WE NEED YOU!!!

Yes, we do. We need you. We need your help.

We need volunteers, to help clean, clip nails, clean ears, organize, plan fund raisers, to beat the bushes for donations, you name it.

When people drop off a ferret, I hear, "Oh you do such wonderful work, this shelter is such a God send, thank you, I will be sending a donation", well that rarely happens. I remember one, the ferret is older, male, full blown adrenal, skinny the dad brings him in, "I'd make a donation but we just got back from vacation, I'll send one." BTW we go the adrenal surgery done, and he had a lump in his stomach that turned out to be a hair ball that took up HALF of his stomach.

I am tired of the excuses, I am tired of the "I'd help but.....". The few people that keep this thing going can't keep it up forever. Burn out happens, this is the most emotionally exhausting thing you can do.

Lots of people want the shelter to continue, and to grow. They want it here when they need help. They want it here when they need a ferret sitter. They want it here when they have to give up their ferret. Yep, everyone wants it here when THEY need it. People want lots of things, go here and do education, do school programs, do this, oh this event would do a lot for ferret education, go to Petco, go to Petsmart, but when there is ONE or TWO people going here and there, and everywhere, it just can't happen. Those education days are more than just a time investment. Brochures, information to hand out. I have done ferret ed days from one side of Ohio to the other, Youngstown one Saturday, Toledo the next, and places in between.

Lots of people want to see a Championship Ferret Show here in Northern Ohio. Me included. But it takes manpower, volunteers, people to make a commitment and to follow through with the commitment to make it happen.

I would LOVE to see a show here. Do you know what a great platform for ferret education that would be? Do you know how much that would happen to dispel myths about ferrets? Do you know it could even generate funds for luxury items for the shelter? IE better caging, that is easier for gimp me to clean, and the other volunteers. Maybe a new computer that won't crash once a month. A new used shelter van?? (Thanks to C. Kamm we have done some serious repairs to our current van, but with 250,000 miles, who knows how long it will last)

IF YOU WANT TO SEE THINGS HAPPEN AND CHANGE, GET INVOLVED. FIND THE TIME. DO SOMETHING. ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THINGS CHANGE WHETHER IT IS HERE OR IN YOUR LIFE YOU AND ONLY YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE CHANGES, TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. YOU CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE IN A FERRET, DOG, CAT, A HUMAN'S LIFE.

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT IS ANIMAL RELATED OR HUMAN, GET INVOLVED AND HELP, HERE OR SOMEWHERE ELSE JUST DO SOMETHING RATHER THAN THINK THINGS SHOULD CHANGE.

This is the list of volunteers that come in: Jane, Diane, Char, Elizabeth. Two days a week. So we spend that time cleaning. We could use a major litterbox day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that would leave Tuesday and Thursday for touch up and ears, nails, and such. And don't forget our wonderful Julie, who takes care of the website when we can get access to it.

We have another Diane who stops and picks up a load or two of ferret laundry once a week also, which is a great help, BTW.

Don't want to do boxes, don't want to show up, then bring some paper towels (we use those like crazy), material (fleece, denim) for bedding. Gift certificates that can be used for fund raising. Got a heavy duty sewing machine that works and you don't need it or want it anymore??? You can always donate it!!

Don't want to do that, then I will be up front, send money. Supplies, vets, utilities, it all eats it up. Don't want to send it directly to us? Then send it to one of our vets with a note and the shelter's name.

Avon Lake Animal Hospital, 124 Miller Road, Avon Lake, Ohio 44012, 440/933-5297. Dr. Frank Krupka, great exotics vet. Knows tons about ferrets and skunks. Fantastic staff.

or

Parma Animal Hospital, 5522 Pearl Rd., Parma, Ohio 44129 440/885-1818. Dr. "T". Wonderful vet, and the staff is awesome.

Jean