Hagerstown Rescue
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.
 | Extreme mouse feces. |
 | First breath of fresh air in quite some time. We had to make two trips from Baltimore to Hagerstown to get the ferrets, Ms. Bachman was too busy to come back for the 2nd trip, so we don't even know 17 of the ferrets names (about 1/3 of the ferrets in the rescue had never been named to begin with...so its no big deal). |
 | Wow, my eyes aren't burning from the stink of my own waste! I like outside. |
 | And we haven't seen sun in years! The garage had no windows or ventilation, and smelled like nothing I've ever smelled before. |
 | The ferrets were so oddly silent outside as they waited for us to load them into the car. |
 | I'm supposed to be either champagne or silver...or God forbid a dark eyed white. |
 | Another sad hob. |
 | I looked up at the falling insulation, and noticed it was absolutely packed with mouse feces. This garage was the filthiest building I've ever set foot into, in all my life. |
 | Packed up and ready to go. |
 | Welcome to the haunted garage. The view from the outside (where you could actually breathe and your eyes wouldn't water). |
 | How many ferrets can you fit into a Pathfinder? 45. |
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.
