Is this not an icredibly wonderful, thoughtful gift?

A little background, the paw print you see belonged to Samson. Samson was a 12 week old mink, that was around 3 pound of pure muscle, who happened to be born here.

No, I don't breed mink. His mom escaped a fur farm shortly after being bred, and April 27, she said "surprise!". (We do mink rehab, and release for the wild - we release on private property) and give sanctuary for ranch escapees, even find them homes, but those are few and far between.

Sampson died, and I personally was crushed. So were the vet techs, and the volunteers here. He had been had raised, bottle fed, and they all had a hand in it.

This was done by Alexander Draven, and he does beautiful silver work, and makes awesome jewelry. He can be reached at: dravensinferno@hotmail.com or 330/618-7857.

He does custom jewelry pieces, and his work is incredible. Perfect man to go to for the hard to please person you need a birthday, anniversary, Valentine's Day gift or something special for you!!

What are you doing Christmas Day?

I hope that you will be spending time with family and friends. I also hope that every one of you finds a way to squeeze just the smallest of thoughts, prayer or even small donation to a shelter, human, animal, it really does not matter. A small donation to show that in this time of family, friends and counting our blessings, there are those less fortunate than ourselves, or our beloved pet.

What am I doing this Christmas; my day will start at 7AM. I will spend the next 12 hours cleaning litter boxes, clipping nails, passing out treats, giving cuddles, giving meds and hand feeding our 7 sickies, and playing with the 100 plus ferrets here in the shelter, hoping that they all realize that they are loved, and we will find them a home.

I give the older ones extra time and attention, it is sad to think that this Christmas may be the last one they have, and they are spending it here in the shelter rather than a home.

The only thing I ask for Christmas, is please, do not give someone a pet for Christmas. A pet is responsiblity, that person may have said once or twice they wanted a puppy, a kitten, a bird or a ferret, but that is additional responsibility for that person.

If you insist on a pet, give them a gift certificate you make, giving them a book on the particular pet they want, and write on the flap that you will bring them to get their pet, but you want them to learn first so they know what they are getting into.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza to all pets out their and their families.

Custom Bracelet just for you!!

Available now, through Ferrets Unlimited, is this one-of-a-kind bracelet bearing the name of a favorite ferret on it or any other beloved pet.

These handcrafted bracelets made from semi-precious stones or freshwater pearls, sterling letter beads, clasp, and ferret, heart, or other animal charm.

The cost of this handcrafted bracelet, including shipping is $45; $10 of each sale will be donated to Ferrets Unlimited Shelter.

Depending on the availability of stones, most orders can be made within 7-10 days and can be shipped from Cleveland, where the artist lives.

Contact Linda Morgan at rebel@pngusa.net to place your order today.

Contest - Name our Car Cruise and Bike Run

Yep, you read that right, a car cruise and a Bike Run, two separate events.

I have tried just about everything on earth i can think of to raise money and get attention for the shelter short of running down the street naked, and no one wants to see that.

So, why not try something that I DO know, and I LOVE? Cars and Motorcycles!!!

So I need a name for a car cruise, and one for a bike run.
Let's make this a contest, we'll put all of the names up on the web site, and set up a some type of poll.

Send your ideas to ferrets_unlimited@sbcglobal.net with car cruise name in the subject line.
Winner will get a $25 gift card to Red Lobster or The Ferret Store, your choice.

You have until December 31 to get your ideas in, the first week of January will be for voting.

Then I can design a letterhead around the name of the cruises and start begging and looking for a location.

This is another one of those contests folks that is free, so enter often. Oh, please feel free to cross post your little hearts out!! Thanks much!!

A nice surprise

After the bowling bomb I have been rather down, then on the morning news on 8, they are trying to get stuff for the kids in the foster network of Cleveland.

So I start thinking, hm mm, we have 25 bath baskets, so why not bring them? They are looking for personal stuff. Then I started thinking, well that is just for girls, I'll go to the store and see what I can come up with for boys.

Well, I find a ton of toys, I am standing in line and this gentleman looks and says, "Wow! You must have allot of kids!" I laugh and say no, these are all going to be given away, the ferret shelter I run is donating them.

He hands me $20 to put toward the toys. Didn't want a receipt or anything. Wow. It made me hopeful. So off to the dollar store and look for stuff for boys. Found some shampoo for men, with matching shave gel and after shave gel (all the same scent), got a bunch of toothbrushes with toothpaste, and some kids hand sanitizer. Figuring I would be spending around $75, the manager, stops and asks if I have lots of kids, boys in particular. I tell him no and explain.

He replies "That's wonderful!! Hey aren't you the ferret lady, the one that always donates $20 in toys to the Toys for Tots campaign when we first start it?" Yep. That would be me. Well, I got 20% off.

So tomorrow morning Sarah and I will be showing up at Fox 8 about 6 AM and deliver a bunch of stuff for the kids.

I know that the shelter needs money, lots of it for the building, and the stuff I bought, I could have put on the vet bill, but that wouldn't have made much of a dent. But maybe, just maybe, being a small non profit on a shoestring showing that we care will set an example for others. Maybe others will become involved.

Maybe a couple of the kids will have a good Holiday Season because of us. Maybe we can make some of the kids smile.

Eventually, the good returns ten fold. I have seen it happen.

Merry Christmas to our Christian friends, Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends, and Happy Kwanzaa to our African friends.

May your season be filled with laughter, hope, good health, happiness and prosperity, and may all of it be with you throughout your life.

Are you rich? Believe it or not a question FREQUENTLY asked

I got an email today from one of the many folks who have been part of my life, even if for a short time like volunteering for a day. Some people are a part of my life just simply by virtue of reading the Director's Corner, or one of the boards I belong to.

The email was really very nice, they said that they heard about something the shelter did for someone last year who's ferret would have died, and helped another person that needed a temporary home for their ferrets, and a bunch of other things, it ended with, "Are you rich?"

I had to laugh at that, because that is a question that can be answered Yes, and No.

Am I rich? Yes, I have friends that care, human kids who love me for the nutty mom I am, a roof over my head (even though the basement floods LOL!), and food to put on the table. And yes, I will share anything that is mine with someone who asks (well, there is one or two exceptions to that ;-p).

Monetarily, no. Most of the money that I personally get goes into the shelter, and I take it from hubby for the shelter too. The animals here come first. That is just the way it is.

Does it bother me? Another question that can be answered yes and no. No in the fact this is something I picked to do, and the feeling of seeing an abused ferret war dance for the first time, or a biter that had been horribly abused give it's first kiss, and play, well there is no price on that.

Yes, in the fact I would like to do more for the shelter. Be able to provide more for the local ferret community. Help more people.

So when you stop and think about it, yes, I am rich. I am rich. The love and satisfaction that I have in what I do (now I do get frustrated and tend to whine and complain when I do, but I am human), the love I have from family and friends, makes me a very rich woman.

The Bowling Benefit

Well it is the day after, and it was lots of fun. Mary Meszar, owner of the lanes is an awesome lady, sweet and kind.

The employees are great, Patty the bar person is wonderful too. The whole group of people at Meszar's are friendly, and people oriented. If you are looking for some fun check out their lanes, a small bowling alley but fun, and cozy. You can't beat the atmosphere.

OK, now here is the down and dirty on how the benefit turned out.


Total taken in: $1077
Cost of the lanes: $467
Leaves $610 to be split between the two shelters, or $305 each.

Now don't go and get all happy yet. These are the expenses for the added items, just from Ferrets Unlimited

Postage to mail out the post cards $112 (Ran short of help, so got them out late)
Raffle items and baskets $175

• Although I get things as cheap as possible, getting donations for raffles are a near impossibility, one thing I have learned from attending and helping with fund raisers, this is a necessary expense. People like to win stuff. That means they buy raffle tickets!

Additional food items $150

• This included the 12 slabs of ribs, coleslaw, potato salad, deviled eggs. Not every one likes pizza, so to appeal to more we added ribs (buy one slab get two free) to the menu, and other types of salads so those who do not eat meat would have something to eat.

Goodie bags for kids $ 70

• I can hear you know, why spend money on THAT? It is a family event, and you need to have something for the kids. Even though the goodie bags had little trinket, and a craft in them, it makes the kids feel like they belong too.

OK here is the nitty gritty:

112
175
150
70
507 Total expenses

305 Take in
-202 Kind of backwards for a fund raiser don't ya think?

We started letting people know about this at the end of September, and kept it up through October and November. Every time I posted, I asked for help and donations for door prizes.

We sent press releases to all of the TV Stations monthly about this event. I begged and pleaded to have Public Service Announcements done.

I can hear it now, but I don't like to bowl. What ever happened to the Medieval Murder Mystery, or the Vegas Night? I'd do that?

I totally understand the I don't like to bowl, or I cannot bowl. Physically, I cannot bowl. As far as the Murder Mystery, or the Vegas Night, you can't put on a fund raiser like that without help, and without donations. Not to mention the fact you need people to show up.

The Murder Mystery would involve hall rental, food, organizing a "script". The food involves getting donations of it, or cash and cooking it, not to mention serving. Oh yeah, and PEOPLE TO SHOW UP.

The Vegas Night involves finding a place we can legally hold it, and a minimum expense of $3500 to rent the equipment. Not to mention the food, and all of the other things that go with making it a fun success. Oh yeah, and PEOPLE TO SHOW UP.

So where am I going with all of this, well, it is simple. There were 15 ferret people at the event. I sent out 487 post cards (Ohio only, 456 Northern Ohio), posted to the shelter's my space, the web page, the FML, and several other boards.

The total that showed 43, the rest of them were the family and friend of the ladies who run Helping Hands. Which just tells me that maybe it just isn't me.

487 post cards, 7 were returned non deliverable. 480, out of 480 6 show up, one brought some friends to make the ferret people count 15.

They got mailed out a week later than I wanted, they got mailed Monday the 4th, and started arriving in mail boxes on the 5th (people who showed up told me)

You did it on a Sunday night. Yeah, that was the date that was open, we did it so that people could do their Christmas shopping, and not have to cook, just come kick back, socialize, bowl, eat, and enjoy themselves, bring the kids and let them tire themselves out.

You need to do an open house. No, there is no room. There is no room for people to stand and chit chat, there is no room to walk, there is no room to cook, there is no room for more cages. There is no dining room, only cages.

I'm sorry, I really don't like the way this is turning out. I just want you to understand the stress, the frustration, the total feeling of desperation, of feeling like that no matter what is done, the animals in the shelter don't matter. I need you to understand how frustrating it is when people react, "Oh ferrets, why save them?".

I want to have Christmas. I want to decorate, I want to bake and do all those things I love to do, but I can't. The shelter is EVERYWHERE here.

People were oh great you are getting a building, and what little help there was disappeared. That is a post in the archives of the Director's Corner. If things went as they were hoped, the shelter would have been in it's building, and all of the shelter stuff would be there, not in my living room, kitchen, attic, basement (which floods) storage locker.

I'm sorry, I am really frustrated. I am out of ideas, and I need new ones, ones that I can do with no help or very little help. EBay isn't the answer either. I have done that several times. I start the bids to cover the cost of the items, which I am perfectly happy with but it isn't cheap enough.

I really feel like crap today, head ache, sinuses blocked, stomach upset, tired. But I have to clean a room of cages, so I can't be sick, I can't be tired, I can't be frustrated. Shelter operators can all attest to the fact that we are not allowed, because of the animals. And that isn't just here, that is in shelters across the states.

If this offends you, again I apologize, but I need to vent somewhere.

You think you are having a bad day? This is the BASEMENT!

Not a waterfall. And to fix it only $26,000.00. The entire foundation needs dug up, all of the blocks on the bottom four rows need replaced. To do that it means, dig up the drive and replace the drive, take down part of the front porch, replace it, take down the back "deck" then replace it. sigh.

It happens everytime it rains, I am grateful it is rain water.

Now does it make more sense that the shelter and the ferrets be in their own building? When the floor finally drains, I go down with my bleach to kill mold, but no matter how much I bleach there is mold. Some of it black mold, yeah I know not good, and if it isn't good for the humans, you know it isn't good for the ferrets.

So, if you have been having a bad day, hopefully you can look at these and feel just a little bit better.

Back to the waterworks!! LOL!!!