Our Story

Ferrets & Friends emerged out of a pursuit to inspire and support the pet parents and rescue communities, and a desire for actions to speak louder than words. Established in 2017, we’re an organization driven by love, compassion, and a strong foundation of support.

Why rescue?

Although I've had animals my whole life, as a young adult, I got thrown into the animal world. I fell in love with an elderly shelter dog who needed a home, and I couldn't say no. Mac joined my home, but stole my heart. He fell extremely ill due to the abuse and neglect he had faced, and he passed away around Christmas of 2016. I spent every waking second and every earned penny on his care. And although I had other animals at that time, his life awakened me to the truth about what animals face. I adopted my first ferret from a local shelter in 2015 and felt an immediate connection to ferrets. Panda helped me realize how many ferrets were in need of help, mostly due to so much misinformation about the species.

Why ferrets?

Panda was my first ferret but not for long. During late nights I seemed to come across dozens of ads online for exotic pets. Most people had pictures of the toxic food they were feeding, inappropriate housing structures, etc. And when I reached out most had said they needed to rehome because they were in over their heads: no one told them about ferret care and they were unable to provide what they needed. My goal... my hope... is to fix that issue, not only for the ferrets and animals themselves, but for the humans alike.

What work?

Dealing with the challenges of exotic rescue requires problem-solvers who bring different perspectives and are willing to take risks to save a ferret in need. I am always willing to fight for a ferret who is well enough to want to fight too, but I also respect and listen when they let me know their fight is over. That has happened before too. Rescue work is never easy, and the work never seems to be done. And animal education only works if people want to hear about it. Check out our info on each rescue to hear more stories and see the work we do.

How?

It's 2022 and we have access to all kinds of resources, so why is this misinformation and lack of knowledge so prevalent? False facts are spread so easily, making it so people have to work hard to find credible information. Not everyone knows to do this, so some people believe whatever they read. Pet stores knowingly promote bad food and housing and husbandry to profit off of it. Our goal is to make the information readily available (available in all forms, regardless of your access to technology), easily accessible (no searching through dozens of websites to find a valid one), and easy to understand (straight and simple care that's easy to follow so no second guessing). We also want to connect new/potential ferrent owners to current, experienced ferrents. Sometimes, papers don't translate well when it comes to experiencing it yourself, so we want owners to be able to reach out and engage in open dialogues with experienced and knowledgeable owners. We have a recommended list of facebook groups where you can find thousands of other pet owners just like you. I want to mention that I try to keep the information on here as accurate as possible, but part of what I want to promote to pet owners is the idea that information is always changing and growing, and we need to be too. We need to stay current with veterinary updates and do our best to provide the best care that's available. That means doing research for yourself, talking to other pet parents, and most importantly, consulting with an experienced exotic vet with any questions or concerns.

Although our primary focus is on ferrets, we don't discriminate. One day soon we hope to be able to include other animals in our rescue work and educational seminars.

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