hello everyone, undoubtably i am putting my neck in a noose to post this on the fml, but i have to get this out after reading so many posts that have been brushing, but not quite nailing, the issue of whether having ferrets as a sellable item is right or wrong. i will never ever state what i think is right for everyone, because that is not for me to even fathom, but i will state what i feel as an individual. ferrets. my ferrets have gotten me through alot. they have been there for me when another person would never ever do. the honesty of these creatures is downright fascinating. anyways, when i think about when i bought mister ferret from a petstore some years ago, i am appaled to be a participant in such a digusting perverse process. these creatures are at the whim of the consumer! i could of been anyone, maybe someone who didnt like ferrets afterwards, maybe someone who decided after buying the sweetie that he or she needed to be given away, or at worse, disposed of. if you buy something from a yardsale, you can throw it out later if you dont really like it as much as from the getgo. im just saying that animals do not deserve to be an item at the store whose life hangs in the whim of supply and demand. ferrets are not cans of soup or pairs of shoes, they are feeling breathing loving and highly expressive beings. im sure that if any one of you had to give your babies up due to financial hardship or some other unavoidable crisis that you would really hardcore screen any potential foster home to ensure that your sweetie would live out a happy attention and affection full life. no pet store cares what the buyer does with the animal!! no ferret mill cares where the money is coming from!! as long as their goal is profit, they only care about money!!! i am not knocking private breeders who monitor and screen where their babies go. i know all the shelters on this list ensure that the babies are getting a good home. i salute the dedication of so many people on this list making the shelters possibe. but, until ferrets are not sold at indiscrimating petstores and are produced by organizations that are doing it as a business not as a labor of love, shelters will always be a necessity as a dumping ground for idiot wasting consumers who dont give a [log in to unmask] thank you everyone, for your time. jodi corley [Posted in FML issue 3667]