You may have noticed the button on the side of my blog. Some of you may have clicked it. But exactly what is the Ferret Giving Tree?
I wondered the same thing and asked some questions. I emailed them to the administrator email address listed at the bottom of the page. The person taking care of this project this year was nice enough to forward my email to the person who knew the most about this project. Thanks for helping me out Melanee.
Kristine Lunny started the Ferret Giving Tree in 1998. The tree was a way for ferrets residing in shelters to have a Christmas and to help those who give these little guys a home with expenses. Kris S. Mewton took over the project in 2000.
The way the Ferret Giving Tree works is starting October 1st to November 30th shelters pick ten ferrets living with them and writes a short bio about the ferret and a wish list. A picture is taken to accompany the bio and list. Shelters then fill out a form on the Ferret Giving Tree site this takes about thirty minutes.
The biggest requests shelters ask for is help with vet bills, food, and litter. For the ferrets, themselves the requests are for toys, treats, and hammocks. Giving these fun little creatures a comfortable place to sleep and to be able have nice things to play with during the holidays.
After the shelters have submitted their ten ferrets they are placed on a tree. Each tree holds fifteen ferrets. This year there are 52 trees.
The first year 380 ferrets went onto the Ferret Giving Tree. Each year that number grows and still all the ferrets get a Secret Santa before it comes down. This year is a record breaking 805 babies on the tree and it is already down to only 226 needed their own Secret Santa. This remarkable idea has helped over 4000 ferrets have a wonderful Christmas. It is easy to tell when a ferret has a Santa because there is a filled stocking replacing the picture of the ferret and it states that he/she has a Santa. Or like Sierra, there will be a picture of a rainbow. A universal symbol among ferret owners/caregivers that they have crossed over the rainbow bridge.
“This just shows how wonderful the ferret community is and how they all stick together, and support shelters around the world.” Kris S. Mewton of the Michigan Ferret Rescue and Adoption Network said.
There are fur babies that don’t have a Santa yet starting on tree 16 if you are interested in helping one of these little guys out. After selecting a ferret, you can read about him/her and at the bottom of the page is a link to take you to the Santa form.
Thank you Kris Mewton for explaining just how the tree works.
Jo
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