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]