Keeping a pet ferret on an allotment?

marchmainhare

Hi guys,

I'm writing to find out if there is any current Irish legislation prohibiting someone renting an allotment from keeping an animal on their plot provided that the animal is comfortable, well cared for, and visited every day as a matter of course. My partner and I are students in Dublin and due to his upcoming hip operation, her father has given us a month to find "alternate arrangements" for her grumpy rescue ferret Kaiju.

Obviously she's devastated and doesn't want him to be put down, but we think he won't rehome easily due to trust issues and specific eating requirements so we've been considering renting a private allotment under the condition that we can build him an insulated shed and visit every day to feed him and take him for walks.

Our landlady has made it clear that she doesn't want pets living in our apartment, but is open to animal visitors from time to time, so if there was a cold spell or he got sick we could bring him home as needed to take care of him. What do you guys think, do we have a case?

intheclouds

How does her fathers hip operation relate to having to find alternate arrangements for a ferret?

Council allotments have waiting lists years long. There are some private allotments on farmland but i can't see a landowner agreeing to it. What if the ferret escaped?

It seems a bit cruel to keep an animal in a shed and just having visits tbh. There must be specialist ferret people about, surely he can be rehomed instead?

marchmainhare

He says we have a month to figure something out or he'll put him down. His reason is that he won't be able to care for him while he's recovering from the operation. There are no ferret-specific shelters in Ireland, and the closest thing to a ferret specialist is someone who'll try to hunt with him for a few years then break his neck. We don't want that for him, and even if we found him a pet home he wouldn't adjust well socially due to his living situation before my partner got him.

It's also worth mentioning that a healthy ferret sleeps for 18 hours a day, so we'd really only be around at the times the ferret would want to interact with us anyway. He can come to our flat at weekends, we just need to figure out what to do for the rest of the week. I have contact information for private allotment providers in the city, I know not to bother with the council over such a short notice issue. I'm genuinely just trying to find out if this arrangement is in breach of any Irish laws.

smacl

Maybe give the DSPCA a shout, http://www.dspca.ie/ It is possible they could have / know someone willing to foster it for awhile, particularly if you're willing to contribute towards costs.

quaysider

I fear your ferret will have a lonely life.

magicbastarder

as far as first posts on boards go, that's a cracker.

Kat1170

Whenever your landlady is around, as far as she is concerned that just so happens to be the time the Ferret is ''visiting''

Chuchote

Maybe the people over in Animal and Pet Issues might help? http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=240

marchmainhare

Sorry I didn't follow up on this, I realise I must have given a few people quite a turn! We snuck the ferret into our flat eventually because we couldn't come up with a better plan. She is living a very spoiled, treat-filled, and squeaky existence and no one else in the building is any the wiser.

Also my partner's parents have only just had their hip operations after all this time, so it's a good thing we moved the ferret in when we did! Thank you all for your advice, and I'm very sorry that I rudely forgot to update you all after the problem was resolved.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

marchmainhare wrote: »

Sorry I didn't follow up on this, I realise I must have given a few people quite a turn! We snuck the ferret into our flat eventually because we couldn't come up with a better plan. She is living a very spoiled, treat-filled, and squeaky existence and no one else in the building is any the wiser.

Also my partner's parents have only just had their hip operations after all this time, so it's a good thing we moved the ferret in when we did! Thank you all for your advice, and I'm very sorry that I rudely forgot to update you all after the problem was resolved.

Thank goodness for that. I have had so many sleepless nights worrying about the ferret.

What will happen when you move to Cork and house share with another couple? Will we be back to square one? Oh, the stress!

marchmainhare

Oh dear! You must worry about online animal stories as much as I do (Don't get me wrong, I admire you for it. But ours is a stressed existence). I'm insisting on also renting a lockable art/animal room in the new house if we do end up sharing. I've lived in too many situations where I've had to worry about housemates potentially hurting the pets to ever voluntarily go through that again.

My girlfriend got her old job in Cork back, so she's moved in with her parents for the moment. We're moving the animals down from Dublin bit by bit and settling them in, but they'll be safe there with her until we can figure out somewhere to live. That's something at least

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

marchmainhare wrote: »

Oh dear! You must worry about online animal stories as much as I do (Don't get me wrong, I admire you for it. But ours is a stressed existence). I'm insisting on also renting a lockable art/animal room in the new house if we do end up sharing. I've lived in too many situations where I've had to worry about housemates potentially hurting the pets to ever voluntarily go through that again.

My girlfriend got her old job in Cork back, so she's moved in with her parents for the moment. We're moving the animals down from Dublin bit by bit and settling them in, but they'll be safe there with her until we can figure out somewhere to live. That's something at least

:rolleyes: You don't get sacarism, do you?

Stheno

marchmainhare wrote: »

Oh dear! You must worry about online animal stories as much as I do (Don't get me wrong, I admire you for it. But ours is a stressed existence). I'm insisting on also renting a lockable art/animal room in the new house if we do end up sharing. I've lived in too many situations where I've had to worry about housemates potentially hurting the pets to ever voluntarily go through that again.

My girlfriend got her old job in Cork back, so she's moved in with her parents for the moment. We're moving the animals down from Dublin bit by bit and settling them in, but they'll be safe there with her until we can figure out somewhere to live. That's something at least

MOst rentals will not accept pets.