by debferret

Dramatic Rescue of 86 Breeder Ferrets in 2025

The Manitoba Ferret Association No Kill Shelter Executive would like to give a detailed account of the recent intake of 86 retired breeding ferrets from Dave Holden; the Melita breeder accused of running a ferret mill.

*You are welcome to Google the expose by Animal Justice.

I (Deb) have had ongoing contact with Dave H. for the last 15, maybe 20 years. He would occasionally reach out to our shelter see if we would take some unsold ferrets to re-home. He was always pleasant and accommodating. When COVID hit, Dave was in touch with me expressing concerns that he wasn’t able to sell his baby ferrets and asking for tips on how to reach the local markets and internet sites. Honestly, I wasn’t much help other than providing a sympathetic ear.

Dave continued to struggle with his sales and in the fall of 2024 he contacted me asking how he could advertise “his operation/his herd” for sale. He couldn’t really afford to keep going and was looking for a buyer. He advertised on Kijiji and elsewhere on line. Again I was not much help. Dave kept saying he didn’t want to euthanize all the ferrets. He really wanted to find a buyer; he was going broke taking care of them.

He phoned me telling me 2 young men were coming out and were interested in buying his operation. He was happy and relieved. As we now know, it was 2 men from Animal Justice who mislead Dave to access his operation and secretly film his operation. Animal Justice filed a complaint against Dave and his operation. *As of February 2026; over a year now since the complaint was made and we have not heard that the case has been resolved/closed.*

The Provincial Vet came to his place based on the complaint filed by Animal Justice. I want to make note at this point to say that as of September 25th, 2025; 9 months after the fact, not one ferret has been removed by the Provincial Vet. Dave’s cages and barn are in need of repair; that is a fact. Dave can not properly care for so many ferrets since his only employee died during COVID. Dave knows he has to cut back on his numbers since he can’t seem to find a buyer for his stock.

OK, so you have the general overview.

The MFA has never gone on record to speak out against Dave. Why? Because we wanted to work with Dave to have him release ferrets to us. It was more important to save some ferrets than to condemn him. There is always 2 sides to a situation. I had built a rapport and respect with Dave. On January 21, 2025, we took in 14 intact males. We agreed to pay for the neutering and Distemper vaccines from his vet. These boys were scheduled to be euthanized as Dave couldn’t afford to keep feeding his excess unsold stock. These boys were just past 6 months old and had never really been socialized. Kerry and Fred stepped up to come over and do some socializing of these boys. Then we received another 12 boys, 7 months old; again, unsold excess stock. That’s the first 26 ferrets retired to us.

26 Handsome, nippy boys. To see them come out to play and run through tubes, splash in water dishes and just be ferrets was worth all the fear bites and blood letting Kerry and Fred dealt with. We advertised within our membership for homes for these boys. They needed experience ferret owners and the continued contact and support of the shelter. Most were placed. Not going to lie; several of our Executive stepped up and adopted more than one to give them loving homes. It became dangerous to drop in to my place and “look see” at the available boys! I am happy and grateful that all these boys have loving homes.

Meanwhile Dave decided to release more ferrets to us and we were able to accept them only because the Connecticut Ferret Rescue had publicly offered to financially help reduce his numbers. Vanessa from the Connecticut rescue started networking on US shelters that would be willing to take on retired male and female breeding stock. In May we took in 5 retired females just coming out of season needing to be spayed. We took in 20 intact males. I love the aroma of ferret but 20 intact males were pushing the limit lol. The males were slowly coming out of rut; thank goodness as it made it easier to handle them. Kerry and Fred sustained many hard bites and I kept a supply of Band-Aids on hand. 50 ferrets in the house! Paul and Dana were able to bring us wood pellets by the truck load. If you came to visit; you were asked (ok, I begged) to take home a bag of poop to throw in your garbage can as mine was full days before garbage pick-up!

Just a quick note here to state that although there is no limit on the number of ferrets you can have in your home; 50 ferrets is not a manageable number long term. This was a 4 to 6 week window of caring for them and it was exhausting work. As a main foster/shelter space I had the space, the cages, the food, litter and most importantly the help to manage it.

It was amazing how quickly most of the ferrets became socialized. The logistics of transporting ferrets across the border was complicated. Vanessa made most of the arrangements and she made it look easy, but we all know how much work goes on behind the scenes. Vanessa had a contact within Grant Park Animal Hospital and she was able to negotiate with them to do a Wellness Exam, give them each a Distemper and Rabies Vaccine and provide a Health Certificate in order for them to cross the border. Our job was to get said 25 ferrets to the Clinic. Kerry, Fred and I managed to pull it off without a hitch! 24 ferrets crossed the border without any issues. One of the little girls had a stroke and she spent her last 3 days being cared for and loved by Kerry and Amber. She got to know love, soft blankets and tasty soupies. Chicago Ferret Rescue was instrumental in taking in and arranging for spaying and neutering. Several of the girls made it as far as Connecticut to Vanessa’s place. It should be mentioned that the breeding females weren’t in good physical health. They had very poor/rotten teeth from eating a mush. Bear in mind these girls were just 3 years old and “spent”. Just like the mink farms, the mush is plopped on the top of the wire cages and the ferrets have to pull the mush down through the bars. The boys had only slightly better teeth; slightly!! That is the nature of any large-scale breeding operation and it is not acceptable.

If you have followed us on Facebook or follow Connecticut Ferret Rescue; you will see how everyone pulled together to give these ferrets freedom to be ferrets!

On August 15th, Dave agreed to turn over another 20 intact males and 4 females coming out of season. So, the process started all over again. Vanessa worked her magic! She reached out to VI FERT—Vancouver Island Ferret Education and Rescue Team. (VI FERT is now known as the BC Ferret Rescue Society). Cheryl agreed to take 9 males. Unfortunately, the Calgary Rescue—FRES was full and unable to take any ferrets. The Ottawa ferret rescue was drowning in surrendered ferrets and was transporting theirs to Atlantic Canada rescue. So once again, Vanessa networked and found a couple of US rescues that had room for the Canadian ferrets! Ferret Dreams Rescue and Frisco’s Friends Ferret Rescue.

Through this whole process, I was amazed at how supportive our US Shelters were in helping save Canadian ferrets. Politics aside, the ferret community is an incredible group of people who know they may not be able to save them all, but by God, we will save as many as we can.

This new group needed their Wellness Exam, Rabies Vaccine and Health Certificates. Fred and I had given the group their Distemper Vaccines from the donated supply left over from the initial group seen at Grant Park Animal Hospital. So, in tandem, Kerry, Fred and I went to Grant Park Animal Hospital. This time, they neutered the 9 boys going to BC. The other 15 ferrets will have their spays and neuters done in the US where it was being covered by some wonderful vets. (I don’t have all the info to thank specific folks)

*Before anyone questions why we didn’t use our own wonderful vet clinic (Henderson Animal Hospital); I inquired but was told this was too massive an undertaking for them and by then Vanessa had secured a vet clinic and seeing as she was paying the bill; I respected her arrangement. The staff at Grant Park Animal Hospital were excellent. Welcoming our stinky, nippy bunch and so very glad to be able to help save these ferrets. **Grant Park Animal Hospital has continued to offer their services to our shelter as needed and we are very grateful to have vet clinics that are available to support our shelter needs.

On Wednesday; Kerry gave up family vacation time and made the long trip to meet up with Cheryl and Christine from VI_FERT in Calgary. Calgary supported our ferret rescue by hosting the 2 teams as that ferrets and humans could get a well deserved sleep before completing their journeys the next morning.

The following Friday, yup you guessed it. Kerry with a co-driver this time; hats off to Dan who raced around the city between Tuesday and the following Wednesday to get his Passport updated! Off they went ; driving across the border to meet up with Don Haney and his daughter from Frisco’s Friends Ferret Rescue . The group met in Rapid City South Dakota. It took them 13 hours to get there. They unloaded and headed straight home. They were exhausted by the time they came to my place to drop off the travel cages and for Dan to pick up his car. 26 hours of non stop driving! What an incredible job they did!

So, to date we have taken in 26 young adoptable boys, re-homed 8 breeding females and 40 intact males. Gave the little girl named Nova 2 of the best weeks of her life playing and just being a ferret and 3 days of around the clock love before she gained her wings.

I am very proud of what the Manitoba Ferret Association No Kill Shelter has accomplished. We did the unthinkable; re-homing 74 ferrets that would have been euthanized.

Then on Sunday, September 28th, Dave texted that his friend was coming to Winnipeg and bringing 12 intact males if I wanted them? Save another 12, I said YES! Dave was very angry with all the bad publicity and had said he wasn’t going to work with us anymore. I’m glad that he chose to reach out to us.

Timing is everything! Paul has just delivered another 15 bags of wood pellets. I still had 3 full bags of Kirkland food. Just needed to rope Fred and Kerry in for more socializing! Vanessa from Connecticut Rescue was informed and she is networked to get shelters in the US to take this group.

Grant Park Animal Hospital has once again stepped up to help with the vaccines and paperwork! We took pictures of most of the ferrets that came into care and we took some videos too. We uploaded them all to our FLCK account for viewing. Way too many to include in this post.

We did rack up some hefty costs taking in these ferrets. The only reason that was possible was because of a silent donor who gifted us some funds. That being said, we still need replenish the funds in case Dave decides to release more ferrets into our care. We will keep saving the breeding stock and unsold adolescent ferrets until all the shelters say no to taking in any more.

If you would like to help us financially, you can send your donation by E-Transfer to

manitobaferrets@gmail.com. Please identify funds in message as “support for retired ferrets

08.31.14

by debferret

Ferret’s Bill of Rights

Written by Robert R. Church

As ferret caretakers, the following rights are recognized as integral to the ethical and moral treatment of Mustela furo, the domesticated ferret:

The ferret has the right to life.

In those instances where euthanasia is seen as the only moral and ethical option, then it is to be performed with dignity and compassion and in a painless manner.

The ferret has the right to professional veterinary care and treatment, as well as medical treatments that prevent disease, such as heart worm, rabies and distemper, among others.

The ferret has the right to clean water and nutritious food, presented in a sanitary manner.

The ferret has the right to live in a clean and stimulating environment commensurate to its intelligence and curiosity.

The ferret has the right to positive physical contact with people and other ferrets.

The ferret has the right to daily exercise and to explore its environment.

The ferret has the right to be a ferret; not a dog nor a cat.

The ferret has the right to live in a secure and stress-free environment, which includes places to hide when sleeping.

The ferret has the right to be bred in a safe, moral and ethical manner, with the assurance offspring from such breeding will also be treated ethically and morally.

The ferret has the right to defend itself when afraid, without fear of judgement or reprisal.

The ferret has the right to be loved in a FOREVER HOME until it’s time comes to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

08.27.14

by debferret

Do your laws allow ferrets?

Ferrets are allowed in Manitoba and there is currently no limit on the number of ferrets you can own.

I swear they multiply

The first thing a prospective pet owner should do is check on the legality of the pet where they live. This will take some work to find out, and you should get verification by personally talking to the proper agencies that have jurisdiction over pet related laws in your area.

My advice would be to check the local level of government first – the city, town, or county where you live. This is often the level at which the most restrictive laws are enacted. Call your city hall or Fish and Game department, Department of Conservation or Wildlife.   You can also call the humane society, animal shelter, or even veterinarians to get suggestions on whom you should check with on legal issues about your pets.

If your prospective pet is legal locally, I would still check at the state or provincial level. Many states and provinces may not have specific laws, but some (such as California) have strict and wide ranging laws. Call the state wildlife or natural resources department to check on possible restrictions.

You might also want to check Federal Law In the United States a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) license might be required so contacting the nearest USDA office should be done.   Laws vary tremendously by location so the hassle of finding out for sure if a pet is legal is a necessity. It is not entirely safe to assume that if an animal is found locally in a pet store or at a breeder it is legal – reputable stores and breeders don’t carry illegal pets but sometimes it can be difficult to know who is reputable.

Whether the laws are well founded or fair is often debatable, but regardless of this the laws exist and it is incumbent on pet owners to be aware of such laws. If a complaint is made about an illegal pet, these laws are often vigorously enforced and may result in confiscation and even euthanasia of your pet.

Laws pertaining to exotic pets range from local city by-laws to federal regulations. Many cities/towns and counties have laws regarding the number of pets, types of pets, and conditions under which certain pets can be kept. This usually includes dogs and cats as well as exotic species.

Unfortunately, exotic species are often prone to more restrictive laws.   I have been doing research to see what laws we have in Canada pertaining to our furry friends. As far as I know we have none regarding the domestic ferret.   We are allowed to have them in every province here. There is currently no limit on the number of ferrets you can own.   The United States is sadly different however.

California, Hawaii and New York City are the major battlefields in the war against keeping ferrets as pets.   In California and Hawaii, ferrets are classified as wildlife and outlawed as pets.   In New York City, a Board of Health ruling in June 1999 placed ferrets in the same category of animals that are wild, ferocious, fierce, dangerous or naturally inclined to do harm, lumping them with tigers, lions, and elephants.

Don’t forget about traveling

ferret wagon

If it is illegal to have ferrets where you’ll be visiting, think twice about bringing them. Most laws apply to possession of the ferret and don’t care whether you live there or are just visiting.

How Can You Affect Ferret Laws?

Because ferrets are the third most popular companion animal in the United States. The key to changing ferret laws is to understand existing laws, educate people, and work to change laws. Start by examining the complete copy of the animal control code, and discuss the code with animal control and humane authorities. Then work to educate people, ferret partisans are working hard to defeat the last of what they consider arcane and unenforceable bans.

Australia – It is illegal to keep ferrets as pets in Queensland or the Northern Territory; in the ACT a licence is required.

Brazil – They are allowed only if they are given a microchip identification tag and sterilized.

New Zealand – It has been illegal to sell, distribute or breed ferrets in New Zealand since 2002 unless certain conditions are met.[35]

Portugal – It is illegal to keep ferrets as pets in Portugal. Ferrets can be used for hunting purposes only and can be kept only with a government permit.

United States – Ferrets were once banned in many US states, but most of these laws were rescinded in the 1980s and ’90s as they became popular pets. Ferrets are still illegal in California under Fish and Game Code Section 2118[36] and the California Code of Regulations,[37] although it is not illegal for veterinarians in the state to treat ferrets kept as pets. In November 1995, ferret proponents asked the California Fish and Game Commission to remove the domesticated ferret from the restrictive wildlife list. Additionally, “Ferrets are strictly prohibited as pets under Hawaii law because they are potential carriers of the rabies virus”;[38]

The territory of Puerto Rico has a similar law to Hawaii.[39] Ferrets are restricted by individual cities, such as Washington, DC, and New York City.[39] They are also prohibited on many military bases.[39] A permit to own a ferret is needed in other areas, including Rhode Island.[40]

Illinois and Georgia do not require a permit to merely possess a ferret, but a permit is required to breed ferrets.[41][42] It was once illegal to own ferrets in Dallas, Texas,[43] but the current Dallas City Code for Animals includes regulations for the vaccination of ferrets.[44]

Pet ferrets are legal in Wisconsin, however legality varies by municipality. The city of Oshkosh, for example, classifies ferrets as a wild animal and subsequently prohibits them from being kept within the city limits. Also, an import permit from the state department of agriculture is required to bring one into the state.[45]

Japan – In Hokkaido prefecture, ferrets must be registered with local government.[46] In other prefectures, no restrictions apply.