Post by darlene on Mar 4, 2011 22:00:01 GMT -5
I thought I'd share the following post,I think Barb Clay has some good advice to share and she has given permission to cross post it.
Negotiating A Rescue
by Barbara Osborn Clay on Friday, 04 March 2011.
So you've got a ferret in a store that is not doing well or behaving badly, and you want it released to you.
Before you say one word to anyone, before you write one word anywhere, ask yourself what results do you want.
Be clear in your mind what your objective is, and formulate the best plan possible for the best outcome possible.
Always remember; You get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar!
Do you want a ferret released to you so that you can care for it?
Do you want to nurture or continue a good relationship with a pet store owner/manager/staff?
That's just a couple thoughts off the top of my head as to where I start in attempting to execute negotiations for the release of a ferret in a petstore that needs special attention, that I'm capable and willing to invest myself in.
I'd been recently contacted by someone about a ferret in a petstore that was becoming increasingly anxious and unable to be handled. The owner had refused to release the ferret to them, even for a discounted price. There became a stalemate, and nothing was accomplished.
I made one contact about this situation. The original breeding company the ferret came from. My presented interest was honest and fair, no emotional grandstanding, and giving credit to the store for otherwise managing for years a very reputable establishment regarding the conditions and care of the animals there.
The objective was to get the ferret out of there and rehab it.
One contact from me, and it was accomplished.
That's how it's done. Quietly and professionally. If that doesn't work, then you bring to the table more offers of negotiating. If all is said and done and nothing is accomplished, and cannot move forward......ask for help from an outside source, quietly and privately. Do not incite a mob action unless everything else under the sun fails, that usually leads to no good results, and relationships are ruined forever more....regardless of how many ill or naughty kits need our skills to rehab. All lose and especially the animal.
Here's an incredible bit of irony to this story. So the morning that I was to go the pet store to pick up the bad little ferret. I got a call from someone that'd I'd adopted to many many years ago, and she was now the manager of a pet store. She had a naughty little ferret that needed some rehab, with his attitude she did not want to sell him. Both of these kits had their cagemates sold, and they'd been left alone for some time, and the time did not do well for them. Both of these kits were experiencing separation anxiety and needed the rough and tumble of other same age kits.
Did I say same age kits? LOL So, I drove the 1.5 hrs to pick up the one kit, then 75 miles in another direction to get the other. Got them home, and they started sharing a quarantine cage in my isolation shelter called "The Love Shack". Immediately they started bouncing off the walls like they had been best friends all of their short lives! This was personally so very gratifying to see them unleash themselves and all their pent up energy!
It was a WIN/WIN/WIN. My relationship with the first store owner/mgr was established, and it was clear I was just wanting what was best for the ferret, with the least amount of fuss. My relationship with the other petstore was also established. No trainwrecks, no bad feelings, no bombs thrown at anyone's reputations........and most of all, the little ferrets won! Also, it was a very pleasant and rewarding experience in dealing with one of the breeding companies to accomplish the desired result!!
It's not always that easy, but trust me, if you start out lobbing bombs to an unsuspecting pet store owner, you will get as much as you give, if not worse......they are in charge of the animals destiny....be sure to wrap your brain around that as you move forward to try and negotiate the release of any petstore animal.
Just thought I'd share. Hope someone reading this has success with this approach, it's worked for me for about 17 yrs of sheltering.
.
Negotiating A Rescue
by Barbara Osborn Clay on Friday, 04 March 2011.
So you've got a ferret in a store that is not doing well or behaving badly, and you want it released to you.
Before you say one word to anyone, before you write one word anywhere, ask yourself what results do you want.
Be clear in your mind what your objective is, and formulate the best plan possible for the best outcome possible.
Always remember; You get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar!
Do you want a ferret released to you so that you can care for it?
Do you want to nurture or continue a good relationship with a pet store owner/manager/staff?
That's just a couple thoughts off the top of my head as to where I start in attempting to execute negotiations for the release of a ferret in a petstore that needs special attention, that I'm capable and willing to invest myself in.
I'd been recently contacted by someone about a ferret in a petstore that was becoming increasingly anxious and unable to be handled. The owner had refused to release the ferret to them, even for a discounted price. There became a stalemate, and nothing was accomplished.
I made one contact about this situation. The original breeding company the ferret came from. My presented interest was honest and fair, no emotional grandstanding, and giving credit to the store for otherwise managing for years a very reputable establishment regarding the conditions and care of the animals there.
The objective was to get the ferret out of there and rehab it.
One contact from me, and it was accomplished.
That's how it's done. Quietly and professionally. If that doesn't work, then you bring to the table more offers of negotiating. If all is said and done and nothing is accomplished, and cannot move forward......ask for help from an outside source, quietly and privately. Do not incite a mob action unless everything else under the sun fails, that usually leads to no good results, and relationships are ruined forever more....regardless of how many ill or naughty kits need our skills to rehab. All lose and especially the animal.
Here's an incredible bit of irony to this story. So the morning that I was to go the pet store to pick up the bad little ferret. I got a call from someone that'd I'd adopted to many many years ago, and she was now the manager of a pet store. She had a naughty little ferret that needed some rehab, with his attitude she did not want to sell him. Both of these kits had their cagemates sold, and they'd been left alone for some time, and the time did not do well for them. Both of these kits were experiencing separation anxiety and needed the rough and tumble of other same age kits.
Did I say same age kits? LOL So, I drove the 1.5 hrs to pick up the one kit, then 75 miles in another direction to get the other. Got them home, and they started sharing a quarantine cage in my isolation shelter called "The Love Shack". Immediately they started bouncing off the walls like they had been best friends all of their short lives! This was personally so very gratifying to see them unleash themselves and all their pent up energy!
It was a WIN/WIN/WIN. My relationship with the first store owner/mgr was established, and it was clear I was just wanting what was best for the ferret, with the least amount of fuss. My relationship with the other petstore was also established. No trainwrecks, no bad feelings, no bombs thrown at anyone's reputations........and most of all, the little ferrets won! Also, it was a very pleasant and rewarding experience in dealing with one of the breeding companies to accomplish the desired result!!
It's not always that easy, but trust me, if you start out lobbing bombs to an unsuspecting pet store owner, you will get as much as you give, if not worse......they are in charge of the animals destiny....be sure to wrap your brain around that as you move forward to try and negotiate the release of any petstore animal.
Just thought I'd share. Hope someone reading this has success with this approach, it's worked for me for about 17 yrs of sheltering.
.
. One of the staff members that was working there was very much about the various "pets" that were there and I managed to convince her to feed the little ones some raw along with their regular kibbles . 
