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Readers' Column
I was just in Pet Supermarket in Reno, NV on the 25th of May. I would not recommend anyone buying a ferret there. The price was good at only $99.99 BUT and this is a big BUT - - the store absolutely STANK of feces and urine. The cages appeared to have not been cleaned and litter changed in quite some time. I went across the street to PetCo and purchased my new baby fuzzy - Cissy - and they matched the price of $99.99 and I got an animal that was younger, more active and alert than any of the ones at Pet Supermarket. They held her in a backroom for me until later that day, as I was unable to take her to the bowling center with me, and the clerks and manager we all just wonderful.
I also picked up a bit of info about bringing ferrets back into CA. Due to road conditions on the I80 (construction had it down to one lane in each direction for quite a good distance and we heard of a tanker turned over at the end of this one lane stretch) we decided to go back to Sacramento area via Hwy. 50. At the border crossing there - they have a separate lane for "returnees from Tahoe". We had CA plates so we just used that lane. No one there - we didn't even have to stop and were obviously not asked any questions nor subject to any search. Will use this as my return from now on. Please pass this info along.
LL
Chuff-Chuff a 4 year old ferret in Redlands needs a new home. Please email rdennis82@roadrunner.com and send a letter saying what a great home you can provide.
Falcor (below)
I have ferret who is just about four years old, and unfortunately, I need to get him to a new family. I was wondering if you are taking in ferrets or if you might have any suggestions of other organizations I could contact.
I recently gave birth to my first baby, and my husband and I don't feel quite comfortable with letting our ferret, Falcor (the luck dragon from *The Never Ending Story*), out of his cage while the baby is home. Because of this worry, it means Falcor has been cooped up in his cage WAY too long. He needs to be able to get out and play more often, but unfortunately, we can't offer that right now.
Faclor is currently in Temecula. If you would like to adopt him please send an email to jatata1@hotmail.com and explain what a terrific home you would be.
Ferret or Weasel?
I was told by OC Animal Control in the City of Orange California that this critter is a weasel. I was then told to return it to the wild in San Juan Capistrano California.
Is this a weasel and did I do the right thing?
See attached photograph.
Thanks,
DB
DB,
Thanks for your email. What you have is a long-tailed weasel, a wild animal that is native. You should return him to the area he came from. Cute as he is, he doesn't have the temperament of a domestic pet. Lance M.
Yes, it was returned to the wild that night. I never had any interest in keeping it as a pet. I just wanted to be sure it was a native animal and would not do harm to the environment.
Regards,
DB
DB,
Harm the environment? Surely you don't think that a domestic ferret could harm the environment, do you? Sadly a domestic ferret would die within a few days of being in the wild alone. Ferrets imprint on food typically kibble. They have no hunting instincts from being domesticated for many hundreds of years. There are those who believe ferrets were domesticated in antiquity. Because they do not know how to hunt, they cannot fend for themselves and usually become prey themselves. In temperatures over 85 degrees ferrets tend to suffer heatstroke. For being rambunctious, they are delicate critters. It's truly sad that in California, a state of such forward thinking that an animal that is kept as a housepet over the world, is outlawed. It also sad that California's propaganda machine keeps people in the dark about these wonderful pets. Nowhere else in the United States have domestic ferrets ever caused any sort of environmental issues. Not a single case has ever been reported. Thank you for doing the right thing though, returning the long-tailed weasel to the wild where he belongs.
Lance M.
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A Few Ferrets Short For A Good Photo Shoot
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| Jamie carefully sets up a scene |
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| This ferret actually stood still - and yet I still managed to get a blurry photo. |
Saturday, June 19th in the San Diego is our photo shoot for the 2011 LegalizeFerrets.org calendar. We have hired photographer Jared Schoenemann to take the photos.
From 3pm to 5pm we'll be taking pictures of ferrets being ferrets. There isn't a theme other than that. The goal is to capture ferrets in their native environments - inside the home with their people. Expect chaos, confusion and fun.
Just like last year - we aren't getting a lot of people willing to step forward. Which is a shame because the ferrets put on quite a show and it was a lot of fun.
So if you are in the San Diego area and would like to participate please call me for the ultra-secret location and you could have a whole month to hang your ferret's photo on the wall.
From 5 pm to 7 pm it is a taco and margarita party. Actually I lost my margarita-maker so unless someones knows how to make a margarita, you'll have to settle for Coronas. Of course we'll have water and sodas. If you prefer soda or something else please bring it.
To get your place at the photo shoot please email CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org or call 619-757-7426.
And the rest of the calendar...
 Two good recommendations came in about celebrities owning ferrets.
When Minnesota Viking Visanthe Shiancoe is home, away from the rough and tumble of the football field, he's cleaning up after his rough and tumble ferrets. The tight end's two pets, Smoke and Gee, are usually out of their three-story cages and knocking over trash cans or throwing around dirt from potted plants.
Full article here
The other recommendation was from one of our members who knows a female celebrity - she had a glamorous website, but I can't find the info anywhere - so please, email back!
I have received suggestions about contacting Paris Hilton, puleeze! She is not the proper role model for us. A few other suggestions, but so far I haven't heard back from anyone. So my guess - we'll probably won't have a celebrity endorser. If someone wants to contact anyone on my list, please do so. The entire list was in last week's issue.
Also, Terri M. suggested:
Don't ALL celebs read "Variety" magazine? (Or is it another one, not sure.) Anyway, maybe a small ad in one of the industry magazines might get some of THEM to call YOU. They are so unreachable, I can't imagine anyone being able to actually get through to any of them. Ugh, I hate the whole "celebrity" thing, but if it helps with legalization, hope you can get some of them on board!
We'll give it a try
Time to Get Into High Gear Looking for a Legislator
The primary election is over. It is official. We'll have to deal with either Jerry Brown or Meg
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We will be putting together a professional media kit on the ferret issue for all candidates. We can include information from the upcoming Environmental Impact Report. Thankfully, this year we've gathered some ammo to support our cause. |
Whitman. We will also have to deal with 80 members of the state assembly (all are up for election in November) and 40 state senators (20 are up for election).
Our goal - makes ourselves and our issue known to them now, while we have their ear.
And to that regard, this advice came in solicited from one of our politically-connected members:
As to reaching out to politicians, not very hard at all.
1. Get involved with their campaigns – they will do anything for supporters or volunteers, really. The absolute quickest way to get their help
2. Go to events, rallies, chamber of commerce, ribbon cuttings, conferences, etc.., where they will be present.
3. Talk with their aides, each will have two to three aids or in district people.
4. Call their offices and request a meeting. They normally are quite open to meeting with any voter, but be aware of their schedule.
5. Vote, vote, vote – tell them you are a voter. Voting is the first step in changing things, If you do not vote they may not take you too seriously, since you are not involved in the process. What is the downside?
6. Letter and email campaigns generally are the hard way to do something, staff reads and logs issue, form letter in response. Unless you have thousands of letters, not that effective. Although a single hand written letter has a lot of pull.
7. Work with local government first. Start with City Councils and Supervisors. Easy to reach. Open to suggestions. They cannot change state law, right now, but they have access to others who can. Also they may be advancing to higher office eventually, Plant seeds
8. Be persistent and be polite – quickest way to get a negative response is to be pushy or too passionate.
9. Do not make them choose – my way or nothing. Ask them to support ferret legalization – do not ask Do you support us? Do not make it easy to say no. Make it easy to say maybe. Remember – you choose, you lose – You can always roll out the “Pledge” later.
10. Let them volunteer to support your cause. Allow them to support you quietly, sometimes the most effective support is below the surface. Ask them for a donation, really
11. Your appeal for support has to appear to have broad base support. Bring in information that supports your points and that the elected can review later.
12. Talk with the sponsors, they will belong to industry groups that have lobbyists. They will be able to open doors for you. In this case, pet food and veterinarians, may belong to industry groups that are very interested in seeing ferrets legalized.
13. Talk with other political groups. Your goals may fit with their goals.
14. Ferrets are green! Yup, it is true. There is a big push in land use planning towards more urban living and less sprawl; dogs often take a lot of resources, land, food, and waste. Shelters are packed with unwanted dogs and cats, it is sad. Ferrets are almost always fixed (spay and neutered) and there is no such thing as a feral ferret. Ferrets are ideal for apartment dwellings even affordable housing, only small needs for space, food, and waste. Ferrets are companion pets and fit the lifestyle of apartment dwellers. I think the idea that “ferrets are green” is something that could really help our cause.
This will be a very important part of our efforts in the months ahead.
And surprisingly to me, if neither Meg Whitman or Jerry Brown will at least consider our issue - we may launch a write in campaign for Joe Ferret for Governor. Our tag line "Do it for the little guy" will certainly be relevant. We'll know by September 25th.
In Conclusion
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| "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Abraham Lincoln. Something they should remember in Sacramento |
I'm really excited about the prospects ahead. Now is our time to make friends in Sacramento. I'll be very interested to get the list of candidates from the Secretary of State. Our political insider says he'll hand deliver our letter to the Meg Whitman campaign (Hint - our "insider" is a Republican who blames the ferret ban on environmental extremists). We will reactivate a website we've used in the past to track responses we get. We are expecting one candidate with a good shot at being elected to address us September 25th in Concord.
I'm also very excited about the September 25th Legalize Ferrets event in the Bay Area. Expect the most exciting ferret event California has ever seen (OK, that's not saying a lot - since we can't have ferrets). But between the Environmental Impact Report pre-study (what we need to do before filing the EIR) things are very exciting. But expect major opposition, between the "environmental extremists" and the Republicans who oppose us from the California Waterfowl Assoc to the California Farm Bureau - we've got our work cut out for us. We've always had an advantage over our opponents in the facts department (facts are stubborn things) now we are catching up with them in terms of organization.
And next Saturday's photo shoot will be great fun and produce a product we will live with for a year. If you're local to the San Diego area, don't miss it!
Plagued By Technical Difficulties -
And I have a degree in computer science. I set up my spam filters in Outlook, and they delivered only spam. No real email has been received this week. And I thought people were ignoring me. Yes - I tried SpamArrest last week, and it really screwed things up. So if you emailed me recently, unless it was about viagra or cialis, I probably didn't get it. Feel free to call me.
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