A list of People's Opinions from the Building Survey

God we have to get the shelter out of your home

A freestanding shelter is a workable idea so long as the distance of travel is not too much on the shelter owner to the point that it wears them out physically and emotionally. I suppose that might go for any shelter in house, behind one's house, or on the far side of town. I know of a freestanding shelter that is behind a home, the owner is working almost alone and cannot take in any more ferrets because few are being adopted. I just worry about you, I guess, and I'd like to see it work and show the world it can work, but just not at the price of your well-being
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Unfortunately there are so many ferret dumpers now, that a ferret shelter is needed every bit as much as a cat and dog one.

I think a freestanding shelter allows more animals to be helped, as they are not limited in a person's home. Also, home based shelters tend to become less business-like, and the directors become overwhelmed because of the integration into their personal space

We are one. :-) It works out just fine. You give up some things, you gain some things.
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I feel that a freestanding shelter would be a wonderful thing to have in any community. It looks more professional than a home based shelter. I believe it would be easier to grants and do fund raising since you have an actual place of business. I've worked with various animal rescues and the ones who have their own building(s) are looked at in a more positive way. They are also the ones who don't seem to have problems getting grants and funding in this area. Good luck with your building Jean, I hope your dream becomes a reality.
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I believe the capabilities are there, just like with dog and cat shelters as long as the shelter is providing round the clock care for sick ferrets I see no problem at all.

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Because I've been personally involved with a freestanding shelter for years (http://www.washingtonferret.org), and it works. There are advantages and disadvantages to every arrangement. I'd be happy to talk about our experiences.Kevin
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1) with reservations...and i am assuming this would go without saying...that any ill ferrets needing care would be taken home to be cared for and not left at the off-site shelter alone
2) IF i were physically able to volunteer...i would...but since i am not...i had to say no...those are the only two qualifications...kat parsons
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Home sheltering, while invaluable and important, still lacks credibility in the larger community. Granted, there are many and more complex issues involved in operating a non-home, dedicated shelter, but this just reinforces (and rightfully so) that the shelter must operate in such a way that it is viewed as a serious, responsible (especially fiscally and hygienically) enterprise. A structure designed specifically for animals can also provide the space, specialized facilities, and equipment that animals require to recuperate and thrive. Houses were not designed for pets! Shelters (like veterinary clinics) are. So long as there are provisions made for urgent care and emergency situations, and assuming that funding to build and continue to operate a freestanding shelter facility is available, caring for rescued animals in a shelter is, in my opinion, preferable to housing them in a residence.

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Ferrets are specialized pets that need specialized care. Our community needs facility, and we also need to support it.

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People may feel more comfortable coming to a free standing shelter than someone's home.More traffic for selling things if you have a storefront.Better for the shelter director to not have everyone tromping through their home.Safer for the shelter director's personal ferrets in case of an infectious disease breaks out in the shelter.
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I think a free standing shelter may make it more accessible to the community at large, may have more visitors donations helpers etc

Many volunteers are uncomfortable going to a shelter in a persons home. It gives the shelter mom and family a place that they can again call their own private space.
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I don't see the difference if a ferret shelter is in someone's home or free standing. Free standing probably better because you can devote the entire building to the use of the ferrets
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I think its workable, but only if ferrets that are extremely ill or weak are kept in foster care or at the director's home. Clearly, some animals require round the clock care and others will be fine alone for the night.

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Because a ferret shelter of any kind is workble with the proper support. Sadly it is always hard to get reliable volunteers and donations are stretched ever thinner by the inreasing number of causes and groups requesting it.
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A free standing shelter would offer just as much love as a home shelter. It may even offer more such as more room, more people to help, more of a chance for people to see the shelter just like they'd see a shopping store. If people see it as it's own entity, they may be more likely to come and help out/adopt,etc.
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When I first discovered the existance of ferret-specific shelters, I assumed they were free-standing just as dog/cat shelters were. I was surprised to learn they were home-based. I had a LOT to learn about how ferret shelters worked. I wanted to volunteer when I thought they were free-standing, and my current involvement/donations have nothing to do with the location of the building. (Or maybe it does, but indirectly.) 'My' shelter is Rocky's (not nearby), which I realize is unique in having a separate building. I went there not knowing what to expect, and I think the separate building made me more comfortable during my initial visits than I would have been had I been entering someone's home. For anyone not already involved with a shelter (general public), I can see that a free-standing shelter might be looked at in a better light. But there will also probably be assumptions on the existance of funding similar to dog/cat shelters which wouldn't be expected in a home-based shelter. (Ok, so I know people already assume you have oodles of funding, but maybe moreso in a free-standing building than now.) Overall, I understand your intentions and I see it as a positive direction. I wish you much luck Jean.Carrie
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I feel that the establishment of a free standing ferret shelter will set a precedent in the way cities, government agencies and people will look at ferrets. Even a person turning in a ferret only sees one shelter, they have no clue how many there are or how badly they all need funds and help.It opens the doors to all kinds of possibilities.beverly jones
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If the funds were there to build it, and the rescue is located inside a home, I believe it would free up space and relieve stress on the family of the rescue operator. It would also provide a separate, safe environment for the ferrets.
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I think a free standing shelter benefits ferrets as much as any in home shelter. As with any shelter they can't run effectively without volunteers. It may actually be safer for the ferrets because the shelter is specifically built/renovated for them.
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A shelter is a shelter--I'd support one either way, in any way I could. If only there were one near me, I'd volunteer. Workable? We'll see. Not for everyone maybe. But it looks like you're going to make it work
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I think the idea overall would be better for the ferrets as well as the ferret tender/shelter owner. I personally wouldn't be able to volunteer at such a place or help with fundraisers because of my disabilities, but I'd certainly be amenable to helping in other ways. When we have a little extra money, I'd also be willing to donate
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I live in a state where it is the only shelter. It's badly needed.

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Whether a shelter is free standing or in a home it is for the ferrets. I think the free standing one will in the long run be better for the ferrets. I believe it will be easier to adopt out to the not so ferret saavy and give them better education when they choose to adopt. They also can come back and volunteer or if necessary bring a ferret back if their life has changes in it.
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Any shelter is better than none at all.Chris Lloyd
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I have reservations because as a hospice, I KNOW some ferrets need round the clock care. It is much easier to go into my ferret room, in my bare feet and nighty, than to get dressed and leave the home for the shelter. If you have to drive, that is worse.
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I see no big difference in the time spent by a shelter owner whether it's an attached or free-standing shelter. Any shelter person I know of is with the ferrets so much it doesn't really matter where they are located.
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I am not a shelter, but have 15 rescued ferrets. I can't imagine having as amny as some shelters have in my home. I know there is some concern about the ferrets that need more attention, but these can always be brought to someones house. A family needs it's own time. The person running the shelter should also have a place to get away.
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A ferret shelter Mom already sacrafices so much of her time, money, efforts. She or he needs a place to just breathe. No shelter mom or dad I know of would or could leave a sick kid in the ferret shelter but would bring them to their house to nurse them. Also, I have known shelters to just plain old run out of room and have so many ferrets that there is no longer any room for living, eating, sleeping etc. This is totaly unfair and not required of any proffessional. It is also unfair on the shelter folks famalies.
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I don't think it provides the best interaction with the ferrets. I feel the same way for any household animal-dog, cat, etc. I would want to spend more time with them if they were in my home close enough to my daily life. I don't know how other people feel. I don't think people would want to just hang out there.. it's more of a job to do and get out. That's not interacting.
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Because I think ferrets need all the help they can get.
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When one must care for a large number of ferrets it is no longer practical to keep them in a private home unless one lives in a mansion. While home care is better because there is someone there to care for a ferret in need there are space limitations in the home. Ideally, a free standing shelter should have at least one staff member on location 24/7 to care for emerging needs. However, more funds would be needed for that. An alternative would be to purchase a small farm with a home and an outbuilding that could be adapted for ferret needs or a new building built. There would always be someone nearby in the house to check on things.
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Families that have Ferret shelters in their homes are really tied to their home 24-7-365. Not much of a chance to go on vacations or other trips. It's difficult to get someone that is experienced enough to take care of the number of sick and surgical residents usually there. Win B. in Michigan
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Overhead would demand too much $$. Volunteering wouldn't have anything to do with the success or failure of a free standing shelter; you volunteer for the ferrets. I would still donate, but not in a greater amount, so ultimately, my donations wouldn't go as far to help the ferrets. Probably wouldn't have time to work fundraisers.
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Any kind of shelter to help the fuzzies is a good idea. A free standing shelter would just be, to me, more work because it would be in a separate building than your house, would need to be very close and have lots of monitors to hear what is going on.
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People need to know the real facts about ferrets. Ferrets are the best little friends anyone can have they are fun to watch, great little kissers, and make your sad days go away in a flash just by watching them play, dook, and laugh.
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I think the facilities would be better than space meant for something else. Quarrentine, play area, hospital space, a reception etc. Plus a specifically designed ferret shelter would be easier to clean and run
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I think it is too difficult to raise enough money to build a free standing building for a shelter. If some kind person had enough money to donate, that would be great, otherwise, it will be very hard to do.
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Safer than having a ferret shelter run out of someone's home.
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humane society is free standing. I would volunteer, but only with respect to fundraising and organizing events, which is what I do with my local shelter. I would donate to any ferret shelter that is helping educate people and saving ferrets. my prefer mode of volunteering is fundraising :) all the best.
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It's more helpful to the ferrets to have a dedicated unit where potential owners can see the ferrets daily and on their own schedules, rather than odd days and limited hours. It may also force pet stores not to stock breeders' ferrets due to lower sales because of such a unit. I think it's a great idea. =)
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Unless there is a knowledgeable person in close proximity to the ferrets 24/7, I have grave concerns for the safety/well being of those with health issues.
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It would really be nice to have my house for myself again. I have had to have cages in my living room and extra room. I run a small shelter. Compared to one I know that has about 200 ferrts and they are everywhere this is small, and so is my house.
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I do not think a free-standing ferret shelter should be treated any differently than an in-home one. I don't understand why it would be, especially if it is on the same land as a residence, or has precautionary 24 hour staff. Of course there is a concern that during any extended period of time where staff is not present, due to the sometimes fragile nature of abandoned ferrets, something terrible could go wrong without immediate assistance, and I suppose that might be some peoples' objection to the idea, but in the end, if it is handled properly, any ferret shelter is a good ferret shelter.
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Because I currently have 6 ferrets besides my own 2 in my home, after losing the oldest 2. We have no shelter in our area and I have always taken them in when asked. I still have no clue how my name gets out, unless it is from the pet stores I buy feed and supplies in, but I cannot say no when they will go to a shelter if I dont take them. I have a 16 X 18 room in the basement my husband dedicated to ferrets. They come and go from their cages as they please, and where they make a mess is easily cleaned up. We recently added an old overstuffed chair that all of them have taken to sleeping in now, abandoning their hammies. They get fed warm soup 3 times a day and have a constant supply of dry kibble and fresh water. It is hard work, but I do believe they are happy. No doubt they would not be in a shelter!
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Two of my kids were from a shelter and I love them to bits. My good friend runs a shelter in Nevada, you know her, Linda Soule. Those ferrets live better than most humans. They are loved, cuddled and given the best medical treatment and toys available. When I die, I want to come back as a ferret and live at Linda's. I snuggle and kiss each ferret when I'm there, and each one is a wonderful ferret. Some are adoptable and some aren't for varies reasons, health mainly. I'm in Calif, so there's no known shelters, so I can't help out, but I do take things to Linda's when I go (paper towels, laundry soap, bleach, etc), and I sew bedding for her so she can sell it to help with the shelter costs. But if there were shelters in Calif, I definetly would help clean and play with all the furry kids. Melanie
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I think its workable. I agree with it because near me all the shelters only take ferrets to put them to sleep.