This is a recurring thread but I had to support the shelters here. If you've ever done any rescue you realize how many total liars there are out there and people who seem what they aren't. Shelter people don't know potential adopters from adam. There first concern is the ferret. If your boring little personal details are more important that rescuing a ferret - so be it. Being burned a couple times by people and having the ferrets be the one that suffer - makes you careful. I support complete reference checks as well as home checks if at all possible (and by the way most cat and dog rescues learned the same lessons years ago and have had the same policies for quite some time - so people who seem surprised by these policies have never gone to breed rescue). Mary [Posted in FML issue 2931]