The Building, questions answered and an update

First, thank you to those who have filled out the survey, there have been a couple of concerns raised, so I think I will address them first.

What about the ill ferrets? Will they be left alone over night?

No. It would be no different than when I worked 65 hours outside of the home. The ill ferrets went to work with me and home. The kids who had surgery went to work with me and home. They actually will receive *MORE* hands on attention.

A shelter is a shelter whether it is in a home or in a building. What is the difference?

A public building would allow for standard operating hours. A shelter in a home is strictly by appointment, at least here it is.

A public building would allow for privacy for the shelter operator/s. A spot of sanity.

You need really deep pockets and a dedicated hard core volunteer staff to make it work.

You need deep pockets, or must be willing to give up everything that you possibly can to make a shelter work in a home. You have to make every penny you get stretch till it is so thin you can see through it.

You need a hard core volunteer staff whether it is in the home or a public building. Volunteers can make or break any shelter. Many people do not volunteer at home based shelters for two major reasons, the first and foremost, they do no feel comfortable going into a home shelter, they feel they are invading.

The second most popular reason is the hours.

There are several opportunities for a free standing shelter to get volunteers, private schools require (or some do) volunteer time, there are programs for seniors, there are second chance programs.

Why do you want to shake the world up and change the way things are?

Things need to change. Ferret shelters have long been, pardon the expression, "the red headed step child". What I mean by that, people do not think that they are necessary, ferrets? In shelters? There aren't that many ferrets out there.

For some communities a home based shelter works, and they get the local support. For some larger areas, like here. A home based shelter doesn't work.

This place has grown far larger than I ever had imagined it would. A four bedroom colonial, with ONE bathroom. Two bedrooms are shelter rooms, one is storage, the fourth is the humans and surgery recoveries.

One small bathroom for you to wash and scrub litter boxes, water bottles and bowls. The dining room is now a quarantine area, and the "sitting" room is the "office/work area". Fecals are done in the kitchen, and the area is bleached after each one.

Animal control officers that bring ferrets here are amazed that the shelter is run out of a home and doing what we are doing.

Grant writing foundations who come out for visits are amazed, but we are told "You need to be in a building, not a private home, the potential for what you can do is amazing, ."

I don't think it is feasible for upkeep or any of that and there is staffing issues.

Every volunteer organization has staffing issues, whether in a home or public building. Upkeep in a building or a home is all the same. It breaks you fix it. Period.

utilities in a newly built building would be much more economical than in a 102 year old house. All of the items in the building will be the newer more efficient (heater/ac unit etc.), sprinkler systems in case of fire (remember if a fire happens here and no one is around....) if a fire happens at the shelter and no one is around, the sprinkler system goes off, the alarm calls the fire department and the shelter operator. The sprinkler system gives them a better chance at survival.

Lighting is an issue I have thought about a lot. With lots of glass block and plexi glass windows looking into the room from others and hallways, it allows for a more natural light source and schedule. Healthier for them, use less electricity for lighting.

This building will allow for a boarders area, and a retail gift shop. Not just ferret items either. Since you need support from more than just ferret people, you offer items to more than just ferret people.

I already know four artists that would love to have an are exhibit in a shelter. How is that for getting new people through the door? Art openings bring in people and money.

This really isn't a question, but a statement, and this person has good points.

I'm not sure if a "free-standing" shelter is workable or even a good idea. I have no issue with your trying to make one work and would PROBABLY volunteer and donate to support one if it were in my area. My issue is that I have to support myself and the ferrets I take in. I have issues with those who are professional "do-gooders" constantly begging for financial support from those of us who work at real jobs in order to support our families (human as well as furfaced) and arrogantly assuming that they know better than we how to care for animals as well as who is "qualified" to adopt ferrets. A "free-standing" shelter would almost have to be a "full-time" job requiring a "professional" caretaker/operator leading to the above mentioned situation - at least the financial begging part. I love ferrets and take unwanted/unadoptable ones into my home because I have been blessed with the resources and choose to do so out of love for the animals. I find homes for adoptable ones without charge and resent those who look down on me because I'm not a "real" shelter. I do it because it's the right thing to do for the animals

First, shame on anyone who would look down on your for helping. I applaud your willingness to do this, a rescue or a shelter isn't a rescue or shelter because of numbers, adoption fees, or any of that. A shelter is a shelter or a rescue because of the love of the animal, you are a shelter in my eyes. One worthy of respect and gratitude. And you have both from me.

A home based shelter when it grows becomes a full time job, whether you want it to or not. The begging for donations is the same whether it is in a home base or public building.

Part of what is needed is a good base of donors, to that you supplement with grants, sales, fundraiser.

Without donations no shelter would survive normally. But I don't think people need to get bombed with begging requests. I hope that makes sense.

There have been a couple asking why we don't just sell our house and buy a bigger house allotting a certain are for the shelter, and for the humans.

First, this is a century home, it isn't in bad shape, but in order to sell it, there are several things that would have to be done just to get enough money to pay off the mortgage. The basement floods when it rains, the roof will need replaced in the next three years or so. There are a few places in the ceiling that need fixed due to shelter Mom bleach litter boxes and the tub over flowing. The world's ugliest bathroom would need redone, the kitchen would need cabinets and the floor replaced, the rest of the house would either need carpeted or the hardwood floors refinished.

Even if we could find a way to get all that done, where would all the ferrets go while the house was on the market? Currently there are 105 here, that in itself is a rather large road block.

We got this house because of the shelter thinking that it would be possible to designate shelter area and human, private and public. It isn't, at least not in a one family home.

Most people are assuming that the shelter would be miles and miles away, the maximum distance we have looked for property is 3 miles away.

Every one keeps worrying about what happens if there is a fire? I have a better one for you, if the shelter stays as it is, what happens if I drop dead?

All I keep hearing is that I am on borrowed time. Fine, if the cancer comes back it comes back, but that is something I have been thinking about.

If this shelter is up and operating in a building on its own, and we get grants coming in on a regular basis, there is a better chance that a shelter continues if I die. This area needs a shelter, the ferrets need a place to go for help, or to wait for a forever home.

It doesn't need to go on for any other reason than the fact it is needed. I am thinking LONG term for the ferrets here today, and hopefully years to come.

NO this isn't a vain attempt at immortality. When I go, there will be no mention of me anywhere in the shelter. The baton would pass from one operator to another, and the board members. Dead is dead and done is done, when I am dead I will be done and my name will be gone period.

I don't mean this to sound cruel or mean or anything like that. I do worry that it seems no one wants to shelter in the area, and when shelters do open, so many of them give up from the stress of it in the home. If this building works, then there can be a shelter, and people can get involved and not burn out in a couple of months or years.

Facts are someday I will die, maybe 10 years down the road, but it will happen. When ever that happens, I don't want to abandon the ferrets in the shelter and burden other shelters. If this place closes, what happens to the ferrets in the area that need shelter?

One last thing in this post, some one mentioned fosters. With fosters you run into the same problem in the hours of operations that you run into with home based shelters. We do utilize fosters with some of our older kids.

Hope this made sense, and if I offended anyone, that was not the intent.