to someone local, this whole situation might have been avoided. Nothing much more than a phone call or email saying, "Hey I think Carole may need some help with the ferrets -- do you think you can call her/email her and offer assistance in taking care of the ferrets?" Some folks have asked me privately why I didn't call her and check on her. I didn't know that she was sick and unable to care for her animals. I have a job, my own shelter and it never dawned on me that she needed help. If I had, I would have been the first out there to help. So do I perhaps carry partial responsibility for what has happened? I was not on site when the seizure occurred -- I was in Richmond, VA attending a Business Meeting when I got the call. I did not see the condition of any of the ferrets until 24 hours later -- the 21 at the SPCA. The ferrets at the SPCA range in ages (approximate) from 2 - 5+ years, based on a physical exam and condition of the teeth. What I saw was not cruelty, but it was neglect. All the ferrets reeked of urine. All of the ferrets had nails longer than 1/2" in length and front and back paws were caked with excrement. Two of the ferrets still required subcutaneous fluids because of dehydration. All of the ferrets had flea and ear mite infestations, requiring treatment. All of the ferrets were underweight and had prominent rib cages. One ferret has a broken toe, requiring treatment. One ferret has either an injury or growth on the back leg. One ferret has either early onset adrenal or urine burns on the vulva. All the ferrets have significant gingivitis, requiring treatment. A number of these ferrets have problems with their teeth that may require extraction (grey/black teeth at the gum line). One ferret has a broken canine down to the nerve and irritation on the lower lip, requiring treatment. Two ferrets have either broken or kinked tails. One ferret has a possible upper respiratory infection. This list of problems may seem minor but remember there are 18 more ferrets at the VBAC I have not been able to see yet, on top of the 61 that were humanely destroyed. I feel sympathy for Carole because of the public manner in which this was handled but I feel that had she asked for help, that she would still have these ferrets. I saw the ferrets at the SPCA and there is no question in my mind that they were being neglected. I think that every shelter, every rescue and every person that takes in ferrets needs to use this as a valuable lesson -- I'm sure that she did not see the decline of these ferrets as she saw them every day but someone coming in from the outside could have immediately spotted problems. I believe AC when they stated that the ferrets had no water or food. They have no reason to lie. I do not believe that AC acted irresponsibly in euthanizing ferrets but in fact acted in the best interests of the ferrets. We need to address the issue of responsibility - you can only take in those that you know you can care for - no more, no less - and each shelter has different limitations but the most important part is to be able to recognize what those limitations are and stick to them. Shelters are supposed to be a second chance for these unlucky ferrets that were given up by their owners. We need to as a community reach out to shelters and ask if they need help. We need to police our own house so that situations like this never happen again. While some reading this may think I do not believe Carole is a good person that is a wrong assumption. It is good that Carole has so many supporters who are aware of the good she has done for ferrets in the past, and have brought this to everyone's attention. I am sure this support is a comfort to her at this time, when her situation has been made so very public. She *is* a good person and has done a lot for the ferret community but somewhere down the line, she lost her way and sight of what needed to be done to help the ferrets in her care. Lisa Leidig, Head Ferret Shelter Wench in good standing The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea" www.ferrethaven.org [Posted in FML 5875]