4 Li'l Paws Ferret Shelter had a busy year in 1996.
 
Ferrets turned into the shelter:  149 + 5 on hand at the beginning of 1996
Ferrets adopted out of the shelter in 1996:  132
Ferrets remaining to be adopted:  13
  (1 waiting adrenal surgery; 2 being "socialized"; 6 new-comers completing
   vaccinations)
Ferrets in Hospice: 4
  (1 with bilateral adrenal and her cage mate; 1 seven year old and his
   cage mate)
Ferrets that died while in the shelter: 5
  (1 complications from surgery; 1 kidney failure; 1 multiple illnesses; 1
   delayed vaccine reaction)
 
Vet bills are still be totalled for this year, but will likely top $7,000.
That's not counting food, litter, medicines, supplies, etc.
 
I'd like to thank our halfway houses and our hospice home for all that
they've done for us.  Without halfway houses such as these, we'd find
ourselves very limited in the work we do.
 
Krystal runs our VT halfway house and has made many a "ferret-run" from
northern VT to our shelter in southern NH, bringing us ferrets from her part
of the world.  She and her husband have also made the long drive to help at
our fund raisers.  Great people.
 
Kim and Phil run a halfway house in Manchester, NH.  At times, they've held
up to 35 ferrets for us while we were in overload at our shelter in
Merrimack.  They have made many trip to the vets for us; helped in fund
raising events; and given us moral support when we were ready to give it all
up.
 
Our newest member of the 4 LI'l Paws Ferret Shelter is Penny, also in
Merrimack.  She has opened her home as a hospice house for ill and otherwise
unadoptable ferrets-giving them a loving home for their remaining time.  She
gives them the time that we just aren't able to with the normal hustle and
bustle of running a shelter.
 
And a special thank you to BIG for this forum, and to all of you for being
and for caring.
 
Dick B.
[Posted in FML issue 1802]