Hagerstown Rescue

Barbara Clay and I went to Hagerstown to pickup an estimated 76 ferrets on Friday, July 25th, 2003. By the time we arrived, there were only 62.

UPDATE 8/16/03 An additional 18 ferrets have been surrendered to Rocky's Shelter! Please click here for their pictures and story.

This rescue started with five complaints from neighbors about a garage with a horrible stench, and a severe mouse infestation in the area. Washington County Animal Control was dispatched, and found a horrible site, a garage full of filthy, unkept ferrets. They ordered the owner, Di Bachman, to remove the ferrets, as she was operating a business (Ferretry..selling ferrets) in a residential neighborhood.
Barbara Clay from Rocky's Ferret Shelter agreed to take the ferrets into her shelter. I went along with her to help coordinate such a large rescue, as we both have done many times before.

We had no idea what was waiting for us....I'll let the pictures tell the sad story. Be sure to hit the NEXT PAGE link at the bottom of each page, as there are close to 90 photographs.

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	Filthy Cages.
	The garage was literally being eaten from the inside out by mice. The mice had eaten all the drywall, and were working on the insulation when we arrived. There was thick mouse feces on every flat surface, and the 1/2 eaten insulation hung down, leaking into the ferrets cages.
	More Filthy Cages. The towels and shoe box litter pans were added on Monday when Animal Control initially arrived to an even worse scene, and ordered her to clean up.
	Dirty cages in horrible disrepair.
	This is a Midwest Cage. The bars and base should be black.
	A playpen that should be white, containing kits.
	Yes, a ferret was actually living in here.
	Another shameful cage with filthy bedding.
	More ferrets.
	A ferret died in this cage, and basically disinegrated...into a sort of solid in the hammock.

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The ferrets are in need of ADV testing, vaccinations against rabies and distemper, and spaying/neutering. This should cost several thousand dollars. If you can help, please do. Send all paypal donations to Rocky's here, or via postal mail to:

Rocky's Ferret Shelter
PO Box 4040
Lutherville, Md 21094-4040

For individual photos of the ferrets, please click here.