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Save the Date!
Saturday October 11th
3rd Annual Legalize Ferrets Revival
King's Inn - San Diego
Get ready for "Serious Fun & Serious Business" as we get underway with an environmental response to the ferret ban.
More details will be available next week. (I know, I said that last week)
Member Photos
 
Letters
On a recent trip to California, we had fun on the beach, and immortalized our message in the sand. We noticed that others before us had etched their names in the sand cliffs behind us, so we decided to carve our message. Finding a niche was easy, but climbing up proved to be a challenge. It was worth it. We make our annual trip to California so that my son, now 8 years old, can enjoy Legoland, and we make our traditional "message in the sand" which we carve the words "Legalize Ferrets California" in the sand and let the ocean waves take it out to sea. This time we were able to etch a more permanent message on the beach in Carlsbad. This photo is of my son proudly standing next to our message.
We hope everyone who visits the beach gets our message! Feel free to share this photo with anyone you like.
Enjoy
Donna L. Carlsen
Angel Ferret Shelter Services
Henderson, NV
Now that the money is available for the EIR, if it does pass what are you trying to go for in the bill? By that I mean are you trying to completely legalize them so they will be sold in pet stores here, etc. or just make them legal for the owners who already have them. I don't know if you have already thought about this but if they are made fully legal and available a lot of people will rush out to get them without realizing what all it takes to care for them, the dedication you have to have for them and ultimately there will be a lot of them ending up in shelters. I am all for legalization, but I think there should still be regulations to owning them so we don't end up with a large population being abandoned and euthanized. Look at the shelters and rescues in other states because in my opinion people giving them up would be on a larger scale then that.
I am going to try to come out to the San Diego meeting in October and I'm sure all will be explained then but I was just curious.
Liz H
My Reply (Pat) We hear your concerns mentioned frequently. Our original goal was to have the ferret classified as domestic. We don't want to deal with all the other issues at the same time. Once declared domestic and thus legal, the state will have to come up with restrictions, most likely mandatory spay/neuter and rabies vaccinations.
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Summer Doldrums Here At LegalizeFerrets.org
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Pets have such personalities and add so much to our lives. My dog Shorty and my ferret Fausto pretend they never get fed and negotiate over an empty food bowl. |
We are in a holding pattern until October when we decide what path to take regarding the environmental studies to pursue ferret legalization. There is the matter of the upcoming elections; more on that later. But in the meantime, I'd like to ask you - Are you ready for the Pet of the 90's?
I'm asking that because it is time for a trip down memory lane. Some of you must remember ferrets in the 1990's. Remember the 1990's National Enquirer article The Jet Set Pet that Eats Kids? The press wasn't always kind to ferrets but I did find this article from the Boston Globe.
THE PET OF THE '90S
Author(s): Diane White, Globe Staff Date: July 13, 1988 Page: 59 Section: LIVING
Welcome to the wonderful world of ferrets. Yes, ferrets. Welcome, in fact, to Ferret World, the mail-order house ready to supply your ferret with everything today's demanding ferret lifestyle requires.
Ferret Shampoo, ("gentle, nondrying, hypoallergenic, pH balanced with coat conditioners and coconut pina-colada fragrance.") Ferret Cream Rinse, ("for easy comb-outs and a fragrant, soft, healthy coat.") Ferret Fresh, a deodorant formulated for the special needs of the busy ferret. And Cologne Of The Wild!, for those occasions when your ferret wants to smell its best: "As rare as frankincense and myrrh, this new exotic cologne will give your ferret the ultimate sensual experience." These products, and a range of other ferret paraphernalia, may be ordered from Ferret World in Assonet. With some 5 million pet ferrets nationwide, Bruce White, president of Ferret World, felt it was time somebody started a company catering exclusively to ferret needs. Ferret World sent out its first mailing earlier this year.
If prizes were awarded for sheer cuteness, the Ferret World catalog, a dozen pages of adorable ferret photos, would win a blue ribbon. The catalog was designed and produced by the Boston advertising firm MediaConcepts, of which White is treasurer.
White's introduction to the world of ferrets came several years ago when he was co-host, with a poodle, of a Providence television show, "Fun Time with Uncle Bruce and Co-Co." The show featured a regular animal segment to introduce its young viewers to various species. One day the guests were a pair of ferrets. White was captivated.
Looking through the Ferret World catalog, it's easy to understand why he was so taken with those ferrets. What's difficult to comprehend is why the term "ferret-faced" has a negative connotation.
Ferret fanciers are perplexed by the fact that keeping ferrets is banned in six states: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, California, Hawaii and Georgia. In Massachusetts, White said, a license is required to keep ferrets, and licenses are usually granted only to zoos, educational institutions and animal health professionals. The ferret models adorning the pages of the Ferret World catalog are owned by a veterinarian, David M. Jonas, medical adviser to Ferret World.
The anti-ferret lobby maintain that ferrets are unpredictable and destructive, that they attack people and carry rabies. Ferret fanciers naturally think the animals are victims of bad publicity. "They're gentle and very easy to train," White said. "They love to interact with human beings. There are 5 million pet ferrets in this country. If they were attacking people, I think we'd hear about it."
Ferrets, relatives of polecats, have been domesticated for at least 3000 years. In Europe, they're often trained to kill rats and hunt rabbits. Their wild American cousins, the black-footed ferret, are an endangered species. White is honorary national fund-raising chairman of the Black-Footed Ferret Fund, a group trying to prevent their extinction.
In the states where keeping pet ferrets is allowed, the animals' popularity is, you might say, multiplying like ferrets. There are ferret clubs and ferret shows. There's a national ferret organization that puts out a quarterly publication full of news, advice and ferret-interest stories such as the one about the Maryland hero ferret that saved its owners' lives by waking them when their house caught fire.
Ferrets, their fans believe, are on their way to becoming The Pet of the '90s. Thanks to Ferret World, they'll face the future with all the appropriate accessories.
...It is now 18 years later and somehow California is still not quite ready for the 90's...
- and to think people believe that California leads the nation in forward-thinking!
The New Ferrets Anonymous California State Website is LIVE!
After working nonstop for the past few months on the new Ferrets Anonymous newsletter that had to be completely revamped, Lance M. and his team has been working to develop and launch an all-new website for Ferrets Anonymous that addresses the needs of California's ferret clubs and the members of Ferrets Anonymous throughout the state. The site was launched on July 30, 2008 - and more content is in the works for the new website. If you would like to see the new website where you will have access to past and present issues of the Paw Print newsletter, sign up to become a member of Ferrets Anonymous, learn about ferret care, as well as find your local contacts for ferret education and advocacy, just visit: http://www.FerretsAnonymous.org
Looking For A Legislative Sponsor for 2009
80 state assembly seats and 20 state senate seats are up for election this November and now is the time to get to know candidates. I would like to ask for help in putting together a questionnaire for the candidates. Is there someone out there who would like to gather the names and addresses of candidates for state assembly and state senate? The California Secretary of State's office might be able to provide a spreadsheet.
We will then send every candidate a letter asking if they would consider sponsoring a bill next year to remove ferrets off the prohibited species list.
We did invite all San Diego area candidates to the Legalize Ferrets Revival Oct 11th. Only one so far has responded. Ralph Denney a candidate for the 76th Assembly graciously accepted our invitation (www.VoteRalph.org) and is the only confirmed candidate of the 19 invited.
California, like national politics is a cesspool. Our districts are created to give one party an overwhelming majority so the general election is not competitive. But still it is highly worthwhile to try to get know people who have an interest in serving in government. It is just a shame that most of them have so little interest in knowing us.
Gidget, the Rosarito Beach Ferret Wants to be a Double Illegal Alien
One of our members in Rosarito Beach has a one year old female ferret that is not getting along with the other ferrets in the household. They would like to place her in the US, saying that people in the border region don't know how to take care of dogs, much less ferrets. (though we have met a few capable ferret owners in Tijuana). You could legally drive Gidget from Tijuana to Arizona and then more easily sneak her in through Arizona, but that is quite an effort. If you are interested please let me know.
In Conclusion...
Thanks everyone. We got this newsletter done extra early only to have EmailBrain out of service most of the day. So a little bit late, but still on time!
Pat Wright
Editor of CLIFFNotes
Lance M
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