Ferret Shelter News

Raffle Fund Raiser

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:47:00 +0000

Ashley Jarrells from Ashley's 2nd Chance Ferret Rescue and Crystal Walko from Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Service have teamed up to do their first fundraiser raffle for their respective rescues. All proceeds will contribute to the ongoing care of rescued ferrets.

There are currently 15 awesome prizes with more to come!

Tickets are on sale from now until Saturday, March 27, 2010.

For details, please visit ferretrescueraffle.blogspot.com.

Please Vote for Us!

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:53:00 +0000

Please help Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services try to win a $10,000 grant!

Please vote for us at www.theanimalrescuesite.com and we could win $10,000 to help pets in need.

They are hosting a special challenge for eligible Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue groups. The grand prize is a $10,000 grant, and they will be awarding many other grants to rescue groups with the most votes — a total of $100,000 in grants for animal welfare organizations.

Think how many ferrets we could help for $10,000!

Help us win! All you have to do is click to help rescued animals, and then vote in The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter+ Challenge. Both of these actions are absolutely free! You can vote once a day, every day, from January 18th through April 18th, 2010. Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you are making a huge difference for us.

Vote today!

Visit: www.theanimalrescuesite.com

Our veterinary bills are quite large and this an easy to help us, without spending a dime!

Just visit the Shelter+ Challenge page and enter Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services in the purple box under Search and Vote for a Shelter, and select OH as the state and click the Search button...

Then you will see Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services and a button to Vote for us. You may vote once a day (every day)!

P.S. Board members and volunteers are allowed and encouraged to vote too!

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

FerretTales

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:34:00 +0000

The January 2010 edition of FerretTails, the the newsletter of Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services is online and available for download.

http://www.ferretsunlimited.org/FURSNews01-10.pdf

Ferrets Unlimited Update

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:46:00 +0000

Dear Friends of Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services:

As 2009 draws to a close and FURS approaches its first official anniversary on January 1, 2010, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and reflect briefly upon our first year. And, what an incredible year it has been!

On January 1 of this year, after receiving our 501(c)(3) qualification letter in November of 2008, we began formally operating as a foster-home-based ferret rescue organization. As you can imagine, there were a lot of details and logistics to be worked out, and the better part of our first year has been spent working on this. We're still learning, but we're getting there.

We were prepared for a lot of what we encountered along the way, but certainly not everything!

While in the middle of getting our act together, we were confronted with what every animal rescue organization dreads and hopes never occurs: a multiple-animal rescue. Fortunately, it wasn't huge – 14 ferrets – but the ferrets (and we!) didn't make that distinction, and it still put incredible demands on our volunteer Board – and especially our Intake Coordinator, Crystal Walko (special kudos to Crystal – she is awesome!) -- to get these ferrets removed, cared for, and situated. Because we're still a very young organization and haven't gotten our volunteer resources in line, we had to scramble. But, we did the best we could, and the ferrets that were taken from this home made it to a safe haven.

On the heels of the above rescue, we had a near miss with a reported hoarder situation (even more ferrets!) in Alliance, Ohio! We worked closely with the Stark County Humane Society and the animal control folks in the City of Alliance to determine whether intervention was needed. We're still not entirely convinced it wasn't, but these two organizations stepped in, investigated, and reported back to us that the situation was under control. In this instance, we needed to rely on their information, and we hope/trust that the ferrets involved are okay.

Our foster home network is evolving and growing, which will enable us to serve more of (and hopefully all) surrendered and abandoned ferrets that come to us. We have maintained very positive relationships with the humane societies, animal control departments, and charitable organizations (such as Morphicon, which continues to support us as their official charity) that Jean Caputo-Lee had established under Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter (FUFS) and have made new personal and organizational friends of our own! We traveled to the annual Heart of Ohio Ferret Association's Ferret Buckeye Bash, and several of us represented FURS at Morphicon 2009 in Columbus. We have received some great recognition for our work, including the wonderful article by Karen Uthe Semancik that ran in November 29's Elyria Chronicle Telegram.

We were incredibly pleased with the number of ferrets we were able to place into foster and forever homes during our first year. The individuals and families who have taken in these ferrets are wonderful, and we couldn't be more pleased with the great folks who have stepped up to welcome our kids into their homes, hearts, and lives. Currently, we have about 33 kids in our care!

Here are our numbers for 2009:
60 surrenders
40 adoptions
18 deaths
12 strays
17 special needs (age, chronic illness, and/or behavioral challenges)

Sadly, we had our share of losses, as well - kids that were older and/or ill, and some real heartbreakers that were seemingly neither, but who either made it to us too late or encountered unexpected health conditions that they just couldn't overcome, despite our best efforts and those of our wonderful vet, Dr. Frank Krupka from Avon Lake Animal Clinic. Several of us have confided to one another the deep sense of sadness we feel when one of our kids passes away while in foster care, to the effect that they never got to their forever homes. But, upon reflection, I don't believe that these ferrets ever made that distinction. It doesn't matter to a ferret whose love they receive, and the words permanent and foster are meaningless to them. Ferrets give love unconditionally to whomever will love them back, and - amazingly - even appear to forgive those who don't (how's that for incredible?), because that is their nature.

We should take a lesson from these infinitely-wise companion animals during this holiday season and throughout the years to come.

See the enclosed sheet for some special stories we want to share with you. When we become frustrated (as we sometimes do) and reflect upon why we do what we do, ferrets like those you will read about provide all the reasons we need to keep on keeping on. Our work is often fun and rewarding, but it's also incredibly challenging and sometimes downright exhausting, both physically and emotionally. We can't do what we do without wonderful people like you backing us up. We hope that as we grow and mature as an organization, you will help us by volunteering your time and talents and becoming an active part of what we do. The larger and more effective our network, the more ferrets we can help.

Fundraising is a challenging, but very necessary (you very quickly become a realist when you are a non-profit!), element of continuing our work, and charitable organizations everywhere are being tested in these difficult economic times. As is to be expected, the bulk of our expenses are veterinary in nature. With your continued help and support, we have every confidence in our ability to continue to rescue, rehabilitate, and place the kids that come to us into loving, caring, and truly forever homes.

So, on behalf of FURS, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support and encouragement. The FURS Board, volunteers, and fur kids wish you a holiday season filled with joy, hope, love, health, good cheer - and ferrets!

Deb Daugherty Benson
President
Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services

Help Us Stay in Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:31:00 +0000

We are in the process of updating our contact lists so that we can keep everyone advised of events, activities, and items of interest.

Please let us know how we can contact you! Obviously, email is a fast and economical way to do this, so be sure to include your email address.

Contact List

Volunteers Needed!

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:14:00 +0000

Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services needs your help to continue our mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and placing companion ferrets into loving homes!

As we move into our second year of service, we need to expand our efforts so that any ferret in need of help will not be turned away.

There are all kinds of ways you can volunteer, and we don’t know half of them! We want you to tell us what you can and are willing to do. People who are willing to do what they love and are good at make the best volunteers!

Earlier this year, as word of our new organization was circulating, we received a number of offers from people who wanted to help at the shelter, caring for the ferrets. Unfortunately, since we don’t have a physical shelter location, this wasn’t possible. But not having a dedicated location doesn’t mean that we don’t need help!

The volunteer form we have provided is our best effort at trying to identify volunteer talents and areas of interest. Please let us know if you’d like to help by completing and returning this form. Or, email us at volunteer@ferretsunlimited.org, and tell us. We’ll do our best to accommodate!

Kodiak

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:33:00 +0000

Kodiak voted most photogenic ferret at FURS fundraiser!

Congratulations to Dave and Sam Rossow for submitting the winning photo in FURS' ferret foto contest! Their photo of Kodiak was the top popular vote-getter at the December 6 FURS First Anniversary Celebration and Open House.

Kodiak (aka Kodi) came to Dave and Sam from Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter (FUFS) and was one of Jean Caputo Lee’s final adoptions from her shelter. Kodiak was a kit when he was rescued from the 2007 DMK rescue in central Ohio and was, as Dave puts it, “a little on the rough side” when they brought him home. After lots of patience and handling, those days are now over.

Here, Kodiak poses on a wood log in the Rossows’ back yard. He isn’t the easiest ferret to photograph, according to Dave and Sam (that would be his brother, Bear). But, when they can get him to pose, he steals the show.

Kodi's top honor earned him a featured appearance on the FURS website, so that everyone can see and celebrate his good looks and winning personality.

Please Vote

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:28:00 +0000

Please help Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services try again to win a $20,000 grant!

Please vote for us at www.theanimalrescuesite.com and we could win $20,000 to help pets in need.

They are hosting a special challenge for eligible Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue groups. The grand prize is a $20,000 grant, and they will be awarding many other grants to rescue groups with the most votes — a total of $100,000 in grants for animal welfare organizations.

Think how many ferrets we could help for $20,000!

Help us win! All you have to do is click to help rescued animals, and then vote in The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter+ Challenge. Both of these actions are absolutely free! You can vote once a day, every day, until December 20, 2009. Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you are making a huge difference for us.

Vote today!

Visit: www.theanimalrescuesite.com

Our veterinary bills are quite large and this an easy to help us, without spending a dime!

Just visit the Shelter+ Challenge page and enter Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services in the purple box under Search and Vote for a Shelter, and select OH as the state and click the Search button...

Then you will see Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services and a button to Vote for us. You may vote once a day (every day)!

P.S. Board members and volunteers are allowed and encouraged to vote too!

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

Don't Forget!

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000

FURS’ First Anniversary Celebration and Open House is Sunday, December 6!

Paws by the Lake
33757 Lake Road (at the intersection of Lake and Miller)
Avon Lake, Ohio 44012

12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.

We hope you’ll make time in this busy pre-holiday season to join us for food, fun, and celebration.

If you haven’t already entered your favorite fuzzy foto(s) in our photo contest, there’s still time to do so! (Email to rescue@ferretsunlimited.org, or snail mail to FURS, P.O. Box 44012, Cleveland, OH 44144)

Everyone should know how to administer ferret first aid in the event of a sudden illness or emergency. Come and hear Dr. Frank Krupka from Avon Lake Animal Clinic talk about this important topic.

Our silent auction will feature several gorgeous items, including:

A beautiful, handcrafted ferret holiday stocking personally created for FURS and donated by renowned ferret artist Dawn Lindner

An incredible print by Sandra SanTara, who creates ferret art on feathers, as well as other media

A WARM hand-knitted hat/scarf combination (although we hate to think of it, we’ll be needing warm weather garb soon!), donated by shelter supporter Casey Greetham

A hand-made wooden pot personalized with the FURS logo, created and donated by Shawn Beachy and Adam Holloway

A hand-carved maple eagle head wood sculpture, created by Bob Larson, FURS’ Pennsylvania woodcarving friend.

Our raffles and games will keep everyone entertained!

If you’re shopping for the ferret people in your life (or for yourself), we’ll have great gifts available to make your holiday shopping easier and a lot more fun. (And, you’ll be supporting our shelter kids – how cool is that?)

Several of our adoptable ferrets will be on hand to welcome you and wish you happy holidays.

And, our part-time top chefs (board members, friends, and volunteers) will be providing food and refreshments.

Our holiday (and year-round) wish is that the fuzzies in our care be provided with everything to keep them healthy and happy until they can find wonderful, forever homes.

You can help make this wish a reality.

See you on December 6!

P.S. If you are interested in helping out at the open house, we need volunteers to staff various areas and to generally help out and provide moral support! If you’d like to be part of the fun, let us know.

FURS Ferret Foto Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:48:00 +0000

FURS Announces Its First Ferret Foto Competition

Do you believe your ferret is the cutest, most adorable, most photogenic ferret in all ferretdom?

Here’s your opportunity to prove it to the world!

Enter the Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services’ Ferret Foto contest.

Emailed photos must be in JPG format.

Snail mail photos maximum print size is 5” x 7.”

All submissions must be received by Wednesday, December 2.

There is no entry fee!

Submit your photo by...

Email:

rescue@ferretsunlimited.org

or Snail Mail:

Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services
P.O. Box 44012
Cleveland, OH 44144

Entries will be displayed and the winning photo selected by popular vote at the FURS First Anniversary Celebration and Open House fundraiser at Paws by the Lake, 33757 Lake Road, Avon Lake, Ohio, on December 6 from Noon to 4 PM.

Be sure to attend and cast your vote(s)!

http://www.pawsbythelakeresort.com/

The winning ferret photo will be featured on the FURS website for all the world to see and adore.

So, wrangle up your babies, pose ‘em (if you can keep them still long enough), click, and send! We’re sure the competition will be keen and the vote will be close -- which is why we’re letting our supporters make the call!

Open House - December 6, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Mark Your Calendars for Sunday, December 6!

Join Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services on Sunday, December 6, 2009, for our FURS First Anniversary Celebration and Open House!

The festivities will take place from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at:

Paws by the Lake (the Avon Lake Animal Clinic kennel, pet daycare, and spa facility)

33757 Lake Road (at the corner of Lake and Miller Road)

Avon Lake, Ohio 44012

Since this is an open house, you can come for an hour, or come for the day! We all have ferret stories to tell; come prepared to swap tales of amazing ferret feats and socialize with fellow ferret followers, friends, and aficionados. If you are new to ferretdom, or are considering adopting a ferret and want to learn more about ferrets as companion pets, this is a great opportunity to do so while supporting a great cause.

* We’ll have food (bring a dish, dessert, or snack to share), raffles, and contests for ferret folk of all ages.

* Preliminary plans also include a ferret photo contest and a silent art auction.

* We’ll also be selling ferret and pet-related items – just in time for holiday shopping!

* Dr. Frank Krupka, our veterinary adviser from Avon Lake Animal Clinic, will be our featured speaker.

* And, several of our adoptable ferrets will be on hand for you to meet!

A donation of $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under the age of 12 will be requested at the door. We’ll waive the at-the-door charge if you choose to bring a donation of ferret food (Totally Ferret, 8-in-1 Ultimate Ferret (crunchy or moist), ZuPreem, IAMS kitten food, or Eukanuba Lamb and Rice), fleece for bedding, and/or pellet litter (hardwood stove pellets, Yesterday’s News, or ExquisiCat (from PetSmart)).

More details will be available as the event planning progresses. Stay tuned!

We hope you’ll join us for this celebration. It’s FURS’ first anniversary, but it’s also a celebration of YOU! Because, there’s no way we could have come this far, and served so many deserving ferrets, without your incredible outpouring of encouragement and support.

So, make plans to join FURS as we celebrate our first year of service and look forward to many successful years to come – one ferret at a time!

Ferret Giving Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:08:00 +0000

Ferrets Unlimited has a number of ferrets on the 2009 Ferret Giving Tree. These are special ferrets that will likely not have a forever home in time for Christmas, but they would still appreciate goodies from Santa and the special attention that pet ferrets receive at holiday time.

Check out some of our Giving Tree Kids:

Stewart Little and Atone

Pinkie and Panda Bear

Todo and Podo

Francine

Fantasia

Dutchess and Jasper

WhoWee-Louie

Ivy

Dr. Krupka to the Rescue!

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:18:00 +0000

Our newest rescue, Tommy Bear, comes to us with a great story that goes out with a special tribute to our vet, Dr. Frank Krupka, and the wonderful staff at Avon Lake Animal Clinic.

Tommy Bear is a 6-7 year old dark-eyed white ferret, whose family brought him in to Avon Lake Animal Clinic on September 23. They were heartbroken because they knew he needed urgent attention and that they could no longer afford to provide him with the veterinary care he required. Rather than prolong his life in this condition, they asked Doc to euthanize him.

These were not heartless or negligent owners. They loved their pet, but were facing serious financial difficulty. They were distraught over what they perceived as a necessity to put their beloved pet to sleep.

Tommy Bear had a large tumor at the end of his tail that had ulcerated and had several mast cell growths on his back. But, he was alert and showed no signs of any organ or major systems failure. Dr. Krupka told us, “I took one look at this ferret and was convinced that he didn’t need to be put down. I believed there was still an opportunity for him to live a good life, despite his age.”

Dr. Krupka then went the extra mile for which he is so well known. He told the owners about FURS, downloaded the FURS surrender agreement from our website, and convinced the family to surrender Tommy to FURS, rather than euthanize him. Happy to learn that there was an alternative to what they were tearfully considering for Tommy, the owners did so.

Tommy Bear is now with us, recovering from the surgical removal of about an inch of his tail and treatment for his mast cell growths that Avon Lake Animal Clinic provided pro bono (a special ‘thank you’ goes out to Dr. Dodson at Avon Lake for performing Tommy’s surgery). He is alert and happy to still be on this side of Rainbow Bridge, although he misses his family. We are hoping that as he recovers, his spirits will revive also.

Tommy Bear’s family was so overjoyed that he could be saved (although sad that they had to part with him) that they donated the cost of what they were planning to spend for euthanasia to FURS’ account at Avon Lake for Tommy’s ongoing care.

Tommy Bear is currently in quarantine, but will be available for foster care and/or adoption in a couple of weeks. If you would like to foster, adopt, or sponsor Tommy – and/or any of the other wonderful ferrets in our care, please visit see our available ferrets on our web site.

So much of what we experience and report tears at our hearts. So, it’s always great to be able to share news about other peoples' love for their pets and the exceptional kindness of vets like Dr. Krupka and the outstanding Avon Lake Animal Clinic staff.

Doc has been officially designated an honorary FURS Intake Coordinator and is on Tommy’s (and our) list of favorite people.

Pet Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:03:00 +0000

Join us this Saturday, October 3rd, at Saint Christine's final pet blessing! Bring your pets, meet other families and their pets, and visit with our volunteers. Sadly, Saint Christine's parish will be closing within the year, so this will be the final blessing. Make it a memorable one and stop on down. The event starts at 10 AM and celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi in praise of all animals, big and small.

Here are the details for the location:

St. Christine Church
840 E. 222nd St.
Euclid, Ohio
Saturday, October 03, 2009 at 10:00 AM

We hope to see you there!

Ferret Bandanas

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:23:00 +0000

Ferrets Unlimited is selling these cool ferret bandanas, perfect for both people and pets that love ferrets.

The bandanas are 21 inches square and are only $8.00, which includes free shipping to U.S. addresses.

Order your ferret bandana today!

Ivy, An Emotional Battle

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:31:00 +0000

by Sarah Romano

Ivy has been with us for a year and a half now. She is 6-7 years old. Her story is a sad one. When she came to us, she was skinny and terrified of everyone and everything. The more we saw her, the more her sad past was unveiled to us. We believe that she had been abused. This awful thing has damaged her emotionally.

Ivy was so scared of humans she was put with another ferret for comfort. They loved each other, but unfortunately her cage mate George passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Ivy was devastated! She stopped eating and drinking. She would have withered away until she died if we had not hand fed her until she would eat on her own. She grew to trust us, so we offered to foster her.

Her past left a wound that will probably never heal completely. Ivy is an emotional little girl. To this day, she will stop eating if anything in her life changes, even slightly. This can be very bad, as Ivy has recently been diagnosed with Insulinoma, a low blood sugar disease that can be deadly in ferrets. She must keep eating to maintain her sugar level. She is on daily medication to regulate her blood sugar.

Ivy is comfortable in her foster home. She runs and plays and is very happy. However, because of all her health and emotional issues, Ivy will probably not be moving out of her foster home. Since we do not euthanize, she will stay in her loving environment for the rest of her years.

This is the case for many of the ferrets at Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services. Your support helps us with the medical bills for these old but very sweet souls. Just because they may be a little older doesn't mean they shouldn't be loved just as much as the others! They should shine!

You can sponsor one of our hard to place ferrets. A regular donation to a particular ferret will go for his or her medical bills. Show these golden oldies they do matter! Maybe you want to adopt but can't, try sponsoring a ferret! You will get monthly updates, pictures and we can even arrange for you to meet him or her, if you wish.

Ivy has been sponsored by Diane and Daniel and by Megan. Thank you!!

Skunkfest

noreply@blogger.com (Lance) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:01:00 +0000

Come join us on Saturday, September 12th, at South Central Park in North Ridgeville for Skunkfest 2009! You'll find games, music, contests, raffles, special guest speakers, and of course - skunks! Check here for full details. The event begins at 10:00 AM and runs until 5:00 PM.

You find a full list of vendors here.

Skunkfest 2009
South Central Park
7565 Avon Belden Road
North Ridgeville, OH

See you there!

Canine Fun Days

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Ferrets Unlimited will have a booth on rescue lane at the 16th annual Canine Fun Days and Greyhound Reunion!

In addition to Ferrets Unlimited, there will be over 25 shelter and rescue groups from around Northeastern Ohio, and lots of fun events for pet lovers and families.

The party goes on from 10am to 5pm on both Saturday, August 15th and Sunday, 16th at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field, on the corner of state Route 87 and Chagrin River Road.

The admission fee is $5 for adults and $3 for children or seniors and parking is free.

Be sure to stop by our booth! We look forward to seeing you there.

Please feel free to help spread the word!

More Trash to Treasure

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services is having another Yard Sale!

Stop by anytime from 9am to 5pm on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at 7621 Green Valley Drive, Parma, Ohio

Shop for the ultimate bargains, best deals and even MORE hidden treasures!

Featured items include a full aquarium setup, computer desk, electronics, books, albums, knick knacks, household items, clothing, stuffed animals, videocassettes, water cooler, jewelry and much more.

All proceeds from the sale will support our rescue, a non profit 501(c)3 charity.

Merchandise Donations Needed!

Do you have unwanted household items and furniture? Did you have a garage sale and have unsold merchandise?

Please consider making a donation to help FURS.

Your tax-deductible donations will be helping us raise money to pay for veterinary care, food and supplies for the ferrets that have been rescued or surrendered to us.

For more information about donations and to make arrangements to donate, please email us at diane@ferretsunlimited.org or call (216)502-2977.

Download printable flyer with map to the sale

Our Patch of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:21:00 +0000

by Dona Clashman

My husband and I love ferrets, a passion so great that he became a member of the board of directors at Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services.

A few months back we received an email from Crystal, FURS intake coordinator, regarding FURS latest rescue a tiny, malnourished, chocolate ferret. The woman handed him to Crystal in a large hamster ball and gave her the rest of his "food" a cheap bag of hamster seed.

Crystal quietly took him from her and immediately rushed him to the vet's office. He was so weak and covered in fleas. His future did not look good due to anemia, from the fleas, and was so skinny he only weighed 15 oz.

Crystal took this little baby home and cleaned him up and treated him for the flea infestation. It took two baths and hours of combing to remove all the fleas.

I contacted Crystal and offered to foster this poor little one, as I knew his care was going to be extensive. Two days later he arrived at our home.

As soon as I saw him my heart sank deep into my chest and I wondered HOW could someone neglect him so bad. I knew from the moment I held his limp little body in my arms he belonged here with us, that he would not be just a foster but had already found his forever home.

He could not walk or stand and needed to be syringe fed, as he was so weak he could not eat or drink on his own. I saw in his sunken eyes that he had the will to live.

I fed him every two hours for the first week and after 4 days he was able to stand on his own. He was very shaky but was standing. He gained 6 1/2 ounces that first week. Within two weeks he was walking and eating on his own. Each passing day he became stronger.

Three months later he is a very happy and healthy ferret weighing in at 2 pounds 10 1/2 ounces.

We named him Patch because of the white patches on his knees, but is also known as mama's little man. He is the happiest ferret I have ever meet dooking non-stop. He loves to go outside to play and is discovering all kinds of new toys. He is now getting to know his brothers and sisters too.

In June, Patch got the honor of being Ferret of the Month at ferret.com's forum.

We are forever grateful to Crystal, without whom he would have died a very painful death.

Patch will never have to again endure a life of going without food or love.

If you have ever considered becoming a foster or adoptive "ferrent" (ferret parent) PLEASE do so as the rewards are beyond words.

Keep dooking!

Dona and Rick

Parma Heights Ferrets

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Here's an update on our ferrets from the June 12 Parma Heights Ferret Rescue that we told you about back in June.

We took one of the ferrets, Pinkie, to the vet immediately, where he underwent emergency surgery to remove 7 teeth and 2 cysts. He is recovering nicely. He is also blind.

Another rescued ferret, Panda Bear, will undergo dental and adrenal surgery on July 17, at which time both he and Pinkie will go into foster care.

The other two Parma Heights rescue ferrets in our care, Big Red and D.Q., are beautiful, healthy, active (not to mention mellow and affectionate) male ferrets, about 2 years old. They are in foster care and are now available for adoption.

Ferrets Unlimited also received a call from a local animal control officer the same day as the Parma Heights rescue regarding a ferret that was brought in to them. Jake is a gorgeous, healthy sable ferret who will soon be looking for a forever home.

We welcome any contributions toward the care of these babies, as well as your interest in adopting Big Red, D.Q., and Jake!

Donations can be sent via PayPal or checks can be sent to Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services, P. O. Box 44012, Cleveland, OH 44144. We are a 501(c)(3) charity, so your donations are tax deductible.

If you prefer to contribute to our vet bill (be sure to specify the Ferrets Unlimited account) our wonderful veterinarian is:

Dr. Frank Krupka
Avon Lake Animal Clinic
124 Miller Rd, Avon Lake, OH 44012
(440) 933-5297

Please feel free to spread the word and crosspost this update.

Vote for Us

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:31:00 +0000

Help Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services win a $20,000 grant!

Please vote for us at www.theanimalrescuesite.com and we could win $20,000 to help pets in need.

They are hosting a special challenge for eligible Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue groups. The grand prize is a $20,000 grant, and they will be awarding many other grants to rescue groups with the most votes — a total of $100,000 in grants for animal welfare organizations.

Think how many ferrets we could help for $20,000!

Help us win! All you have to do is click to help rescued animals, and then vote in The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter+ Challenge. Both of these actions are absolutely free! You can vote once a day, every day, until July 26, 2009. Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you are making a huge difference for us.

Vote today!

Visit: www.theanimalrescuesite.com

We have had a large number of ferrets surrendered recently and this an easy to help us, without spending a dime. Just visit the Shelter+ Challenge page and enter Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services in the purple box under Search and Vote for a Shelter and click the Search button. Then you will see Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services and a button to Vote for us. You may vote once a day!

P.S. Board members and volunteers are allowed and encouraged to vote for
their own organizations, subject to the one vote per person per day
limitation.

My Birthday Wish

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:41:00 +0000

I'm Donating My Birthday to Charity!

Every year, my friends and family try to decide what to give me for my birthday and while I always appreciate the gifts and the fact that they are thinking of me, this year I want to do something special.

Volunteering and donating to charity is my passion and the ferrets need our help more than I need gifts. 45 is a milestone birthday and it would mean so much to me to inspire people to donate to charity for my 45th birthday.

Facebook makes it easy to donate your birthday to charity. I will be 45 on July 14, 2009 and I have decided to donate my 45th birthday to charity. I am encouraging everyone to make a donation to Ferrets Unlimited rather than giving me a gift.

Some of my friends and family have already donated to my birthday wish on Facebook!

Please visit my birthday wish to see my progress!

If you are not on Facebook, but still wish to make a donation in honor of my birthday, you may make a donation via check or Paypal, instead.

Please include a note that this is for my birthday wish.

Times are tough, so another way to grant my birthday wish, is to create a charity lens at Squidoo, and donate the proceeds to charity. Squidoo is easy and free and it's a great way to donate to Ferrets Unlimited and many other charities, by choosing to give all or a portion of your proceeds to the charity of your choice. I have many Squidoo lenses that benefit Ferrets Unlimited. It's a fun way for me to create web pages, while helping charities at the same time.

Visit My Birthday Wish lens at Squidoo to create your own lens, and see the sweet charity lens that Bambi created in honor of my birthday (and the ferrets).

Thanks to all of you that support Ferrets Unlimited with your time, your donations, by providing homes, and by spreading the word. Just knowing that other people care about the ferrets is the best gift I can think of.

Take Care,

Julianne Gentile
Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services

Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Ferrets Unlimited has a page on Facebook at Facebook.com/FerretsUnlimited. If you are on Facebook, please stop by and say hello!

We are also on Twitter @FursRescue

New Logo Shirts

noreply@blogger.com (Julianne) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Our new logo T-Shirts are available for sale on our website!

We have crew neck shirts in black, oxford gray, navy, or red in sizes from adult small to XL.

The shirts are only $16 each and U.S. Shipping is FREE.

Check out our new T-Shirts here