It is an unfortunate fact that many of the ferrets that come to our shelter have been subject to abuse. Currently the laws within Canada are such that abusers receive a punishment that hardly befits their crime. Cruelty cases can make us angry and frustrated, but never defeated. We must make our voices heard that animals be treated humanely in our homes and our industries. Provided in this section are cases of abuse, cruelty and mistreatment. Please use discretion while reading this section as some users may find the information and images graphic and/or disturbing.

Don't be discouraged! There are many people coming together to fight cruelty against animals. If there is a story or link regarding current abuse cases going through the legal system, we would like to help you share that information. Please
:: send us an email :: and we will contact you for any further information we require.

a story to share ...

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up, and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

:: London Bunch :: Ra and Rusty :: Sammy :: Bandit :: Ken and Barbie ::
:: Bronte :: Mississauga Bunch :: Paris Bunch :: Easter Bunch :: Canada Day Weekend Bunch ::

Hello friends. Our shelter just got hit with yet another THIRTEEN unaltered ferrets. This brings our grand total to EIGHTY ONE unaltered ferrets taken in since October. 11 of the 13 are under 6 weeks old and aren't quite ready for spays/neuters. Then there are the 'moms', both cute albino ladies. They'll be ready for spays in about 2 weeks, once the kits have been fully weaned.

These ferrets were removed by the SPCA. The owners have been charged under the cruelty to animals act but were allowed to keep the other breeding stock they had (it's the law here). This means that *IF* convicted, we may end up with the rest of their breeders within the next 6 - 8 months.

As I understood it, this 'breeder' was VERY similar to the Paris breeder. Many ferrets were found dead and some partially or fully eaten.

We currently do not have a shelter, many of you know we are in the process of moving. I need to thank Tina and Andrew, from the bottom of my heart for adding these 13 kids to their already crazy household. I'll make it up to you both somehow.

We are in desperate need of funds to help vaccinate, spay and neuter these kids. PayPal donations can be sent to ferretaid@ferretaid.org or in Canada, for an immediate tax receipt, CanadaHelps.org. We also need litter and 8 in 1 high protein ultimate. Ferretone is always needed as well as baby food and a/d.

Since all of you have been so kind with our past rescues this year, we have a ton of bedding and can't use anymore. The kids all have awesome hammocks, blankets and sleep sacks :)

If you can help with a donation, even $1, it will go a LONG way. Many thanks in advance for your help.

:: top ::

Backyard Breeding Gone Wrong – 28 more animals come to a shelter.

Just before Christmas, we shared with you the story of “29 found alive – 11 dead” and a mere three months later, our shelter is faced with yet another 28 ferrets from a breeder closing down.

While many of you were enjoying a calm Easter weekend, our shelter was trimming nails, cleaning ears, bathing and assessing 28 intact ferrets.

#13 has a broken leg and is blind, #4 has tumors in her belly and is anemic, # 21 has a punctured eye ball, #12 has blue tumors on his penis AND poor #3, the tiniest of them all is very underweight and lethargic. Many of the females rescued are in an advanced heat – a deadly condition to a female ferret. If they are not bred or spayed, they can develop Anemia and die.

Nothing can be done about these breeders, our cruelty laws still date back to the 1800’s. The breeder who starved his ferrets to death before Christmas wasn’t charged because “it wasn’t in public interest”.

Our shelter is overwhelmed at the moment. Within our shelter system we currently have EIGHTY-EIGHT ferrets. Twenty eight are in need of spay or neuter and vaccinations that could cost the shelter up to SIX THOUSAND dollars. We are a small shelter and DO NOT receive any government or financial assistance AND we have NO paid employees.

The Ferret Aid Society shelter is in DESPERATE need of funding, recycled news litter and supplies to ease the suffering of the new charges in our care. For more information on our newest rescue please call 905-275-0438 (Randy Belair)

We are also urging people to come forth in support of Bill C-22 to help provide justice to animals of suffering.

For information on Bill C-22, please visit http://www.cfhs.ca/CriminalCode/index.htm

:: top ::

RECENT PICS OF THE PARIS FERRETS:

Watch the CityPulse24 coverage about the rescue.


THANK YOU ...
To Renée in Connecticut
for her fund raising efforts and kindness.

To Purina
for their generous donation.

To HomeMade 4 Life
for their generous donation of ferret food.

To Patty who raised over $250
by putting her personal jewelery for auction to help the rescued Paris ferrets.

To Peformance Foods and Leis Pet Distributing
Performance Foods, the makers of Totally Ferret food have just informed us that they are shipping a 50Lb bag of Totally Ferret to our shelter! Also, their Canadian Distributor (Leis Pet Distributing), on behalf of Performance Foods is donating 2 30Lb bags of Totally Ferret, 1 15Lb bag of senior Totally Ferret AND 6 packages of ear swabs! A HUGE THANK YOU to Performance Foods!

A wonderful, caring and TALENTED artist
who has donated a few of her prized items for :: auction ::

To following veterinarians for their generous donations
- Animal Hospital of High Park for donating 3 spays, 1 neuter
- Bramalea Animal Hospital for donating 1 spay, 1 neuter
- Secord Animal Hospital for donating 3 spays, 4 neuters
- Bloor-Mill Veterinary Hospital for donating 1 spay
- Dr. Pauline Van Veen for donating 1 spay
- Dr. M. St-Pierre of Waterloo West Animal Hospital for donating neuters and spays
- Dr. Jennifer Hopper of King Animal Clinic for donating 1 spay
and 3 neuters

Nigel and Bonnie's version of "Evening at the Met"

Yesterday was exactly 4 weeks since the Paris rescue and it is amazing to see the progress these kids have made both physically and socially. We still have a few shy ones, in fact I call one of the run groups the "Hidey Hole" girls. But even they only disappear for moments at a time now, behind the toy box or a cage and back out again. And, you know, for all the horrors they suffered and their lack of handling, there is not a single bad biter in the whole gang.

Before I forget, I don't officially represent the shelter in any way, I just help out a bit but I wanted to say to everyone here a big thanks, for those of you who sent anything, money, supplies, positive energy . the outpouring of support has been phenomenal! And very much appreciated.

To make them into more than just a group, I thought I'd at least get all their names out to you - names, after all, have power. I'll explain why I wanted to do this a little further down (oh, by the way, get a cuppa tea or coffee - you know me - this may go on a bit!).

To make sure I don't miss anyone, I will go around the room -
Out of the 29 who came in, only 3 females and one male are sable - the rest are albino. To identify them, we use food colouring and all the albinos have a colour on their head or front foot or both - when we do the weights and when we put them back into their cages, it is a matter of asking, who has a red head and red foot - answer - if it's a girl then it's Lilu!

Introducing ... [weight gains since arrival in brackets]

Gwenevere (Gwen) - albino female - coming out of her shell, calm and friendly. [945g > 905g - no weight gain]

Pixie - albino female - a bundle of nerves, always in motion, seems to drive the other girls in her group nuts. [765g > 745g - no weight gain]

Roland - albino male - still hides when in his cage but when he is out, he is quite calm though talkative. Loves the Petco balls. [1060g > 1410g = 33%]

Boon - albino male - (name is one of Froud's fairies - the one who protects a child from bad dreams, stays with that child his whole life then moves on to a new child in the family when the previous one passes on). One of the large gentle giants. [1205g > 1530g = 27%]

Pandora - albino female - still quite shy, one of the chunkiest girls. [1045g > 1185g = 13%]

Amelia - albino female - on her first day in, Paige reached up to take her out of her cage and Amelia flew out and nailed her - best defence is a good offense. She is part of the shy girls and is very tiny but she too is improving. [650g > 800g = 23%]

Chip - big dark sable boy - spitting image of Bente(she must be his mum). He was one of the most frightened when he came in but he is so lively and playful now. [880g > 1400g = 59%] He shares a cage with .

Snow - albino male - one of the whitest kids. [ 1095g > 1450g = 32%]

Maya - sable point female - very pretty and friendly. [ 700g > 825g = 18%]

Fleur - albino female - blind - had a difficult spay (more on that later). Very quiet girl. [615g > 900g = 40%]

Conor - albino male - currently our heaviest boy. Though quite shy, he runs with the big group. Rivals Snow for whiteness but his fur is a bit shorter. Major cuddle bunny. [1220g > 1820g = 50%]

Bente - sable female - toe nipper - gotta watch your feet. She is also quite the little s-t disturber in the big group - she is usually pestering someone. [555g > 860g = 55%]

Gem - albino female - pretty and no trouble [ 525g > 865g = 65%]

Wolfie and Oliver - albino males - Wolfie is blind - they were two of the boys whose cages had been at the back of the shed and who got little food. They were together there and we have let them stay together. On the first day, these two boys emptied their food bowls twice and spent most of the rest of the time at the water bottle. They seemed to sleep little on that first day - just ate and drank. They have come a long way. [Wolfie 775g > 1490g = 85%, Oliver 810g > 1500g = 92%]

Lilu - albino female - another Froud's fairy - from the day she came in, she was the liveliest and most normal little girl. She was the one trying to play with everything and everyone. [625g > 910g = 46%]

Leezil and Zoe - albino females - they came from the same cage and stayed in the same cage when they got here. Leezil really seemed to need Zoe. When taking them out of the cage for their run time, we often had to remove the thing they slept in (it's that superpet thing that looks like a castle - an upright tube - you can get in through a round hole in the side or through the slot at the top) from the cage and almost dump them out. I use the past tense in speaking of Leezil - she has been the only loss we have suffered so far - she passed away Friday - something went wrong after her spay - more on this later but she is the reason I am putting this all down - she will not be forgotten. [Leezil 785g > 815g = no gain, Zoe 630g > 890g = 41%]

Cassiopeia (Cassy) - sable female - she was the skinniest female to arrive here and one of the three or four that we were not sure would survive. The term emaciated only begins to describe her condition. She has come so far and is such a sweetheart. [ 490g > 915g = 87%]

April and Mai - albino females - April is blind) lived above and below each other since they got here - we recently removed the separation between cage floors and they now live together. [April 895g > 900g = 1%, Mai 780g > 785g = 1%]

Sugar - albino female - blind going in for surgery on Tuesday. Vet thinks she has a mummified baby inside. She does well enough but . [505g > 945g = 87%]

Pickle - albino male - another big white boy - has been getting pretty aggressive so he is getting neutered this week. [920g . 1480g = 61%]

Lena (actually Leanan Sidhe) - another Froud - albino female - doesn't get along with anyone but is a ball to play with. [585g > 785g = 34%]

Blossom - albino female - lovely coat and temperament but has developed this really scary skin condition - huge scabby patches - vet has taken scrapings etc but no word yet. She is obviously uncomfortable. [960g > 1020g = 6%]

Elvis - this is the poster boy for this rescue. Albino male - blind - probably only 6 months old - huge skeletal frame - weighed only 700 or so grams when he came in. I cried when I first held him to get nails clipped and to do ADV test. There was no flesh on this boy - I could feel only bones under the skin. Elvis epitomized the horror of the conditions these kids endured and survived. 4 weeks later, he weighs about 1700 grams. He is lovely and kind and a little bashful but he is beautiful. He has hip problems - more on that later. [775g > 1790g = 231%]

Dork - albino male - I honestly have no idea who saddled this boy with this name - one of the few times when I hope his adoptive parents change his name - he may have hip problems as well. [1240g > 1710g = 38%]

Tank - albino male - I know why this one was given this moniker - he was huge - definitely in the best shape of all the males. He was adopted by the couple who brought the situation to the shelter's attention. He is huge and lovely and I am sure he is very happy in his new home!

Hardy - albino male - was the worst biter when he arrived. Nailed a lot of people in those first few days. Settled down a lot. Hardy is in foster with a lady working especially on the biting thing. Fingers crossed, this might be his new home. Good luck, Hardy! [ 1370g > 1610g = 18%]

And that is the 29!

I'm so sorry we lost Leezil. It seems so sad that this happened when so many were so close to death when they came in. They pulled through. I know they pulled through by Randy being up all night and day and feeding them and sub-qing them where needed. And Paige was there and Olympia was there - to do vet runs and most of the run groups for the first several days.

The vet is supposed to do a post mortem on Leezil, Hopefully we can find out what went wrong. But I think we are only beginning to see what long term neglect and malnutrition has done to these guys. None of them have good teeth - there are bands of white and darker bands in each tooth - the vet thinks this is due to malnutrition - the darker bands from when sufficient food or good food was not available. Keep in mind that we do not think any one of these kids is more than 2 and most of them are 4 months to a year in age.

I mentioned Fleur and her "difficult" spay. Apparently, when we (or any mammal) is in utero there are a couple of "tubes" connecting our insides to our mom's. Part of the connections relate to blood supply and part relate to waste removal. When we are born and the umbilical cord is severed, these connection inside our body disconnect and are eventually absorbed. Apparently, Fleur still had the connections, they had kind of solidified but they were still there and would have caused problems throughout her life - I might speculate (not understanding the medical side of it) that perhaps infections could get inside.

Leezil - we are waiting for post mortem information but she bled out hours after having been closed. Kept bleeding and eventually stopped producing red blood cells.

There are at least 3-4 of this gang that are blind.

Elvis' hips - x-rays show that the ball of his femur does not stay in the hip sockets. He gets around okay, don't ask me how. There is some thought that Dork may have a similar problem. He only bites occasionally but then quite hard and it is thought that the bites might be pain related.

Blossom - the fluffy little girl with the huge scabby patches.

I am thinking that, if some of these problems are related to malnutrition, they may not be entirely due to malnutrition in these guys. They may also be related to the malnutrition of their mothers. If their mothers were in poor health and not adequately cared for when they were young or when they were pregnant .If true, this would show long term neglect and abuse, not just the last couple of months while the breeder was dying and unable to care for them himself.

I'm going to be speaking to the shelter's board with my questions about this and not only for my own interest. I am wondering if documentation of all these problems as they now stand and perhaps with lifelong follow-ups on these ferrets would be of any help in presenting our case to the provincial and federal governments as arguments in favour of stronger animal abuse laws.

We may never be able to do anything to the people who did this to these animals. But, perhaps showing how this kind of neglect and abuse causes death, ill health and lifelong suffering to the animals even when they have been removed from the situation .

Just a thought.

I hope I have not depressed any of you with this. That was not my intention. I wanted to share our joy in watching these little refugees as they discover what life can be like as they paddle in the water dish, chase a ball, run through the tubes, steal stuffies, do kamikaze leaps on each other and sometimes, if only for a few seconds, snuggle in the arms of a human. Whatever is in the power of all the Gods, may these kids live and be happy.

Remember Leezil.

It was a sunny afternoon at the shelter today. NOT because we actually had any sun in this cold, miserable city BUT because I was informed by the SPCA that they WILL be visiting the Crown Attorney to see about taking this case further! THANK you Inspector Draper AND ALL of you who have written letters in his support of going forth with charges.

I still worry that this has turned into a one-sided case, but am feeling a whole lot better that our Inspector Draper has stepped in and this will hopefully go all the way.

In our last cruelty case against Robert Jarmain, letters to the SPCA AND the Criminal Court went over VERY well and I believe helped push the case into a reality. PLEASE e-mail letters and fax to the following. I've included a form letter if you do not wish to write your own.

Letters can be sent to Inspector Fry and Chief Inspector Draper at inspector@brantfordspca.com, mdraper@ospca.on.ca please cc ferretaid@ferretaid.org & Fax your letters to 519-426-3393 or mail them to Crown Attorney, 44 Queen St., Brantford, Ontario, N3T 3B2

Please feel free to use to the following form letter:

Dear Inspectors Draper and Fry,

I applaud you for taking the Paris, Ontario ferret rescue case seriously and I fully support charges going forth.

The owner of the ferrets may have died, but during the time he was ill and after his death, it was his wife that was responsible for the care of the animals. The photos of the dead ferrets that were partially eaten were not decayed enough to be dead for longer than a month (the time where the wife was responsible for the ferrets) and to me, this clearly shows neglect on her part.

Ferrets have not been known to cannibalize their dead and I have never heard of this happening before. Those ferrets must have been under extreme distress in order to eat their dead. In a loving household, ferrets bond very strongly and have been known to go through horrible times of depression when their cage-mate dies. I can not imagine the emotional distress these ferrets must have been under in order to eat their dead to survive.

If the wife had been providing adequate care for these ferrets, they would not have eaten their dead to survive. While I fully understand there was a death in her family, this DOES NOT excuse the neglect of an animal. She could have called upon the SPCA or Ferret Aid Society for help at any time. Instead, she chose to hold on to the animals and sell them at a later date.

While I also understand this woman will no longer be breeding ferrets, she MUST be held accountable for the neglect and distress she made the ferrets endure during the month she was responsible for them.

Once again, I applaud you for taking this a step further and support this case going all the way.

Sincerely, ******************(PLEASE provide your full name and address)******************

A message from Randy (01/15/05)

WOW, again i am so shocked and thankful for all of you who have donated through SOS or to the card exchange. I am also VERY thankful to those of you who have donated directly to our shelter and to those of you in Toronto who have taken laundry and spent time here with the kids or been limos to our babies to and from the various veterinarians. I wish words could express just how i am feeling, but they simply do not convey just how thankful and honored i am to have "friends" like you all.

It never ceases to amaze me at just how caring and devoted our "little" ferret community is. I am honored to be a part of your group and count myself lucky to "know" you. Thank you all for your support and love over this last month. I want to send a special thank you to Judith, Judy and SOS for their support and to the IFC for their caring gift as well. To the many other shelters (too many to name and i would hate to leave someone out by accident) that have also supported us with meds, bedding and medical supplies, it was a god send. You all are a truly amazing bunch of wonderful people.

Elvis will be going in for the 1st of his 3 surgeries on Wednesday. The vet does not want to do both his hips in one sitting, so he'll go in for his 1st hip replacement on Wednesday. He's doing great by the way and chatting up a storm.

Sugar's surgery on Tuesday was a success. It turned out that she had a HUGE ovarian tumor, not a mummified baby as we originally suspected. i kept the tumor (you know me!). Cassie also went in for surgery this week and he spay was a little complicated and she is on pain meds. She's a little quiet, but doing well.

Dar had her adrenal surgery this week and the vet removed a HUGE left adrenal as well as some insulinomas. Dar also lost a part of her tail. it was scary for a bit as she stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated, but she's holding her own now.

As for the SPCA, i chatted with Chief Insp. Draper today and he promises to further look into why charges were not laid. My main point with him was that none of us were interviewed by Insp. Fry. he only interviewed the "other party" and took their word at face value. Our vet wasn't even contacted for her opinion and i felt that it was a totally one-sided-case. Hopefully Insp. Fry will contact our vet and/or us for the total information package. PLEASE keep those letters coming to Chief Inspector M. Draper: info@ospca.on.ca, Ontario SPCA 16586 Woodbine Avenue, RR 3, Newmarket, ON, L3Y 4W1

It is with a heavy heart and much anger i write this to all of you. Society for the Protection of CRUELTY to Animals? hummmmm...... Once again, the Ontario SPCA has allowed ferrets to fall through the cracks of the animal cruelty system. In fact, they have allowed the ponies to fall through the cracks as well.

Let me start by saying, it's not their fault, they are worried they will lose this case. I guess they don't want to try to win.

According to Insp. Fry, he has no evidence to prove willful neglect. The woman responsible for the ferrets was able to produce a receipt for food that she purchased for the ferrets and admitted the cages were dirty because she was too afraid to stick her hands in to clean them. She also stated that the ferrets had water at all times. a TOTAL lie. Our vet is prepared to testify that the ferrets were severely dehydrated, even after 24 hours of care at our shelter (she is also willing to testify she saw TOTAL neglect). While we were at the "farm" we noted ALL water bottles were EMPTY.

Also, because the true owner was in hospital for a month and died, they say it will be hard to prosecute his wife (who was responsible for them while the hubby was in hospital up until the time we got them).

I've said it before, my mother was in hospital for FOUR months, died - and none of her animals ate each other!

Also according to Insp. Fry, because the woman responsible for the ferrets had placed an add in the paper to "sell" the ferrets, she was trying to "fix" the situation by getting "rid" of them. I guess Canadian laws allow the sale of sick, starving, half-dead animals (though the son-in-law told me the ferret skulls were FREE). if this *is* the case, I have NEVER been MORE ASHAMED to be Canadian than i am right now.

How ironic. It was 7 years ago this month that we were faced with the same situation with the SPCA and 23 ferrets, all with their canine teeth cut out. They couldn't prove distress/neglect with those kids either. It was only AFTER the media and ferret community got involved that charges were laid.

Insp. Fry also told me that because the media was involved this time around, it would look like (in the court's eyes) the SPCA was forced to press charges because of the media. Personally (MY OPINION ONLY) i think that's a load. I remember a case where a dog was dragged behind a truck and the media was ALL over the story and the person was still charged without any complaint from the courts. He also told me that because *his* name is on our web site, it would look like WE forced *him* to press charges.

Our veterinarian is appalled and can not believe this will be the final outcome of this case. She truly believes neglect can easily be found and is shocked with our SPCA.

As for the ponies, 2 (i believe) were euthanized. The others are being sold at a livestock auction.

If you are just as outraged at this as our vet and our volunteers AND me, please write to:

Chief Inspector M. Draper info@ospca.on.ca
Ontario SPCA 16586 Woodbine Avenue, RR 3, Newmarket, ON, L3Y 4W1
(while e-mails are great, remember paper letters are more effective)

Please remember to thank him for his help with the 1998 London rescue and urge him to help now with the Paris kids.

A message from Randy (12/25/04)

... Yesterday afternoon, on Christmas eve, a few of our ferret volunteers/friends came to the shelter. We ate, drank and went into the ferret room. Some of the secret Santa boxes had arrived and the Paris kids HAD something to open.

The kids had a ball! Ferretone and treats were everywhere! There were even 2 (count 'em 2!!!) antlers for kids to wear. i made them suffer by wearing the antlers and snapping photos. Boon loved it most and you could see him thinking "gosh, i look sexy in these!". Poor Elvis just tolerated them and let me kiss him while taking photos. Pickle wasn't sure WHAT kind of torture device it was, but he knew it didn't hurt. Chip was too busy chewing on some plastic McDonalds french fries to care.

Before i went to bed, i crept into the ferret room again. Each ferret was tucked into a warm sleepy sack, bellies filled with Tone and treats (the Santa kids shared) and asleep. Their extra long tongues were all resting on their bottom lips which made them all look so much cuter. Then Oliver woke up.

I looked into his little eyes and wondered what he was thinking. Was he happy? Then sadness came over me. I started to think, what kind of desperation he must have felt to have to eat his cage mate to survive. I picked him up and gave him a kiss. He nuzzled right into my neck and started sniffing me with loud nostrils. A tear fell from my eye and little Oliver didn't miss a beat in licking it away for me.

I believe it was his way of telling me that he was ok. He had to do what he had to do to survive and he was finally safe...

Thank you to the secret Santas for making the Paris kid's Christmas special...

A message from Randy (12/23/04)

I knew *something* was wrong with Elvis the moment things settled down and I got to spend some extra time with him. He walked funny, was very weak in the hind end and loses his footing often.

I had one of our volunteers (thank you Steph) take him into the vet tonight. I'm sad to report some not-so-good news.

Elvis has a dislocated hip, possibly both of them. He was too painful to take a proper x-ray of both hips tonight so the hospital kept him over night and will put him under to get a good look at both hips tomorrow. The doc isn't sure if he has had an injury or if his problem is due to malnutrition when he was a kit. We'll know tomorrow. Please keep him in your thoughts.

Sugar just hasn't flourished as much as the rest of the kids. She has gained weight and been eating well, but she is just not as perky as the rest of them. Steph also took her in tonight and we're a little concerned about cancer with her. The doc took some blood and we should know on Friday what's up with her. Please keep her in your thoughts also.

Love to all, Randy

A message from Randy (12/15/04)

Well, where to begin. The kids are all holding their own and GAINING weight! Our little Elvis LOVES playing with balls. Though he is blind, he can hear where they roll and he chases them though the shelter. It's sad watching him because his back end is still so weak and he falls during the chase, but we're happy we got to him in time. The others (Fleur, Sugar and Cassy) are still gaining weight and doing better.

A wonderful, caring and TALENTED artist has donated a few of her prized items for auction. Please see here

I finally got in touch with someone today ... [and] CHARGES WILL GO FORTH in the Paris rescue. The ponies still haven't been taken care of and *may* be removed from the farm. If any of you are interested in helping with the ponies, please call Inspector Darrin 1-905-898-7122

Here's what i need from all of you; PLEASE write SUPPORTIVE letters to the SPCA, thanking them for taking this case on and doing what they can to ensure charges will stand.

Other rescue operators who have contacted me letting me know YOU have never seen this kind of abuse, PLEASE write that to the SPCA.

Veterinarians, PLEASE write what YOU think would make a ferret eat its cage-mate and what kind of distress YOU believe could have caused it.

PLEASE also send me a copy of what you send the SPCA for my files on this case. THANK YOU ALL for your kindness, dedication and love sent forth to these kids. I'm so happy to say all 29 made it out of there and will survive. My love to each and every one of you.

Insp. Jamey Fry
Brant County SPCA
PO BOX 163
539 Mohawk Rd.
Branford, Ontario
N3T 5M8 Canada

cc me at
PO BOX 1305 STN B
Mississauga, ON
L4Y 2M3 Canada

A message from Randy on Day 2 (12/12/04)

Thank you all for your kind wishes and love sent to these 29 ferrets. Thank you also to many of you who have donated money or supplies towards their care. I'm overwhelmed at the kindness and love among ferret people. it never ceases to amaze me at just how wonderful you all are.

A wonderful, caring and TALENTED artist has donated a few of her prized items for auction. Please see here

Our caring veterinarian, Dr. Regan came into the shelter today to look over all the new kids. She volunteered her time and is only charging us for the vaccines. She said it was her Christmas present to us and to the kids who had endured terrible suffering.

The good news is that most of the ferrets WILL make it and live on to long and happy lives after a lot of TLC. The bad news is that there are 4 ferrets that may not. They may be too far gone, but we are all trying our best. The kids are getting sub-q fluids and i'll be goo'ing them regularly through the day and night.

Right now, most of the kids are still only called by their numbers, though many are slowly showing their personalities and being named. The 4 kids we are worried about are #17, #27, #28 and #29. I've named #'s 27, 28 & 29. Fleur, Elvis and Sugar. I'm leaving #17 for Paige to name, I can see it in her face that #17 has pulled quite a few heart strings of hers. Elvis has mine. He's so weak he can't walk right now, he just lays in my arms, barely able to hold his little head up.

A couple of the kids are blind, probably due to the severe malnutrition and dehydration. This doesn't seem to hinder them and they will still make great pets after a load of TLC.

As for the rest of the crew, we saw some REAL war dancing tonight. There were even a couple of "talkers" and some playing. It brought tears to our eyes knowing these were the first happy times these kids had ever seen. There is NOTHING more gratifying than seeing an abused animal dance with a little joy in their hearts.

That my friends, is a little taste of heaven.

A message from Randy on Day 1 (12/11/04)

Many of you remember the 1998 rescue we did of 30-odd ferrets from a bad place. I posted back then that I had stepped into hell when I stepped onto the farm. Boy was I wrong. Today, I TRULY saw what hell was like.

The back-yard breeding farm was like many I had seen in the past except this was on a residential property.

Old, rusted cages, poop everywhere and that smell....putrid smell of rotting ferret crap and urine. The ground of the little shed where they were kept was cracking under my feet. The floor rusted worse than the cages themselves. Nothing too shocking for me, I had seen this all before.

The i spotted what I *thought* was an ailing ferret laying on its side. I couldn't see too well, it was being covered by two other ferrets cuddled on top of it. As I inched my way towards the cage, horror and vomit rose in the pit of my stomach. These two little ferrets were so starved, they had eaten their cage-mate. This little dead ferret was just skin, spine and a little hair. In fact, I pulled out 3 dead, eaten bodies from their cage and one ferret skull, eaten totally to the bone.

In other cages, we found a total of eight other skulls, eaten to the bone. We worked to get the ferrets out of there faster when we over heard that another group of people were on their way to BUY a pair of breeding ferrets. We didn't give them that chance.

I was then taken to a barn, off the property at a farm to pick up the last 4 ferrets. In this barn were 5 Shetland Ponies. NONE of them had ever had their hooves clipped and one was in such pain, she couldn't stand on her own. She used the wall of the barn to hold her body up. I called the SPCA about the horses and someone will be going out tomorrow.

Before we arrived at the home to get the ferrets, 4 others were given to someone else. In total, we have 29 alive, 11 were found dead, eaten by other ferrets AND a bucket FULL of dead ferret fur.

Now, that's a true taste of Hell.

A message from Paige (12/11/04)

I know the nightmares are going to come, but before they do I want to pass along a couple smiles.

I watched a fuzzy who had never seen anything except a filth encrused wire floor walk on a fleece blanket for the first time.

After we had pulled all the kids out of their wire hell we took a step back and looked in my Rav. There were ferrets smelling fresh air and liking the concept. Some had already fallen asleep with their blanket tucked between their arms hugging the first comfort they have ever been introduced to.

When we arrived back at the shelter I walked into a picture so beautiful I almost started crying at the joy. We had managed to get a temporary foster home for every kid already at the shelter (so the shelter was empty of all four legged babies for a split second of time). The entire room had been transformed. All our multi leveled cages were now single level cages. We had managed to scavenge (thanks to some donations) everything we needed for the first critical day. Every house had its own blankets, hammocks, litter, food and water. The kids heaven was all setup and ready for its new occupants.

It tooks us a couple ferrets getting settled in before we got the routine of processing the new comers down to a fine art. Then we had a fine assembly line in action. Every ferret got assigned a number, its picture taken, sexed, nails trimmed, treated for ear mites and a quick bath to get a couple layers of grime off.

Then the real magic began.. The ferrets were introduced to their own cage. Water bottles filled with fresh, clean water were instantly enjoyed, then the glorious sounds of ferrets crunching Totally Ferret could be heard.

Even the pair of boys that were at the far back of that hell hole without any food managed to eat food on their own. As a matter of fact once they started they did not stop eating and drinking for at least an hour. I even needed to fill up their food bowl again before we had finished processing all the ferrets.

Before I packed up my gear to head back home (and give my kids a big hug for sanity). We cut up a roast that had been cooked specifically for the new babies and made sure everyone had a special house warming treat to welcome them home.

I know this is only the beginning step of these guys road to recovery. These guys are going to need loads of tlc, food, litter, bedding and vet care. However, the important thing for today is they are out of their hell in a comfortable bed with food and water.

Thank you so much for every one who has helped so far. We are not quite sure what tomorrow holds but we made it through day 1, with everyones help we can start to tackles days 2 & 3 ...

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A message from Randy - October 21st 2004     

Last night, eight ferrets were found in a park in Mississauga. They were found near where we had been searching for the two ferrets abandon on Thanksgiving. All but one are babies, approximately three months old. Five of the eight ferrets arrived alive.

Three of the kids are dead. The 1st appears to be dead as a result of another animal attack. The second has been run over by a car and his little face is crushed. The last of the ferrets, we believe to be one of the original Thanksgiving ferrets. She is a white female who appears to have died from starvation. Her little bottom is covered in diarrhea and she is skin and bone.

These three kids will receive a proper private cremation and live with the rest of the ferrets that have crossed the Bridge before them. They also have been named. The little girl who starved will be called Beauty. The little boy who was killed by another animal is called Prince and the poor boy with the crushed face will be known as Knight. Please light a candle for these poor lost ferrets.

The five ferrets that are still alive look pretty good and are all about 3-4 months old. We have one male and four females. None of them are spayed/neutered. The boy is called Mu, the girls are Theta, Beta, Epsilon & Kappa.

The shelter is trying to figure out some fund-raising tactics to help off set the $2,000 costs of spaying/neutering and vaccinating the kids. If any other shelter has any ideas, please throw them our way.

There are still two ferrets in the park that were unable to be caught last night. Please keep your fingers crossed that they are found before it is too late. I know I've said it before, but PLEASE kiss and hold your furry kids tight and let them know that they are lucky to have you.

A message from Paige - October 22nd     

We have 5 new babies at the shelter. It officially means every cage is full, but I am very happy to be able to bring them into our protection !! A person once told me a story about starfish on the beach and the tide rolling out. A person was saving the starfish by tossing them back into the water when he was queried why are you bothering.. there are hundreds of starfish out there and you are only going to save a handful. The response (and what keeps me sane) was: I may not be able to save them all, but think of the difference I could make for those handful of starfish! We can mourne the poor babies that did not make it, but we have to remember we are making huge difference for the babies at the shelter and the kids whose life are affected by our continuing efforts to educate. So remember we have 5 new kids that would not be alive if it were not for the effort everyone took in looking for 2 lost souls !!

We have photos of the deceased ferrets. If you recognize them please contact the shelter at (905) 275-0438. THESE ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IMAGES! The ferrets are deceased and their bodies display extreme trauma that is very disturbing. DO NOT FOLLOW THROUGH TO THESE IMAGES IF YOU ARE UNDER 18. Be advised that these images may disturb you. view the photos here

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Bronte was found trying to keep warm in January under a parked car in Oakville. He was very young and someone had cut his teeth.

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Barbie & Ken came to our shelter in 2001. Barbie's owners told me they hated her but loved Ken. They said Barbie was a biter and needed discipline. She was never touched in a loving way and her owners wouldn't even reach into her carry case to hand her to me.

Ken had apparently "fallen" off their 4 story balcony once. Barbie's dad slipped up and told me that Barbie had been "pushed off" twice, then changed his story to her falling twice. They left me with $20 to care for the pair and left.

I held Barbie & Ken and cuddled for a while before letting them down to run. Barbie couldn't walk. The damage she sustained from the falls had apparently caused her much grief. I watched her in horror falling to one side, then to the other, trying to walk.

The following day, both kids visited the veterinarian. x-rays were done on both of them and Barbie's showed major irreparable damage.

Over the time we had them at the shelter, Barbie became stronger and learned to walk, as long as she had carpet to help her balance. Ken really depended on Barbie for guidance - he is blind & deaf.

Eventually a family showed interest in the couple and took them home. No one could have been more excited than our volunteers who had worked so very hard with Barbie & Ken.

Sadly, in May of 2003, both Barbie and Ken arrived back to the shelter. Their new family was moving and couldn't take the kids with them. They are both in rough shape and Barbie's vulva is huge! She has had both her Adrenal glands removed and Ken has had his left Adrenal gland taken out as well.

Update: As of May 2004, Ken and Barbie moved into a permanent foster home! There are no children or other animals which means they get all the love and attention lavished on them alone! Ken was helped across the Rainbow Bridge surrounded by the people that love him on October 20th, 2005. Barbie followed on February 20th, 2006

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His name is Bandit. He is a 6.5 year old sable male. He has the biggest eyes I have ever seen on a ferret. They beseech you to hold him, cuddle him, save him. Bandit came to the Ferret Aid Society as a result of his owner claiming she could not afford his vet bills anymore.

This was after she had taken Bandit to three (3) vets for opinions. What she spent on the other two vets could have easily been put toward further vet bills. She owned and lived with Bandit for 6 years then just dumped him off like yesterday's news.

I had been informed of Bandit's story and after all this time of being involved with neglected and abandoned ferrets and volunteering at the shelter, I thought I had learned how to disconnect a bit and fight the desire to take them all home and nurture them. Bandit reminded me that my heart is just mush.

I saw Bandit for the first time on Wednesday of last week. I was with a friend who was visiting from the states and had never been around ferrets until she came up here. We were in the back room letting ferrets out, scooping litter boxes, playing and feeding. We were laughing and having a blast. Randy came to the gate with Bandit in her arms.

When I looked at him I gasped! My friend later told me she had to turn away and go back into the room because she could not deal with what she saw. Bandit is a ferret who was declawed when he was young. His feet are swollen to approximately 4 times their normal size and do not even resemble ferret feet. They are devoid of all hair and look shinny like burned skin does. I expected at any moment for the skin to just burst. Bandit's ears are also swollen to about 3 times their normal size and are red and shiny as well. He has very little fur on his tail or body and looks like a ferret who obviously has Adrenal disease.

I could not take my eyes off those feet. One foot looks like it is almost the size of my wrist. When I looked into those big eyes of his I wanted to reach out and hold him. It was all I could do not to cry. Since Bandit is in quarantine and I had been playing with ECE exposed ferrets I could only look back at him. His illness must have been going on for a long time. Feet do not swell like that overnight. Hair loss does not happen overnight.

Thoughts went through my head that his owner must have been hoping he would just die. How could she live day in and day out, looking at this ferret getting sicker and sicker and just ignore it? I don't know and I will never know and I choke on these thoughts. I cannot get this little guy out of my mind. I cannot stop seeing those feet and those eyes.

Bandit's feet have been biopsied and we are awaiting those results as well as other test results. Randy will move heaven and earth and leave no stone unturned in her effort to save this ferret. He wants to live, he tries to walk but he may not be long for this world. Randy suspects he also has Lymphoma.

Randy stands there at the gate, Bandit in her arms and before me is a woman with long hair, big doe eyes, the kindest smile and softest voice. But she is a warrior princess in her heart, and will fight tooth and nail for the ferrets and if love and hugs and cuddles could save Bandit...he would live forever. Some call her a fanatic, some call her obsessive and she probably is all of these things, but I would not want the job she or any other shelter person has. It is thankless, it is heartbreaking and it is a hard life. I sometimes wonder where her breaking point is and I hope she never reaches it. Who would save the Bandits then?

I, at least, go home to my happy, smiling crew every time I am there. I can leave the shelter behind me most times. Randy gets up everyday and hand feeds the sick ones, deals with more and more dumped and unwanted ferrets and takes the ones like Bandit and his poor sick body into her arms and cuddles and holds him. He must be so scared. He lost his home of 6 years.

So even though we have all heard it time and time again, please cuddle your own ferrets a bit tighter today. Kiss them and be grateful that you will probably never have to see that look in their eyes. All the shelter moms and dads give yourselves a pat on the back. Everyone else give yourself one for the good lives you give your fuzzies. It is way too short. Please think about Bandit today and send good thoughts. We are pulling for this little guy but it may already be too late.

- Cindy

November 11 1998
Bandit was in High Park today for some more tests. Lymphosarcoma. is still suspected, but not a major concern at this point. I've fallen in love with this little helpless bundle. Still awaiting pathology reports. RB

November 20 1998
Bandit's test results still have not come back. They were temporarily lost in the mail, but have now found their way to Dr. Williams. We should have results early next week. For now, his hair is growing back (probably due to the good food) and he seems to be holding his own. He's not out of danger though. RB

November 21 1998
Today I have noticed a skin tumor on our Bandit. It's awful and I've never seen anything like it before. It looks like a big, bruised pimple. I'm waiting on a call back from the vet. RB

Pathology report in letter from Dr. B. Williams:
Randy - of course the sample arrived the day I left for St. Louis - well, it looks like a few days delay won't really make any difference overall. I've appended the letter at the bottom, but the upshot is that you are dealing with a rare form of lymphosarcoma which occurs in the skin. I've only seen about 4 cases, including Bandit. With the skin form, it doesn't metastasize very quickly, and one of the case that I saw, when the lesion was completely removed, the animal lived on to die several years later of something completely unrelated. However, judging from your clinical history, it looks like the disease has progressed too far to consider surgical removal at this point.

There is really very little information on this disease, so the question of treatment is still open. It doesn't appear that strong protocols offer any better hope of recovery than palliative steroids. These cells don't really respond to well to chemotherapy, so I think that your best best would be prednisone orally and topically - I'd start with 1mg/lb orally twice a day, and topical steroid cream on the affected areas. An additional problem is that the neoplastic cells are breaking up the hair follicles, and the release of hair shafts into the dermis is causing additional inflammatory problems. The steroids should help that a bit, as well.

Honestly, this is probably going to be a long downhill slide, even with good nursing care. However, I'd go with whatever food you can to keep weight on- ferrets with lymphoma, even localized, tend to lose weight. Wish I had better news.

All the best, Bruce.

I guess this means if Bandit's owner had been nice enough in the 1st place, he'd have a fighting chance. At this point I guess all we can do is keep him comfortable and hope he remains painless.... I'm so sad. RB

December 10 1998
Bandit has now been on the Pred cream and oral Pred. His feet are actually getting smaller! I do believe this is working. Bandit continues to kiss my face raw and loves to be cuddled! RB

January 1 1999
Bandit is not doing so well today. He's very slow and I fear my worst nightmares will come true shortly. He's not himself today. Paige and Cindy are over and they too can see the difference in him. His feet are a bit smaller, but are cracking and a bit bloody. RB

January 3 1999
Bandit seems a bit better today. He wants to play and is squirming to get out of my arms and investigate his surroundings. We now know he's completely blind. As long as he wants to be here, I'll keep him. RB

January 18 1999
This morning when I woke up, I looked in on Bandit. When I saw his eyes, I knew it was time to let him go. He stared at me blankly and didn't bother to exchange kisses with me like normal. With a heavy heart, I made the appointment to take him to the vets and help him cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Bandit was treated with chocolate cake, ice cream and lots of sweets today. What could it hurt, here on his last day with me. He lapped up the soft ice cream and enjoyed the cake and sweets. It even looked as if he was smiling at one point.

At 5pm, Bandit and I embraced and I let him go. I will never forget the pain in this decision or the anger I felt for Bandit's real mom. I longed to see him better and prayed to see him dance. I never got that day, but I did get his love.

Good night dear Bandit. I love you my boy.

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Sammy came to us via a cruelty call we did with the Region of Peel Humane Society. He was terribly underweight and spent almost his whole life in a very small cage in a garage. When Sammy was found, he had no food or water, no litter box, and no blanket to keep his frail body warm. Sammy was bought from a vender in the Snelgrove Flea Market in Brampton and kept in a garage in a cage covered in garbage bags, toys, bikes and clothes. If we hadn't have known there was a ferret in the garage, we would have never found him. At first glance, Sammy looked ok, but when I picked him up, I nearly passed out.

Sammy was so thin, he was only skin and bones. He was a large ferret, but he had no strength. We brought Sammy into the shelter, fed him some of my special "duck soup" and he grew to a wonderful 5lbs! Sammy is now living in a wonderful home with 3 other ferrets to keep him company. He is happy, healthy and finally safe.

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Rusty & Ra came to us on July 1st 1998 at 11:30 in the evening.

Ra and Rusty were tied together with string, doused in motor oil, had burned feet and were left in a garbage bag in the park to die.

Ra, the smaller of the 2 was seriously emaciated and dehydrated. All of his bones were visible. He had no muscle tone and could not walk.

Rusty was not in any better shape. His testicles were burned, he also had no muscle tone and literally fell in and out of the litter pan. Rusty then became infected with ECE and we almost lost him.

Both Rusty & Ra are still having trouble. Ra underwent Adrenal surgery in January, but his symptoms are back. Rusty has some illness no veterinarian can figure out. He also has had 2 surgeries to remove a tumor from his hind leg.

On September 29, 1999 Rusty lost his rear leg.

Dear Harley,

Please offer our condolences to your Mom and Rusty. It is so heartbreaking to lose a friend. We were so glad to hear that your Mom wasn't alone when she found out that Ra had left for the bridge w/o saying good-by. We're sure he didn't mean to hurt her or Rusty by leaving so quickly, but he was just to anxious to get there and be young and healthy again.

He'll be waiting for all of you there and will have all his new friends w/ him when your time comes to see him again.

Mommy says you all were so lucky to find Randy and the other volunteers that help her. Randy has given you one of the best homes on earth, loving you all as though you were her very own fur kids.

With much love and sympathy,
Your friends, Shiloh, Amadeus, Ozzie, Sonny, Sadie, Tess, and (of course) Mom

Sadly, we also lost Rusty in July 2000.

Quote from The Egyptian Book of the Dead
"The gods rejoice when they see Ra crowned upon his throne, and when his beams flood the world with light. The majesty of this holy god setteth out on his journey, and he goeth onwards until he reacheth the land of Manu; the earth becometh light at his birth each day; he proceedeth until he reacheth the place where he was yesterday. O be thou at peace with me. Let me gaze upon thy beauties. Let me journey above the earth."

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This is a documentation of terrible abuse suffered by over (at least) 30 ferrets from London, Ontario. While the perpetrator of some of the abuse, Mr. Robert Jarmain, was found guilty of abusing his ferrets the sentence he was handed down was less than he deserved. Please see our section on Bill C-10 to see how you can help toughen animal cruelty law in Canada. Please note that the links to the form letters are no longer connected as the conviction of Mr. Jarmain was handed down on August 13 1999.

December 29 1997 - story posted to the Ferret Store Message Board
Today I was contacted by the London S.P.C.A. They have a situation where there are 60 ferrets in DISTRESS in London, Ontario. An elderly man has them on a farm in a pen outside in the field. He has not fed or watered them in the 4 weeks that he has had them! The S.P.C.A. has been going over every so often to give them water and food.

Here in Canada, we do not have the resources that the Americans do. There are not as many ferret lovers here and in fact here at the shelter,I have had most of my support from America with the odd exception.

If ANYONE can foster a ferret or two and is willing to go to London to pick them up, PLEASE call the S.P.C.A. there. Mike (519) 451-0630.

I fear that the S.P.C.A. may leave the ferrets where they are if they know that no one will help them to foster or adopt them out. They are in need of all sorts of things. I will be taking as many as I can but I have limited space now having 22 shelter ferrets already. I may be able to take in another 10 or so, but not much more than that.

PLEASE, these ferrets need us. No one else here seems to care about these poor little fuzzies. I have never asked for your help before this and this time I really need it. I won't be able to sleep if we can't help even 1/2 of them.

If any of you have Canadian friends in the Ontario area, could you ask them to foster? I will do my dambdest to get them all homes, but this time I need you guys too.

With a heavy heart, Randy - Ferret Aid Society.

December 30 1997 - a story posted to the Ferret Mailing List
In London, Ontario there is an old man with 60 unfixed ferrets. From what I hear from the London S.P.C.A. the place is awful and the ferrets are never given water or food. They are all in a big pen with each other, fighting and dying. They seem to have decent temperment, but are scared and cold. The females are sick (probably anemia) and the elderly man who owns them refuses to get them fixed or seen by a vet.

The London S.P.C.A. is not sure if they will seize the ferrets or not. They are not sure if there is really distress with them. Ya RIGHT!! I understand that the S.P.C.A. here doesn't like ferrets, but how could you not know that there is distress when any animal is in a filthy cage, thin and doesn't have food or water.

If ANYONE out there can help, please let me know. I am worried that those poor little fuzzies will die without our help. Please, find it in your heart to take in a fuzzy or two until we can find homes for them. You can reach me by e-mail or phone me at (905) 275-0438. All my love, Randy

December 31 1997 - update
With a heavy heart I write this to you. The London S.P.C.A. has allowed the owner of the ferrets to try to sell them, and sell them he did. There are only 28 ferrets left from the original 60. No one will ever know what fate those poor fuzzies will meet. Will they be used for hunting, baiting for pit bulls, or left in a worse fate unknown to all of us that sat around holding our breaths to see if we could help them.

God only knows if there will be any left tomorrow for us to take. The S.P.C.A. does not have the man power to remove the ferrets tomorrow and I fear for the fuzzies. I am going to do the best I can to get as many out of there as soon as I can and with the permission of the S.P.C.A. in London, I will go tomorrow to do this.

- Randy

London S.P.C.A. is not going to help us remove any ferrets until Friday. However, if we can come up with $540, we can go there tomorrow and pick up the ferrets. What's the difference? Money.

We will be buying the ferrets tomorrow, on January 1st 1998. Great way to start off the year! I hope all will go well and most of the ferrets will be safe.

- Randy

January 1 1998
Today, members of the F.A.S.T. along with some volunteers and the London S.P.C.A. went to a place not far from hell. An old city dump, converted into a barn and land with a huge sess pool and no running water.It was dark and dismal with no sunlight today. We saw garbage and mess almost as far as the eye could see. The wind blew bitterly and deep snow covered the ground. Goats and geese were seen in the distance and the 82 year old man came forward.

I sent one of my members forth to negotiate for the price of the ferrets. About 15 minutes later, Karl returned to us angry and frustrated. The price had gone up. We agreed to pay and proceeded on the property to remove the ferrets. I had my camera in my hands, but was not prepared to see what I saw. The ferrets were housed in plywood boxes and mesh in the snow. I lifted the lid of one of the boxes and found many ferrets bunched together, covered in snow and laying in wet hay. There was no food or water in the 2 main cages, but some goat pellets were in the a bowl in another cage and that was obviously what he was feeding them.

The man approached me and proceeded to tell me that he traded his 2 dogs for these ferrets and he had no problem selling them for $20 each at the auction the other day. I then told him that there were only 23 ferrets and asked where the others were. He replied that they had gotten loose and he couldn't catch them.

In the freezing wind, we all gathered around poking and digging through piles of garbage furniture looking for the lost ferrets. There were boroughs, but no ferrets. The man them dropped a bag at my feet and told me it would attract the ferrets. I looked closer at the bag and I saw blood. It was a whole (feathers and all) frozen home killed chicken.

The cold was just too bitter and we had to leave. If he was telling the truth and there are still ferrets on the property, we'll get them too. After the last ferret was put into the van, we all stood back and looked up in amazement. The clouds opened up, and a bright ray of sunshine smiled at us.

Upon arriving at the London shelter, we vaccinated all the ferrets, clipped their nails and gave them food and water. I picked up a small female and looked at her. My eyes widened with horror when I noticed that her teeth had been cut out. I alerted the others and we checked all the ferrets teeth. Not one was left with teeth. They had all been cut.

Arriving back at our shelter in Toronto, we settled the ferrets in and made them comfortable. It was nice to be home and away from the mounds of snow in London. There was a calm in the shelter after a while and we all knew that the ferrets finally felt safe. We patted each other on the backs and hugged each other. All of us feeling fulfilled and accomplished. It was a long hard day, but I would do it again any day.

The ferrets will need to be spayed/neutered. Some of them will need dental surgery as the cut teeth have become infected. Supplies are needed until we can get them their final shots. Litter pans, water bottles, litter and any financial donations are gratefully excepted.

Randy

January 2 1998
The London Humane Society was so kind in helping us buy the ferrets. They also supplied us with the vaccines and space to assess and immediately care for the ferrets. Inspector Mike Draper and his wife who both had the day off volunteered to help us and spent a full 8 hours doing so. My beef was never with Mike, just the way things went. Now that the ferrets are safe, I guess I seethings a bit clearer.

I still feel that the Humane society moves like a snail and didn't follow the procedures as I was taught them in MY agent course, but all that does not matter now. The ferrets are safe, and will be looked at by a vet this weekend.

If it was not for all of the volunteers we had on New Year's day to execute the Operation Fuzzy Rescue, it would have been a disaster. Hopefully this will not happen again, but at least we will be prepared to handle it.

Some of the fuzzies have mild frostbite and one had foot rot that was treated at the Humane Society. They will all be looked after.

Randy

January 9 1998
They are starting to act like *normal* ferrets! They are playing and "talking" and even trying to escape from their cages! The one "jail breaker" we did get, saw me coming and sat in the middle of the floor, looked up at me and decided he was proud of himself and "dooked" on his merry way.

Most of them will be spayed/neutered in the next few weeks as 2 have started to show signs of heat. They are going in today to be "fixed". Thanks to the efforts of all involved with the ferrets, I think they will all be fine and happy forever!

January 21 1998
They continue to expand their ferret behavior! Every day, they become more and more like normal ferrets. I sometimes sit alone with them and watch them play, and I find myself with a tear in my eye, seeing how lovely they have come out of their shell.

Most of them have been adopted. With the exception of 4, they were all adopted in pairs to keep them together. After all, we figured that the only reason they stayed alive WAS because they were together. None of them will be adopted by themselves unless the new parents have other ferrets.

There are 2 ferrets that we still can't adopt out. They bite and I need to do some work with them first. I've fallen in love with these 2 and I wish I could just keep them. I got a big NO from my boyfriend :o)

Thanks for everything :o)

Randy

January 26 1998
UPDATE; 90% of the ferrets have been adopted into loving homes. Most of those went in pairs with only 3 going into homes by themselves, but those homes had other ferrets too. No ferret went to a home by themselves without other ferrets being involved.

All the ferrets stayed in Canada, with most staying in Ontario. All the fuzzies were spayed, neutered and given 1st shots. There are still a few left for adoption, but I have no doubt that they will be gone soon.

With thanks to :: Sam :: for this page, The Toronto Internet Ferret Group, The F.A.S.T. members and to a lot of strangers who helped out with litter, litter boxes and treats for our little ones. None of this could have been done without you!!!

Randy

February 11 1998
As of January 23, we presumed the 4 London ferrets who got lost to be dead. With tears we had a moment of silence for them. Finding out that there was a hole in the bottom of the pens just made us feel glad that we got the 24 that we did.

February 2nd, I received a phone call that 2 of the 4 that were presumed dead were found! They are very thin, and recuperating well even though they have some external parasites. They are being treated by a vet, and I hope to have them in homes within the next few weeks after they are well enough to be spayed.

There are only 2 other ferrets left from the rescue. They are still here due to some complications and should be ready for adoption soon.

Randy

February 20 1998
Yesterday (Feb 19) 5 more ferrets were brought in from London. None of the 5 females are spayed and 4 of them are from the same place as the rest. One is a sweet albino who was in heat. Luckily, we found a vet who could fix her up today.

The 4 other females, who were dropped off at the farm where not more than a month ago, 24 ferrets were found in awful conditions. Supposedly, the breeder of the ferrets (who is in Windsor, Ont) dumped the little girls off at the farm. None of them have been socialized, and they are quite aggressive. One of them lunges at anyone who comes near her and the others are fear biters.

Again, their teeth have been cut out and again, they were fed goat food. I would like to hear from anyone in the Windsor area who may know who the breeder is. We are not getting any answers from the owner of the farm, and it would be nice to get to the source of all these ferrets and stop this insanity once and for all. I have been told that there may be as many as 60 ferrets with this breeder and that he is the one cutting out their teeth.

Randy

March 13 1998
A new rescue is set in place for yet another batch of London ferrets. This time it's a breeder and not just some dumb old man who took them from a breeder to sell. There are about 100 or so ferrets in 2 breeding establishments. As I was told, this place makes the original London rescue look like a resort Hilton Hotel. This is so sad if you can see by scrolling down this page and seeing the photos of the last rescue.

We are in the process of finding out information from our local government and by law officers as to what we can do to shut the breeders down and end the problem there. I however don't think it will be as easy as the last rescue at all. This breeder, if not closed wants $50 per ferret. This means if we can't close him it would take $5,000 to shut him down by buying his stock.

Regardless of what we have to do, we'll get ferrets. If there is anyone interested in fostering or helping out with the rescue, please e-mail me at magick@echo-on.net

March 17 1998
The last 5 ferrets that were brought in from London are ready for adoption. You can see their pictures and read a bit about them at out "adoptees of the month" page.

Excerpt from that month's "adoptees of the month" page:

I can't tell you their entire history, as most of it is a dark mystery filled with painful memories for the four darlings that you see before you. However, I can tell you the parts of the story that we know.

On February 19th, 1998 a road trip to London, Ontario brought these 4 girls into my life.Their background is intertwined with the 24 ferrets that were rescued from a junk yard at the onset of the year, (if you are not familiar with the history please take a minute and read about the rescue). Where these ferrets were during the original trip to London, I don't believe we will ever find out. However, we are positive that these 4 are a continuation of the original story as the age/markings and chopped teeth are the same as the original crew. However, there is 1 major difference....TIME. Unlike our first encounter with the London rescue that resulted in joyous kisses from 24 happy babies, these girls had lost another month from their lives, and this time showed in the demeanor, they were TERRIFIED!

Armed with tons of patience and love, I brought these 4 scared girls to my house. The first couple of days, brought with them a new respect for fear biters and a sense of awe at how intimidating a hiss can be. However, slowly the girls grew to trust a human and after that they quickly turned into the 4 sweethearts that you see above you. Now, each of them wakeup in the morning looking forward to a day of running, playing and being hugged.

August 8 1998
So, we went. So we saw. So we feel like crying....

2 farms were visited today. Both were sub standard. The 1st was not as bad as I expected, but still bad. He neuters his own animals to start. Has never tried a spay, because as he put it, "no one has ever shown me how". His place was cleaner than Bob's in London, but he gave water to the ferrets in old tin cans. There were no bowls or bottles.

The second place was just plain awful. I don't know how to explain it. It was in a small shed, HUGE flys everywhere and a bunch of kids who were tought by their dad how to "handle" ferrets. They were picked up by the tails, "flicked" really hard on their noses if they bit or tried to bite. The cages were covered in poop and all in total between both breeders there are about 70-80 ferrets. We saw a ferret missing a foot, and were told his mother chewed it off. He was not for sale.

Neither of these breeders believed in Veterinarians or vaccinating. Like I said, the 1st did his own "castrating". The 1st also **almost** cared about the ferret's well-being. He's just not very educated. The 2nd didn't care at all. They had many animals who were not housed properly from the sun or other elements. The dog's water was brown and the ferret's food was moistened and looked spoiled in the hot summer sun. Many of the cages did not have water.

Now, keep in mind we went under cover with a hidden camera. I have all of this on tape (I think haven't watched it yet). However, this has to be an on going investigation for us and I have to keep good repor with these people. There are at least 5 more breeders which I was told breed very sick ferrets. This coming from a guy who admitted to cutting their teeth out in the past!!

If we want to get info on all the breeders, I have to remain a sweet and understanding lady interested in buying ferrets for research purposes.This, was the hardest thing I had to pretend to be in my life and I'm sure I speak for the rest of us too.

We bought 4. That's all we had money for. You'll never know what it felt like for us to have to pick who was saved and who was left behind.

The Ferret Aid Society

August 1998
Aug. 8, 3 of us went in to look at the London breeders. We saw 2 that day. Creepy breeder #1 was not too bad. Not up to par, but not too bad. I used the cover that I was working at a lab that used ferrets for testing, so he told me all about his operation. 1st, he neuters his own animals WITHOUT anaesthetic. He will also admit that he has killed some of them this way (by accident of course), but he will continue to do this.

Creepy breeder #2 was awful. The conditions the ferrets lived in were not as bad as the original London rescue done Jan 1st, but none the less it was awful. They were in a small tin/wood shed. Food and water was not readily available and if it was, it was spoiled.

His kids were tough to pick the ferrets up by their tails and IF they opened their mouths (the ferrets, not kids) they were flicked REALLY hard on the nose. I hear them cry everytime they were hit.

The cages were littered in feces and urine. There were so many flys and filth. We got 8 out over 2 weeks. By the time we were ready to go back a 3rd time, the breeder had sold all his stock and was keeping only his breeders. We are investigating cruelty charges on this case.

Thanks again to Sam for maintaining this page. Without Sam's help, there would not be a London page.

The Ferret Aid Society

November 17 1998
Bob, (the original London rescue), has been seen by the SPCA with more ferrets. They say at this point there is nothing they can do to remove the ferrets there. They keep issuing Orders to Bob ( a legal paper to make people do things), but so far they have made no arrangements to do anything else.

He is in breech of probation, but nothing can be done to remove the ferrets. He'll probably SELL them at an auction again to god knows who.

This time I'm hoping we can work together with the SPCA instead of against them.

The Ferret Aid Society

January 3 1999
January will prove to be a deja vu from last year. Again we are fighting the London SPCA and trying to get them to remove ferrets who are not being properly cared for in the London area. Bob Jarmain (of last year's rescue) is up to his old tricks again and so is the SPCA. I have provided them with letters from veterinarians stating ferrets with cut teeth are in DISTRESS and must be seen by a veterinarian IMMEDIATELY.

Still, they procrastinate in doing anything about these ferrets. Now, Bob is feeding them Dog food which is only **slightly** better than the Goat food of last year. With the recent freak snow storm that has rocked much of North America, I fear we will be dealing with more frostbite with the kids too.

It is so unfortunate that the SPCA is not interested in working with us. I feel this time, things could have gone differently and we could have worked together in helping PREVENT cruelty to animals. Unfortunately, it's not going to be that way and I plan a trip to London in the next week to go and see things for myself.

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

January 5 1999
January 5th the phone rang at 7 am. My London contact was able to go yesterday.

I wasn't able to go because I had Salem going to Guelph for pre admit for his surgery on Wednesday (today). I sent 2 very trusted volunteers and this is what they came back with.

Mr. Jarmain (Bob) had 1 ferret. HE IS THE ONE WHO CUTS THEIR TEETH OUT! He uses tweezers and snaps them out without anestethic and without guilt. He says it doesn't hurt them (much) and that there is no blood.

The single ferret he had, was in a small wooden box in the middle of a field. He had no food or water, and after bringing him home the volunteers discovered he was eating straw after he had his 1st bowel movement. Straw is even less nutritious than hay and is pure fiber.

There was a frozen dead rabbit next to the pen that looked like it had frozen to death where it lay. There were more than a dozen cats being fed dog food and bread. Most of them looked to be kittens and most were in heat. There were 2 dogs without food or water and the animal's food was stored in a torn bag on top of a truck. It appears he also breeds horses who actually looked good, but still had no water.

The little ferret we got is severely emaciated and was terribly dehydrated. He's planning another new shipment of ferrets next week and I'm stumped on what to do. I won't buy them. I won't feed this man's insanity. I'll try once again to urge the London SPCA to get these ferrets out. They need veterinary attention and I can't do it on my own. If anyone out there has any suggestions, please, please e-mail or call me. magick@echo-on.net. (905) 275-0438

Please also say a prayer today for Salem who is undergoing a serious operation in his chest and a prayer for the other ferrets out there who we can't get.

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

January 7 1999
The London Saga continues. I found out that because of the letters I sent to both the head office of the SPCA and the London Humane Society, Mr. Jarmain was ordered not to have any more ferrets. He was in breach of this by having the ferret we got day before yesterday.

They have also told me that they will pursue criminal charges for failing to provide this kid with adequate care if we can get the reports together. So, today I'll be at the keyboard getting this all together.

I'll still need to go out again to London next week to visit and see if there are any more ferrets there. I sure hope not. He has a court date in February for breach of probation and if he gets charged again, he'll go to jail. I'll keep you all up to date in what's going on. Thanks so much.

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

January 18 1999
Snowy did it! Mr. Robert Jarmain has FINALLY been charged with cruelty to animals (ferrets) because of Snowy! I feel on top of the world! We have fought so hard and long for this moment and I couldn't be happier!

I'm still urging you all to write to the London Criminal court in support of this case. If they see how much we stick together they will see how much we love our ferrets. Mr. Jarmain's 1st appearance is March 2, 1999! Here is a form letter you can use.

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

January 23 1999
With thanks to Jeremy Locke of the London SPCA for pursuing our case against Bob Jarmain of Mt. Brydges. As a previous cruelty agent myself, I still think things could have been done a bit different, but, Mr. Locke did everything in his power to help us unlike previous HS staff. He has been a god send with this case and I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to him and the London SPCA.

I'm so glad they worked with us this time and not working without us. It's unfortunate that all SPCA's in Ontario don't take the lead with ferrets the way the London HS did with us. Hopefully, this will show other SPCA's and Humane Societies that someone does care and even though they have a policy against ferrets, we are still here to help provide the fur kids with homes and love.

Please continue to show your support for the London SPCA and the F.A.S. by signing and sending off the form letter.

Also with thanks to Sam (My hero) for maintaining this page for all of us to see. You are the best!

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

March 19 1999
Bob Jarmain didn't show up for his 1st appearance on March 2, 1999. He was arrested and spent the night in jail. He was released the following day and sent back into the public. No word on when his next date is.

I want to thank all of you who have written to the London Criminal court on behalf of Snowy, The Ferret Aid Society and The London HS. They have been receiving letters for the past 2 months and are really curious about this case and why it's gotten attention from all over North America.

In light of the easy Canadian Criminal laws, the London HS has asked me to post this to all of you. In America, the Criminal Code is much stronger in supporting animal's rights than here in Canada. It is for this reason, I ask yet again of you for help and support. There are still many Bob Jarmains out there and many ferrets and animals suffering in Canada because of our 100 year old laws that have yet to be strengthened.

Please find it in your heart to write to our Minister of Justice/ Solicitor General and request a tougher Criminal Code for Animal abusers. A form letter can be found here. http://home.echo-on.net/~magick/form.html

To write your own letters, please do so at this address.
Crimes Against Animals
Hon. Anne McLellen
Min. of Justice/ Solicitor General
Justice BLD.
284 Wellington St. 5 FL
Toronto, Ontario
K1A 0H8
Canada

Thank you!!!!!!

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

June 5 1999
Robert Jarmain of Mt. Brydges, Ont has his day in court on July 15, 1999. It's his trial date for the cruelty to Snowy, a ferret we got from him in January of this year. Snowy was kept in a wooden box in the snow, fed hay and had a worm on his back that was left to grow into an abscess. Mr. Jarmain is also the man responsible for the over 30 ferrets from last year who he admittedly cut their k-9 teeth out and left them in small wooden boxes in the harsh winter in London.

I ask you to please continue to send in your letters to the London Criminal Court in support of Snowy. His case may be thrown out because "he's just a ferret". In thanking all of you who have already written, please take the time to do so again. You can see a form letter here or better yet, write your own letter.

Thank you so, so much!

London Criminal Court
c/o Prosecutor's office
RE: Ferret Aid Society
PO BOX 5600 Term. A
London, Ontario
NIA 2P3 Canada

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

June 25 1999
We just got our summons to court for the Robert Jarmain case in London. He's the one who had Snowy and kept him in a small wooden box covered in snow, fed him hay and left him to grow a worm on his back for 7 months.

The London criminal court has had overflowing letters from all of us ferret lovers, and I thank you for that. Showing support in this case is essential because it's London's 1st ever ferret case to be brought before the court system.

Please continue to send support for Snowy to:
London Criminal Court
c/o Prosecutor's office
PO BOX 5600 Term. A
London, Ontario
NIA 2P3 Canada

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and Snowy's too!

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

July 15 1999
WE WON!!!!!!!!! Bob Jarmain was found guilty of failure to provide the necessary care, housing and life essentials to a ferret. He will be sentenced on August 12.

Your letters that were written to the court will then be presented to the Judge for review. It was a great day and I am so happy to say we won. Thank you all for your support over the last year and a half. It was a long battle, but we won it.

With special thanks to the London Humane Society and everyone on the FML.

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

August 13 1999
Bob Jarmain was sentenced yesterday. It didn't turn out as well as we were hoping, but better than nothing. Bob is now banned from owning any animals for 2 years, which, considering he is 82, could be the rest of his life. Lara T tells me that he has 30 days to get rid of all the animals on his property and then the Humane Society can come and take the rest. He has no ferrets currently.

The London Humane Society tried for a ban for 5 years, but under the Canadian Criminal Code, 2 years is the maximum.

Currently, our Minister of Justice is hearing arguments on making the C.C.C. tougher for animal offenders. Hopefully, this will come about soon. If you would like to show your support for this, please go here http://home.echo-on.net/~magick/form.html

Thank you to all of you who wrote into the London court in support of Snowy. It means a lot to me and to Snowy too.

This is good news. I think :o)

Randy
The Ferret Aid Society

Happy Endings... Happier Beginnings - Terrie and Stan Siatkowski - with Gromit January 22, 1998
Terrie and I were privileged to be allowed to adopt one of the rescued London ferrets. After a weekend of playing with them at the Pet Smart store right after their rescue on New Years Day, and a few days of contacting vets for free spays and neuters, driving all over the place dropping them off and picking them up (not nearly as much work as Randy did, though, by a long shot), we finally got our new baby, Gromit, home officially last Friday. He's been here since last Tuesday, along with two brothers, resting after surgery, but we took them all back to Randy's on Friday, and she gave us the OK to take him home. Now he's an official part of our little family. Gromit is an exceptionally cute, chunky little sable, black nose and all. He's really cuddly, likes to kiss and to wrestle, and already has his favorite toy, the Cheweasel on a string tied to a fishing rod. He's still a bit skittish. Sudden sounds or movements send him scurrying under the nearest piece of furniture, but he sticks his nose out right away, and will come out if you put your hand down. He stinks something fierce, and we can't wait to bathe him after the stitches come out.

We already have 5 others. Ferret Math Strikes Again!!! (Three was going to be our absolute limit...). Four of them had their own room, but Stash, the newest, just wasn't accepted by the others, so he lives in the rest of the house with us. Now he has a little playmate. They're still getting used to each other, and there's an occasional screaming match when Stash decides he's not yet sure what this new thing is, but it's getting better day by day, and they should be sharing a sleeping basket soon.

We didn't get Gromit descented, since he has had his teeth cut out by the ...person... who had them before the rescue, so we decided not to descent him so he still had some defense, and it paid off. Yesterday Stash tried to get a bit more agressive, and Gromit poofed him one. You never saw a squabble end so quickly! Terrie hadn't experienced a ferret poof before, so it came as quite a shock to her. She looked in my direction first, but I wasn't responsible (at least for THAT one!)

Right now Gromit's just completed his bombing around the basement where I'm writing this. He's finished tugging at my bathrobe, and he's pushed boxes away from the walls, dragged socks under the futon, run through all the ferret tubing, generally done all the regular ferret stuff, and now he's speed-bumping in the middle of the floor. Time for bed for him, and the start of another day for us. Mookie and the back-room boys are scratching to get their playtime. Stash has already done his duty and woken us up at 5:30, and 6:30, and 7:30, and now he's snoozing under the bed.

We're lucky to have this new guy. I know the other 22 have all had their neuters/spays done or arranged, thanks to many Toronto area vets who donated their services either free or at big discounts, and many are already adopted out or have their new homes arranged. If the're anything close to Gromit in personality, I know there will be a lot of happy new ferret homes, and a lot of happy ferrets.

<--- Stan Siatkowski ---

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