hey lisa...here are my answers regarding dogs and ferrets:
 
1. my dogs are indoor dogs [as, in my opinion, just about all should be]
 
2. I have two dogs: a 22lb terrier mix [8 years in September] & a 12lb
   JRT [5 this past April]; both are spayed females
 
3/4. Yes, I do let my ferret [I only have one] socialize with the two
     dogs.
 
Jo-Jo [terrier mix] loves him and always wants to play with him.  Chaos
[jrt] on the other hand hates him and wants nothing to do with him.
Unfortunately, Oscar [ferret] is in love with Chaos and she is the one
that he always wants to play with.  Figures, eh!  However, whenever Oscar
gets near Chaos she will back away and gowl.  She has NEVER attacked
him/bite him/harmed him.  But I certainly do NOT trust her with him.  I
try to keep him away from her but sometimes, he gets closer than she
likes.  As a dog who is genetically programmed to kill rodents and other
small mammals, to trust her would be insane.  Especially since she has
repeatedly demonstrated her dislike for him.  So, while they three of
them are at times in the same room [Oscar is free roam in my bedroom but
gets out to explore the house] I keep my eyes more on where the dogs are
then Oscar as my biggest worry is contact between him and Chaos [and the
dogs are easier to keep track of b/c they're usually lounging on the
couch or at the table waiting for dinner!].  And while Joey is good with
him, she is unfortuanetly just too big.  Last August he had to have
surgery to fix a dislocated elbow which may [or may not] have been caused
by playing with Joey who out weighs him by about 20lbs.  So, I have
bascially stopped all rough-housing between them for his safety.  The
reason though why I like them seeing each other is b/c I feel it makes
the girls [re: dogs] less jealous of him.  I know that if I was to always
go into my bedroom and lock the girls out that they would REALLY come to
resent Oscar and possible start acting up with me.  Even more so if I was
to always put them in the basement or backyard whenever I wanted to let
Oscar out to roam the house.
 
5. No, the girls were not puppies.  I just adopted Oscar last year so the
   girls were six & four years of age.
 
6. No, I have not had any bad experiences by having both dogs and
   ferrets [excluding the elbow mishap but I just consider that an
   accident and I"m not even sure if Joey played any role in it!]
 
I hope that this helps.  I definitely think that having both ferrets and
a dog is plausable.  Just PLEASE always supervise because you just never
know.  Accidents can happen just as likely as intentional harm.  Also,
research characteristics of different breeds so that you will know what
to stay away from.  I have a JRT - a dog specifically breed to go after
creatures such as Oscar.  And while she doesn't like him, she has never
gone after him.  That would likely NOT be the case for most JRTs.  But
dogs are individuals.  Other breeds like Huskeys also tend to have high
prey drives, as do almost all terrier breeds.  Again, my terrier mix
thinks she is Oscar's mother more than anything.  I am lucky with my
dogs - but that still doesn't mean that I am emplicitly trust them.
Just know your breeds, know what you're looking for BEFORE you go out to
adopt and then get to know your new dog.  Also, don't be afraid to get
an older[1+] dog instead of a puppy.  He'll likely have some training,
especially house training and it will allow you to focus more on
integrating him into your family and teaching him to respect the ferrets
than a young puppy who will be in need of learning EVERYTHING!  Finally,
I'm overjoyed to hear that you plan on adopting a "mutt" from a shelter.
That is where my Joey is from and I tell you, a more perfect dog was
never made.
 
Good Luck.
 
- kristen -
love is merely a madness
and I tell you,
deserves as well a dark house & a whip
as madmen do
    - shakespeare "As You Like It"
 
...she feels like kicking out all the windows
and setting fire to this life
she could change everything about her
using colors bold and bright
but all the colors mix together
to grey
and it breaks her heart
oh it breaks her heart
to grey
    - dave matthews "Grey Street"
[Posted in FML issue 3874]