The American Ferret Association is opening up a 10 day public comment period (Sept 30-Oct 9) concerning adding Mischief Maker Ferrets to AFA's List of Banned Breeders. The AFA has received numerous substantiated requests and reports concerning Mischief Maker Ferrets including personal accounts of inappropriate care and handling of MMF ferrets, failure to find out the cause of death of MMF ferrets used heavily in MMF's breeding program, dumping of old, sick and not wanted ferrets to the ferret community then showing up at a show trying to purchase more kits, failure to work with other breeders who wanted to get their ferrets back from MMF when MMF did not like or want the ferret(s) in question. The AFA feels that Mischief Maker Ferrets does not endorse or support the mission of AFA or otherwise may compromise the educational aspects of the AFA. By being added to the AFA's List of Banned Breeders any ferret bred by a breeder that is banned from showing by the AFA will be treated the same as a ferret of unknown lineage. Banned breeder ferrets can be shown in the alter class and are allowed to be shown in the adolescent class when proof of spay/neuter from a veterinarian is presented. Banned breeder ferrets are not allowed to be shown in the breeder class. Any breeder using MMF ferrets for breeding can only show the offspring of those MMF sires and/or dams once the ferret has been fixed. Any misrepresentation or omission of data pertaining to the breeder of a ferret or the breeder of a ferret's sire or dam is grounds for the individual responsible for the offense to be banned. Please do not post here. Please send all comments to afaevents @ earthlink.net (no spaces). All comments will remain confidential. Anonymous comments will not be accepted. Vickie McKimmey Just a Business of Ferrets www.jbferret.com American Ferret Association Director of Shows and Special Events www.ferret.org Author of Ferrets: An Animal Planet Pet Care Library Series Book [Posted in FML 6836]