Post by cwhalen on Jan 25, 2007 13:57:02 GMT -5
Claudia Johnson-President and Director
Dee Bickling-Secretary and Treasurer
Claudia Johnson is from Pittsburgh, PA and attended school in West Virginia and later Athens, Georgia. She now lives on a farm in Elkton, Maryland where she has quite a menagerie of critters (mostly rescues) including sheep, goats, chickens, two dogs and cats.
In 1998, she decided she would like to get a ferret and decided to adopt one instead of buying from a pet store. While working for a veterinarian one day a week a client mentioned that her 16 yr old son no longer wanted his ferret. That was all she needed to hear. Claudia didn't ask what color, sex, age or even if it had all its body parts. She just knew she wanted that ferret. This first ferret, Zeke, changed her life forever. Although he went to the bridge in March 2003, he is in her thoughts daily.
When she went from working full time to part time in February of 1999, she became a volunteer for the Oxford Ferret Rescue in Oxford, PA. Although it was never her intention, she ended up taking over shelter operations. In November 1999, her family moved 1 mile into Maryland, but kept the original shelter name.
When there were ten ferrets running around her home, she thought that was plenty. Currently the number hovers around 35-40 ferrets. There are many permanent residents since it's hard to place geriatric ferrets, especially those needing surgery or who are on daily medicine. Claudia has herself adopted several ferrets that've been surrendered to the shelter in order to give them forever homes. Samantha Jane (named after the previous shelter owner), was found in a dumpster in November of 1999. She was skin and bones and filthy. She turned out just great, and since she was Claudia's first abuse case, she knew she had to keep her. She has been told that you can't do surgery on everything that comes in, and to keep your rescues different in your heart than your own ferrets. To Claudia, those words sounded like rational advice and she agreed, until the ferrets were with her long term and she grew to love each and every one of them the same. Because she gets so many geriatric ferrets that are in need of surgery, her vet bill has ballooned to over 2500.00 in a hurry. Since the shelter is privately run, and the quest has just begun for donations and volunteers the burden for these costs has fallen squarely on Claudia's shoulders. But she is not the kind of person who would turn away a needy animal.
On the days that she works, she rises five hours before leaving for her job. There are separate playgroups that have to be let out for exercise and playtimes, and many elderly ferrets need hand fed and medication. Afterwards, she goes to the barn to care for the other animals and then gets ready for work. The same care is necessary in the evening also. Somehow Claudia manages to squeeze in 30+ hours of work outside the shelter per week.
With the help of some wonderful people, Claudia has decided to register Oxford Ferret Rescue for official non profit 501©3 status. The future of the shelter is looking very bright.
Here is there website if you would like to check them out!
www.oxfordrescue.org/
Dee Bickling-Secretary and Treasurer
Claudia Johnson is from Pittsburgh, PA and attended school in West Virginia and later Athens, Georgia. She now lives on a farm in Elkton, Maryland where she has quite a menagerie of critters (mostly rescues) including sheep, goats, chickens, two dogs and cats.
In 1998, she decided she would like to get a ferret and decided to adopt one instead of buying from a pet store. While working for a veterinarian one day a week a client mentioned that her 16 yr old son no longer wanted his ferret. That was all she needed to hear. Claudia didn't ask what color, sex, age or even if it had all its body parts. She just knew she wanted that ferret. This first ferret, Zeke, changed her life forever. Although he went to the bridge in March 2003, he is in her thoughts daily.
When she went from working full time to part time in February of 1999, she became a volunteer for the Oxford Ferret Rescue in Oxford, PA. Although it was never her intention, she ended up taking over shelter operations. In November 1999, her family moved 1 mile into Maryland, but kept the original shelter name.
When there were ten ferrets running around her home, she thought that was plenty. Currently the number hovers around 35-40 ferrets. There are many permanent residents since it's hard to place geriatric ferrets, especially those needing surgery or who are on daily medicine. Claudia has herself adopted several ferrets that've been surrendered to the shelter in order to give them forever homes. Samantha Jane (named after the previous shelter owner), was found in a dumpster in November of 1999. She was skin and bones and filthy. She turned out just great, and since she was Claudia's first abuse case, she knew she had to keep her. She has been told that you can't do surgery on everything that comes in, and to keep your rescues different in your heart than your own ferrets. To Claudia, those words sounded like rational advice and she agreed, until the ferrets were with her long term and she grew to love each and every one of them the same. Because she gets so many geriatric ferrets that are in need of surgery, her vet bill has ballooned to over 2500.00 in a hurry. Since the shelter is privately run, and the quest has just begun for donations and volunteers the burden for these costs has fallen squarely on Claudia's shoulders. But she is not the kind of person who would turn away a needy animal.
On the days that she works, she rises five hours before leaving for her job. There are separate playgroups that have to be let out for exercise and playtimes, and many elderly ferrets need hand fed and medication. Afterwards, she goes to the barn to care for the other animals and then gets ready for work. The same care is necessary in the evening also. Somehow Claudia manages to squeeze in 30+ hours of work outside the shelter per week.
With the help of some wonderful people, Claudia has decided to register Oxford Ferret Rescue for official non profit 501©3 status. The future of the shelter is looking very bright.
Here is there website if you would like to check them out!
www.oxfordrescue.org/
Be sure to let us know of anything going on!