Wind & Willows Ferret Rescue/Hospice

Ruby:

Ruby Red-eyes -- she's a tiny albino found out on her own on a cold winter night in the neighboring town of Fernley. She has taken to eating my soup nightly and seems to be no worse for wear. She is slowly learning to think like a ferret and I don't think she has had much playtime before. She is approx 2 or 3 years old has a broken tooth (not an issue at this time) and will be needing her shots prior to adoption.

Bell & Ted:

long story-- owner surrenders that had left us on their next Great Adventure.. only to be returned to try again.. seems the family dog never settled into sharing his family and became fixated on them. It was best for everyone if they came back to WWFR.

Bell is a champagne and was originally named Bill --opps Bill , she was NOT.

Ted- is a grey sable with the cutest white toes..

they are approx 3-4 years old--(prefer a home without house dogs this time-- they like dogs-- we just don't want a repeat of the last time)

 Looking for aditional sponsors....

Munkey: (permanent resident) Sadly, Munkey has lost his little friends Podo in December & Lelu (on 2/4/11) . He has been our caretaker ferret for several years , has been "special" since he arrived. He has neurological damage ( we suspect from the high desert heat he was found wandering in) and is having more and more difficulty walking as he ages. He is now insulinomic and is on Proglycem to control his blood sugar for the rest of his life. a bottleof his medicine is $77 and should last approx 2 months. He loves a daily cup of “duck soup” and loves to cuddle.

that's enough for now-- more stories later

WWFR is celebrating our 5th year of operation and our goal for 2011 to become 100% official and non-profit on our own (urghhhh govt. paperwork sucks)

Thank you everyone for VOTING for us—We won $1000 in the Animal Rescue Site/Petfinder Shelter Challenge—we could NOT have done it without your help.

National Ferret Day – April 2nd was a HIT – lots of work, but my friends pitched in and other than the windstorm—everything was great. WWFR earned about $700 and we were able to restock medicines and foods supplies enough to last several months.

We have been awarded a Petco Foundation Product Support grant— $750 worth for ferret food and treats—Thank you so much Petco.

We have started actively fundraising to make our next dream come true (see the Pup crawl page and our facebook link to our Restaurant.com fundraiser)… a real shelter building with an office, intake area, quarantine, and hospice zone. Our ferrets will then have bright, airy rooms with lots of dark places to hide & sleep. Our Special needs ferrets and those that ...well...don't like other ferrets will have their own special place in Mom's office.

We have begun discussions with the local schools and nursing homes; working toward a program that will allow for WWFR to bring ferrets to visit with patients and to provide a better understanding of ferrets and their special needs to classrooms in our area.

WWFR does far more than ferret rescue.

We have begun publishing this newsletter; have been maintaining this website (when time allows) and a facebook page that people literally around the world visit regularly.

We often get calls from all over the county and answer questions from ferret caretakers without charge. I freely admit that I do NOT know all the answers- but I will always try my best to find out if I am unsure.

Much of our support comes from a from the Terri & Gray Levi Fund thru the Community Foundation of Western Nevada – THANK YOU!

Thank you to all our friends and supporters who have helped make our work possible and pleasurable for these past few years.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all Ferrets & their Families!

Coming soon-- Ferret Crafts!

If anyone has a hobby or craft that would be perfect for WWFR to use as fundraising items -- Anything for pets, ferrets or their Hoomins-- email me your ideas fallonferts@yahoo.com -- we are always looking for BINGO and raffle prizes.

5 Years!

WWFR is celebrating our 5th year of operation.

I certainly didn’t think I would be "rescuing" ferrets officially when I started -- and I certainly wasn't prepared for the numbers of ferrets in need or for the heartbreak that comes with the job.

Would I do it again? Heck , YES.. The rewards usually outweigh the pain. The financial struggle I could certainly do without.

I hope someday to be able to allow our rescues to live cage free and have so far managed to get 26 of our 43 current residents to play nice together. Quite an acheivement.

Someday soon we will be fully licensed, and a 501c3 non-profit on our own and then we will begin our next phase..

BUILDING a dedicated Ferret House/office. Our ferrets will live free (if they chose) in bright, airy rooms with lots of places to play & sleep. Special needs ferrets and those that ...well...don't like other ferrets ( Skoshi, this is for you) will have their own special place in Mom's office.

Our Future Foster program will allow for special needs ferrets and especially youngsters needing socialization and manner training to have a real home to live in with an individual caretaker.

WWFR does far more than ferret rescue.

We have begun publishing this newsletter, have been maintaining a website and a facebook page that people literally around the world visit regularly.

We are hoping to offer classes again this summer on responsible ferret ownership and perhaps make a few trips to classrooms and nursing homes with our soon to be certified Therapy ferrets.

WWFR will be teaching tips and tricks to humans on keeping ferrets healthy, happy and with hope that families will keep their sometimes difficult pets and be willing to work out the issues they are facing instead of giving them up.

We often get calls from all over the county and answer questions from ferret caretakers without charge. I freely admit that I do NOT know all the answers- but I will always try my best to find out if I am unsure. Thank you to all our friends and supporters who have helped make our work possible and pleasurable for these past few years. I am sure you will continue with us as long as we both are able.