Questions to all you shelter owners out there

[evania]

First, let me explain the point of the post. I have been trying to find a ferret shelter in Las Vegas so I can help my brother give a forever home to a poor little ferret. I cannot find a single one. The number of closed down or seedy leads were staggering. I also contacted both of the animal shelters in town and was shocked and disgusted to learn that they feed any ferrets they receive to their snakes. They will even sedate the ferret if they think it will cause problems to the snake. Las Vegas is also where California sends all the ferrets that are taken from their owners as it is still illegal to own one there.

I want to start a shelter of my own here where they will be properly cared for and if a forever home cannot be found, then they will have a comfortable place to live the remainder of their lives. I understand the financial complications that can come from a no kill shelter, especially after reading some of the things on Fathernature's site but to save the lives of them I am willing to try.

I would like to know what it took to start up some of your shelters and what kind of things I need to keep in mind. I am going to be applying for state funding for the shelter as well as non-profit status.

[shelter mom]

You need to check with your local governments, the city and county you live in, to make sure you can operate the shelter. Many years ago, the first shelter we had in Austin was closed down due to zoning violations-the city looked at it as a business and she lived in a residential area and could not operate a business out of her home.

Also check with the city, county, and state to make sure a permit isn't needed. You will also have to have adequate space for a shelter plus a quarentine area for new intakes. Copies of adoption applicaitons, adoption contracts, and surrender forms should be available. And of course you will need cages and supplies, and will need to learn to do a lot medical treatments on your own, such as sub-q fluid and administering meds. I also do my own distemper vacs. The vet does the first one, then two or three weeks later, I do the second one at home.

Applying for non profit status takes a lot of time and can be costly. IRS also requires you to have a board of directors and periodic meetings.

And most important, set a limit on the number of ferrets you will take in and learn to say no. Sad as it is, you cannot take every ferret in that comes your way, or you will end up with more than you can adequately care for. You will also have to get used to a lot of people coming to your home. One person who started sheltering her a few years ago lasted 6 months - she didn't like people in and out of her home all the time.

For safety reasons, I usually meet people in a public place - like a parking lot of a store, for surrenders. I also require people to fill out an application before we set up an appt. for an adoption. I've had many people call just wanting to come 'see the ferrets' and I tell them no. Quite honestly, with having a full time job, it's a waste of my time for someone just to want to come see. Plus filling out an application gives me some information on the people before they come to my home.

Hope that helps! Sorry to sound kind of negative, but it's not as easy as one might think

[tiedyed69peace]

From a part time perspective, I rescue officially for "leisure". I've rescued I think a total of four animals (was supposed to be five, but one passed away before rescue), and helped orchestrate a couple other rescues over the past year. With that said, it is difficult even to do that. People are unwilling to take minutes or miles out of their lives to give up the pets they don't want. Sometimes they contact you later on to ask on the animal's status. You have to be prepared for that. I have one owner who still contacts me about her rat, and it's been nearly a year since I picked him up. Sometimes you have to go to parts of town you wouldn't want to. Well, always for me. I can only imagine what real shelter owners like sheltermom and FN go through on a daily basis.
I admire your dedication and hope everything works out.
Here's two tips though that shelter didn't mention that I think are helpful. Having partners is helpful in getting surrenders, finding home, administering aid to animals (especially if you are going to take a variety in like I do. I do small animal rescue as a blanket term). Also, you want to find a lawyer friend. One that'll cost you little to no money and will help work with you to iron out any legal matters.
Good luck and I hope everything works out! Keep us updated by all means!

[shelter mom]

yes, a lawyer is a good idea. I have Prepaid legal, a service I pay a small amount for each month. I've had to enforce the terms of my adoption contract a couple of times, and having that legal backing was a big help.

As far as going to the not so good parts of town, that's one of the reasons why I meet people in a public place. I very rarely go to someone's home for a surrender, and if I do I always take someone with me, and let my son or other family member know exactly where I'm going. I've even asked people to take the ferret to Animal Control just so I didn't have to go to a bad part of town. AC always calls me to pick up the ferret.

Having partners can work out to your advantage, but can also backfire.

[tiedyed69peace]

This is true. The way it works with my partner (now, we're not a full time shelter- we're not even actually a shelter but would love to someday) is that she's into the small animals- mostly rats, but also rabbits and other small animals, and I deal with the ferrets. That way, we don't step on each other's toes, but we can help each other out.
I make a rule not to go to people's houses as well. The only two exceptions were two ferrets we picked up... which we met both owners outside. And you never go alone. I thus far have not had to go in a really scarey part of town yet, although I'm always nervous at every pick up.
Another thing I have been fortunate in was being able to secure homes with people I or my partner knows thus far. This was made possible by setting limits as to how many we can deal with as well as animal loving friends. Dealing with application processes will be much more difficult.