Update 10/24/01

Well, court was cancelled, thank you so much Galloway Township for letting me know before I took my time to show up there at 9:30 AM. She settled at the pre-trial hearing on 10/12. She plead guilty to a ZONING VIOLATION. No animal related charges held up. So, she's free to continue her special brand of "sheltering" (also known as torture) now until the next time she is busted with a houseful of dead animals. Thanks to everyone who followed this case and sent me words of encouragement and friendship. I'm just sorry that the end result wasn't what we all hoped for.

Update 10/11/01

I have ANOTHER court date (the appeal by the SPCA was granted) on 10/24/01 in front of a new judge, and hopefully Ms. Rodriguez will finally have to face justice for the crimes she committed against these animals. Wish me luck.

Update 2/8/01

The court case today went horribly. All of the evidence from the SPCA was supressed due to a mistake with the handling of the search warrant, and Ms. Rodriguez was basically not charged with anything and let off without so much as a dollar fine. I was NOT a plaintiff in this case, only a witness to the plaintiff, so my hands legally, are tied. The statute of limitations on me suing her personally for my costs incurred while caring for the ferrets from her facility has now lapsed, as the original date this occured was 10/99. Ms. Rodriguez is free to continue abusing animals and has felt no repercussions from doing so in the past. I will leave this page up however, in hopes that it can prevent ONE ferret from enduring the torture that was so prevalent in her shelter.

The Story

On xxxx (date removed to protect me from a lawsuit), the SPCA went with a warrant to the Loving Ferrets Shelter, on West Herschel Street in Egg Harbor City, NJ. The Atlantic County Humane Society was there the previous xxxx (date removed to protect the innocent), and witnessed horrible conditions; animals without food or water, filthy cages, and dead animals. They left a warning to the owner, Linda Rodriguez to clean up. Upon returning on xxxx (date removed again), the place was even worse. They proceeded to take all the animals, and upon entering the home, they found several instances of dead ferrets decomposing in cages with live cagemates, and five dead ferrets thoroughly decomposed in ziplock bags, stored in a broken down truck in the driveway. All animals were seized, and the ferrets are currently in the custody of Nancy Beall, of the Atlantic County Humane Society. They are to be transferred here, either late tonite (xxx) or Friday afternoon. There are 29 total.

Nancy Beall has photos of the "shelter" and will provide me copies to put up here. I have been forced to remove these pics from MY server, in complaince with Ms. Rodriguez' lawyers threats and harrassing phone calls. They are no longer on MY SERVER. If you'd like to see them, you can do so here. They are NOT ON MY SERVER, so legally, I am not displaying them anymore. Happy now? Warning, these pictures are graphic and show extreme animal cruelty. Visit at your own risk. We are preparing our home and our wonderful volunteers Lisa & Will's home for the ferrets. They're all arriving with cages. They will need vaccinations, and at least one will need neutering. A vet will be seeing ALL of them. They will undergo a quarantine here, and then be able to be distributed to interested people, or other shelters. What we do know is that we do not have enough of the "little things" that make our shelter more than just a "kennel"....like extra hammocks, towels, toys, treats, ....not necessity survival items, but after what these poor things have been thru already, i'd like to make them as happy and pampered as I possibly can.

If you're interested in helping, please do not send us cash, since our vet bill will be the major problem. If you would like to send our vet a donation for their care, that would be wonderful. Our vet is Stephen Levenson at the Barnegat Animal Clinic, Route 9 Main Street, Barnegat, NJ 08005. Their number is 609.698.2141

If you have supplies that you'd like to donate, we'd really appreciate it. They do not have to be new, simply usable. Our address is KiSta Ferret Rescue, 215 East Bay Avenue Unit 22, Manahawkin, NJ 08050, and our phone number is 609.978.8588.

10/7/99 - UPDATE - I got a call tonite from Ms. Beall, and since everyone involved is very concerned for the future well being of the ferrets, they're going to inspect our home. I am very happy about this, and welcome them here. The inspection is planned for Friday. I am secure in the knowledge that our shelter is up to par, and can withstand any inspection. After the inspection on Friday, we should be able to go and pick the ferrets up anytime. More information will be posted as it comes.

10/8/99 - We passed the inspection, and are going to pick up the ferrets at 3:00 PM. Nancy brought us photos of the "shelter"...and let me tell you, some of them brought tears to my eyes. It was awful. Here are some of them, but due to the graphic (and I mean GRAPHIC) nature of them, im going to put them elsewhere, in case any children come here. They're that bad. And they're not here anymore. Linda Rodriguez' lawyer asked that I remove them from my site, and I have. They're now on another site.

10/8/99 10:30 PM - I have finally gotten a chance to sit down, and answer emails. The ferrets are here. There are 29 of them. They're all in surprisingly decent health, considering where they came from. They're all also young, most under 2. That leads me to believe that the older or ill ferrets most likely died before the SPCA learned of what was happening there. One of the ferrets passed away last night, and I saw her remains, she was severely emaciated, and passing tarry stools. Such a shame that we couldn't help her. So far, I know two males need neutering (one is in rut, and man does he reek) and one little girl needs sutures removed from a spay/descenting. The adrenal case with sutures to be removed who I heard of never arrived :( I guess she didnt make it. All have fleas, some had ear mites (since treated) and a couple have ringworm (since treated).

I am compiling a list of the ferrets that I have here, I have it on paper, but now need to transfer it to Excel, and from there to the website. I know that we will need bedding, as i've used all but 2 hammocks, and all but 5 sleeping bags. I know we will need food soon, too. If you want to help, we would really appreciate it. Please do not send monetary donations to us, but rather Ferret Store gift certificates, available at www.theferretstore.com or Jeffers Gift Certificates, from 1-800-JEFFERS, or donations sent directly to our vet. Thank you for helping, and feel free to call us, if you have any questions. Our number is 609.978.8588.

Here are some pictures of our trip to pick up the ferrets, more individual photos of them will be available over the weekend, since im absolutely exhausted right now.

The Mystery Machine, emptied and ready to go pick up the ferrets.
The ferrets, waiting for us outside the SPCA Officer's house.
More ferrets.....
More ferrets...
Still more ferrets....
Getting boxed up for the journey to our place.
The ferrets in the Mystery Machine.
Still more ferrets in the Mystery Machine, Yoinks!

Thank goodness, my old Mystery Machine got us there and back, but it was a nail biter on the way home. The MM started SMOKING very badly on the parkway, but he didn't let me down...we got em here. I don't think we'll be taking the Mystery Machine on such a long trip again.

Please click here for the beginnings of the page that will eventually have photos of all the new ferrets. They are listed with their color, age and sex right now. I promise to get more pictures soon.

To the rescue ferrets!

10/9/99 - Okay...so I got up some of the ferret's photos..but not all. I'll try to get them up tonite, but no promises. I took the little female ferret that passed away on Friday to our vet for a postmortem, and my vet let me sit in. She was so thin, nothing more than bones honestly, she weighed less than 12 ounces. Her pancreas had hemmoraged, and her stomach was ulcerated, but not horribly. Her stomach was filled with blood. She was extremely malnourished, to the point of starvation, which brought on the other symptoms. That really upset me, she was a younger ferret, maybe 3 at the most, and she died a meaningless, senseless death. The SPCA is pressing charges against Linda Rodriguez, and I sure hope they stick.

THANK YOU to everyone who has written us, and sent us donations of food, bedding and supplies, and vet bill money to our vet. Ernie is going in to be neutered on Wednesday (that smell will knock you over), and Luna is having her sutures removed this evening. Vaccinations against distemper will be given starting on Monday. Thank you to Lisa Leidig of Ferret Haven by the Sea, Susan Malone of Ferrets Unlimited Rescue of Tulsa and Anne Ryan of Fuzztek's Ferret Shelter for pitching in with the vaccines; you guys are faster than Jeffers themself! :)

10/11/99 - First let me say a GIANT THANK YOU to everyone who has emailed or called me regarding these kids. You guys are amazing, the amount of moral support, friendship, kind words and donations have been amazing. Thank you so much more than I could ever say.
The ferrets are settling in, and eating like horses. Which is a good thing, a very good thing. Many of them are what I would consider to be "thin", and I aim to fatten them all up to my pudge standard. :) No arguements from them, either. Today we had a great couple come by and bring us bedding, supplies, laundry stuff, and the paws down favorite, a box of Cheerios. These guys & girls went NUTS for them! We gave 17 distemper vaccinations today, and are planning on more being delivered tomorrow, and will continue until everyone has had one. The county veterinarian has arranged for the Ocean County Humane Society to do the rabies vaccinations, and i'll post when that is complete. Thank you all so much, from all the donations to The Ferret Store I was able to order a 30 lb bag of Totally Ferret, 5 1 lb. containers of Nupro, and some odor stuff for Ernie, since his smell is so incredibly bad. And, still have a credit! Thank you, thank you thank you all!

10/19/99 - Okay, im very remiss at updating. I am SO incredibly busy cleaning cages that I barely have time to eat. But, here goes. Ernie was neutered, and came thru with flying colors, and is slowly but surely losing that "bouquet" he had going. He even played with other ferrets today, and really enjoyed himself. Dirk was neutered today, and is now resting comfortably in bed. My bed. :)
All ferrets are eating, POOPING, and playing, and are going for their rabies vaccinations on Thursday. I want to say again, THANK YOU to everyone who sent donations to our vet, and supplies to us. I am SO overwhelmed by the response of the ferret community. You all make my day, everyday!! All the shelter kids have new hammocks and sleeping bags, and bedding, and are eating all the treats that they can hold, and playing with new toys. I'm almost finished giving the distemper vaccinations, and now all surgeries/suture removals are complete. After this Friday, they will be able to be placed in their new homes. So, if you're interested in adopting, and can get to our location in Manahawkin, NJ (we don't ship) please, PLEASE fill out the adoption application. At this point, all the ferrets marked as "spoken for" are going to other shelters who have waiting lists of adopters. So, speak up, since Friday is approaching quickly. :)

11/1/99 - Hello everyone! I have NOTHING but good news to tell. All the 29 ferrets, except for Tantra, Joey, Smiley & Vinny are now in their new homes. I am so beside myself with happiness, that I cannot even begin to explain. :)
Much thanks go to the individual adopters, Ferret Wise in NH, Fuzztek's right here in NJ, and to Ferret Haven by-the-sea in VA for helping find wonderful new homes for these very deserving kids, and making my job alot easier. THANK YOU!

2/4/00 - Hello again! I received the subpoena to testify against Linda Rodriguez in the mail yesterday. The court date for her cruelty trial is February 16th, at 9AM. The court is open to the public. It will be held at the Galloway Municipal Court at 300 Jimmy Leeds Road, Atlantic County. Please, if you're in the area, and are as repulsed as I am that this woman STILL has her license to shelter from the NJ Department of Fish, Game & Wildlife, and has even purchased a new sign for her yard, and lots of advertising...come out. This woman MUST be stopped. Good intentions are simply not enough to care for animals.

9/27/00 - I have been threatened with a lawsuit if I do not remove this page, but I am currently awaiting word from my attorney as to the validity of this threat. Feel free to copy and paste this site onto your own, in case I am legally forced (the only way that I will comply with this request) to remove this page from my website due to Linda Rodriguez' attorney's desire to suppress the TRUTH and defend a subhuman animal abuser. This page has no copyright, and you're free to copy, paste and distribute this information freely until (and if) I am required to remove it. Please help, we have to keep this information out on the net so no more ferrets have to die in the hands of that monster Linda Rodriguez.

PLAYTIME!

Thanks everyone.

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