About WAFFS : history
WAFFS was established in 1981 mainly as a social club for ferret owners. As the popularity of ferrets grew, so too did the need for more up-to-date knowledge about them and a means to share that information.
WAFFS has been operating in its present form since 1993 and has a current membership base of around 250 families with our members living not only North and South of the River in the metropolitan area, but in many towns throughout Western Australia as well as in the Eastern States and overseas.
The voice of the Society is our newsletter, "Ferreting Around", which is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always informative and is produced and posted out to members every two months.
Today we are still a very social, family oriented club, holding Ferret Races and a Ferret Show annually and having Picnics in the Park, Field Days at rural locations and an end-of-year Christmas Party.
General meetings are held on the second Sunday of every second month at around 11:30 A.M. at Jackadder Lake, Jackadder Way, Woodlands. Visitors and ferrets are always welcome at these meetings. Meeting dates are confirmed in our bi-monthly newsletters.
Although the larger portion of the resources of our Club is used in the many and varied programmes we undertake to educate members of the public on the care and welfare of ferrets and the nature and needs of this delightful creature, by far the most needed service introduced by our Society was our Ferret Rescue Service.
FERRET RESCUE was formed by Dianne Rohowicz in 1992. Prior to there being a Ferret Rescue service, people who found ferrets would never realise that they were someone's much loved pet and would either just keep them or sell them to someone else. The RSPCA, because there was no Ferret Rescue, would either pass them on to a pet shop or a wildlife sanctuary as no-one knew what to do with them.
Based upon the fact that all ferrets should be called HOUDINI, because if there is a way to escape they will find it, we at the Western Australian Ferret & Ferreting Society realised the need to have a rescue service because we all knew that if one of our pets escaped we would certainly want to have them back and the public needed to have a central Rescue Service available to call if and when they had a ferret wander into their backyard or bedroom. In two out of three cases now, found ferrets are re-united with their owners and those which are not claimed are given "free to a good home" with a member of the Society. (Ferret Rescue is a voluntary service and, depending upon what costs may have been incurred, a very small fee may be charged to the owners when their pet is claimed).
It has taken a lot of time and hard work by our Society to have Ferret Rescue recognised for the welfare service that it is and the RSPCA, CALM, local Council Rangers and many Veterinary Clinics throughout the metropolitan and country areas now work very closely with us. For details on how our Ferret Rescue service works please refer to the Ferret Rescue information page and, should you need the help of this service, you will always reach us on 1300 133 323 for the cost of a local telephone call.
The dissemination of accurate information about ferret care remains a vital Ferret Society function and information sheets about ferrets and the Ferret Society are available upon request.
Health care of ferrets is also very important to the Society and, as a service to our members, sterilisation and vaccinations are available at reduced rates. Committee members keep abreast of all current health issues in order to give advice on health care when requested and are able to refer you to a "ferret friendly vet" in your area.
Members of WAFFS can always be found at various public events, such as the Pet Expo, throughout the year and are always willing to show and talk about their ferrets and answer any questions you may have.
WAFFS' SHOP was born in 1992, but became "Ferret Necessities" in 1996 following a "think tank" session held by the then members of the committee (Dianne Rohowicz, Amanda Prestney, David Dawson, Shirley Hewett, Betty Dawson, Sue Tillemans and John Cameron) to come up with a name representative of the growing range of ferret related products we were able to provide for our members.
Since that time, thanks entirely to the members' dedication and support, "Ferret Necessities" has grown into an asset which all members are proud to call their own and carries stock of everything from the basics such as food, bowls, litter, grooming aids, harnesses, bedding, hammocks and toys, to more unusual and exotic items of jewellery, clothing and toy ferrets for our ferrets' owners.
The range of stock in our "Ferret Necessities" shop is growing constantly and you will always find that little something extra with which to spoil your ferret/s just a little more.
For further information on any ferret related subject, please call one of the contact numbers listed or refer to the appropriate fact sheet set out within this site.
President and Committee
Western Australian Ferret & Ferreting Society Inc.