What is the Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association?
Why do we need ferret rescues?
How is the PFRA funded?
What does the Rescue do with the ferrets taken in?
Can anyone adopt a ferret?
What other services does the PFRA provide?
What area does the PFRA serve?

WHAT IS THE PENNSYLVANIA FERRET RESCUE ASSOCIATION?

The Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association is an organization devoted solely to the needs of domestic ferrets and their owners. It takes in ferrets who are homeless, abandoned, unwanted, ill, or neglected. The Rescue then provides a safe haven for the ferret until a suitable, permanent home can be found. This Rescue is one of over two hundred ferret shelters in the United States that is working toward the needs of the domestic ferret.

The Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association was formerly known as the Central Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue. It was founded in 1994 and is run by Kymberlie Becker Barone out of her home in State College, Pennsylvania. In addition to the name change of the Rescue, there are a number of other changes taking place. The biggest change has been the expansion of the shelter to now include three branches. There now are branches in Montgomery County, Chester County, and Centre County. Other changes include the formation of a ferret club, and the implementation of fundraisers, vaccination clinics, and public appearances to promote education about the domestic ferret.

WHY DO WE NEED FERRET RESCUES?

Sadly, there are thousands and thousands of domesticated pets in the United States that are homeless or who are living in unsuitable conditions. Nearly everyone in the country is familiar with the SPCA or the Humane Society, and thankfully many people who are looking for a companion pet go to these services to find one. Generally, however, people go there looking for a cat or a dog. There are still many people in the United States that don't know what a ferret is, and even more people believe that there aren't that many ferrets in the country and therefore they would never consider looking for one in an animal shelter.

However, the sad truth is that there are far too many ferrets that find themselves without a home. If they make it to a traditional animal shelter, often they are put to sleep there simply because anyone that is looking for a ferret doesn't think to check their local shelters. They remain in them until their time is up, and they are put to sleep.

Over the past decade or so, ferret shelters and rescues started popping up in every state in the country. The devoted directors of these shelters have realized that there are many, many ferrets that are unwanted and either abandoned or left living in homes that don't really want them. Ferrets were considered a "fad" pet, especially in the 1980's, and many people rushed out, dropped $100-$200 for this "cool" pet, then the novelty wore off. Some people simply lost interest; others didn't realize the committment needed for a ferret. Whatever the reason, ferrets were in need of rescuing.

One major difference between ferret shelters and other animal shelters is that none of the ferret shelters currently under operation are "kill" facilities. We all act as "no-kill," meaning that no matter how many ferrets are taken in, none are euthanized for any reason except medical necessity in ill pets. Most of the ferret shelters and rescues have an unwritten reciprocal link to all other ferret shelters, so that if one has too many ferrets in its care, ferrets can be transferred to another shelter with the resources and space to accomodate them.

HOW IS THE PFRA FUNDED?

Unfortunately, there is no form of government funding available to help support shelters for domestic ferrets. Thus, shelter directors must rely on their own means to continue running their organizations. In general, ferret shelters do not bring in enough money to cover the basic costs of rescuing ferrets, and as a result much of the expense is taken out-of-pocket by shelter directors. None of us are in this business to make money; we are all selflessly devoted to caring for ferrets in need.

The PFRA operates as a not-for-profit organization. Our expenses are covered through adoption fees, fees for other services, and by donations made by generous ferret supporters. The rest is covered out-of-pocket.

The cost of running a good shelter can be overwhelming. Each ferret that comes into the Rescue must be checked by a veterinarian to determine any health problems, and if no proof of current vaccination is provided at the time of drop-off, rabies and distemper vaccines must be administered. While ferrets reside at the Rescue, any illness that may arise is treated as if the ferret is one of our own. The bulk of expense the shelter must deal with is in providing medical care. Other costs include keeping the shelter stocked with safe, appropriate cages, proper bedding, high quality foods (we do not give shelter ferrets foods any less nutritional than we give our own pets), and seemingly endless supplies of litter. We also incur costs in creating publications such as our New Ferret Owner handbook, our bi-monthly newsletter, the Pennsylvania Ferreter, our contracts, adoption packets, and publicity materials used to inform the public about ferrets as pets and our shelter's services.

For these reasons, we gratefully accept donations of cages, food, bedding, litter, and money. Currently, our only "fundraiser" is in offering our newsletter, the Pennsylvania Ferreter, to those interested in subscribing. A one year subscription is $20.00.

If you would like to read more about the costs associated with running a shelter or would like to make a donation to a shelter in your area, read Shelter Ferrets Need A Happy New Year Too, in our What's New section.

WHAT DOES THE RESCUE DO WITH
THE FERRETS TAKEN IN?

No ferret will be turned away from the shelter for any reason. Ferrets of any age, in any health, are welcome. Ferrets come to the PFRA for many reasons. Some of the most common reasons include:

• Owner doesn't have enough time to spend with ferret
• Owner is having a baby and cannot keep ferret
• Ferret belonged to a child who no longer pays attention to it
• Ferret belonged to a college student whose parents won't let the ferret come home
• Ferret is not compatible with other ferrets or pets in the home
• Ferret was found running loose (Note: ferrets can only survive an average of 3-5 days out of captivity! Never let your ferret "free.")
• Owner decided that a ferret was not an appropriate pet.

Once a ferret comes to the Rescue, a complete health exam is performed by a veterinarian, and vaccinations are brought current. Ferrets are quarantined for a designated period of time until we can be certain that it is not harboring any contagious illness that may spread to other Rescue ferrets or our pets. After the quarantine period, the ferret is placed on the For Adoption list. While ferrets reside at the Rescue, they are treated as we treat our own ferrets. They are given ample run time every day, good food, and attention. Every attempt is then made to find the perfect home for the rescue ferret, and will be adopted out. The only exceptions are in the case of ferrets that are deemed "unadoptable" for reasons such as poor health, old age, or behavioral problems. These ferrets will then remain in the shelter indefinitely, and are treated with as much love and compassion as our own pets for the remainder of thier life.

CAN ANYONE ADOPT A FERRET?

No. Being in the business of rescuing ferrets, we have seen far too many situations of ferrets being improperly cared for, sometimes intentionally and more often unintentionally. Ferrets are not cats or dogs, and they have different requirements than these pets. To be eligible to adopt a ferret from the Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association, one must first pass an application procedure. The next step is to have a meeting, generally at the shelter, so the applicant may see the ferrets and so we can learn more about the applicant. While previous ferret ownership is not a requirement for adoption, a demonstrated knowledge about ferrets is required. If the applicant has little or no knowledge about ferrets, but seems to be willing to learn, we are more than happy to take the time to provide information about ferrets and their needs. Once an applicant has learned enough about ferrets to satisfy our requirement, the adoption procedure may continue.

We have a standard contract that all adoptive parties must agree to before an adoption may take place. This contract contains provisions that guarantee that ferrets adopted from the PFRA will continue to receive medical care, including annual vaccinations and blood tests (to detect certain illnesses). The PFRA reserves the right to reclaim ownership of adopted ferrets if this medical care is not kept current.

WHAT OTHER SERVICES DOES THE PFRA OFFER?

In addition to rescue and adoption services, the Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association provides other means of support to ferrets and their humans.

Ferret Boarding: For a small fee, the PFRA will gladly provide ferret-sitting services. We board ferrets both short and long term, and will provide any requested special requirements you ask us to (i.e.; "My ferret gets exactly five raisins a day and three drops of Ferretone on his food..."). Boarding ferrets at veterinarians and other boarding facilities can be unsuitable for ferrets. Ferrets need to have human attention and more than ten minutes a day out of their cages. When you board at a ferret shelter, your ferrets are treated as warmly as they would be at home.

Grooming: The PFRA will groom your ferret, including bathing, ear cleaning, toenail clipping, and in some cases, tooth scaling. Often we are asked simply to teach ferret owners the best ways of grooming their ferret themselves, and we will gladly set up appointments to have you bring your ferret in for a complete interactive grooming. Keeping your ferret well-groomed is far more important than merely keeping him looking good; many health problems arise from poor grooming habits.

Training: While each ferret is unique and individual in his ability to be trained, the PFRA will be happy to assist you in any way we can. We get a large number of requests to help litter train ferrets; we will provide you with as many tips as we can in this area. The most common habit we help ferret owners with is teaching ferrets not to bite. We can take your ferret in for up to a week and teach it not to bite, or we can set up an appointment with ferret owners and teach them how to discipline their ferret effectively. In this department we have over a 90% success rate in stopping ferrets from nipping.

Information Services: With the exception of caring for the ferrets, the largest part of our job is in our information services. Anyone is free to contact our shelter with any questions they may have about ferrets. We have a great deal of printed information on subjects such as training, health, showing your ferret, etc. We also can put those inquiring in touch with a number of outside resources, including expert veterinarians, national ferret organizations, and ferret books and publications. There is no subject about ferrets that we cannot assist you with; if we are asked about a topic we cannot help you with we will research it for you. Questions can be directed to us via e-mail, snail mail, or telephone; please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

Public Appearances: The PFRA is interested in educating about and promoting the domestic ferret as a pet. If you would like us to make a public appearance for your organization, retail store, veterinary office, or for any other reason, please feel free to contact us. If you live in an area where you feel a public appearance would be helpful, contact us with a location you think might be appropriate and we will look into it. We are willing to make appearances anywhere in Pennsylvania, and in areas of Delaware and New Jersey that border Pennsylvania.

WHAT AREA DOES THE PFRA SERVE?

Anyone, anywhere in the United States is willing to contact us for information. While we generally only rescue ferrets in Pennsylvania (due to the distance we would need to travel), if you have a ferret in need of rescuing please feel free to contact us. We can put you in touch with the shelter nearest to your home.

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