Once again, PLEASE do not read into things posted that are NOT there. This is why people post anonymously. No one wants to be flamed for questions or concern. As for shelter donations being used as personal gain, come on now, common sense here, we are talking spending all the money on yourself, not the rescued ferrets and no one was pointing fingers at any one shelter or rescue? Where did some of you read this? or read that Barb and Kim the rescuers are being critisized? Please go back and read the original post as this is really getting blown out of proportion. Please wake up and use common sense when reading posts before jumping down people's throats. This is why some people either no longer post or cancel the fml. Stop reading into what is not there. No one is critisizing fml shelters. Just keep eyes open for signs of abuse to ferrets, that is all, bottom line. I even think people should donate money to the shelter mom or dad either in gift card for a dinner or a seperate fund for their personal use, god knows they deserve it, especially if they have many to care for. We know shelters depend on money donations to help out the rescued ferrets and that there are more than food and vet needs. We are talking about spending the donations on oneself for personal items. For instance remember Jen Morrison?and that huge rescue? wasn't she taking donations and using them for herself while the animals suffered? It does happen. As for abuse conditions in shelters, we are not talking dust or dirt on the floors or 100% clean. No one would expect that. We are talking real abuse issues, such as overcrowding, filth, no food, no water, no playtime and all. Just as there are bad dog and cat shelters or breeders, there are also bad ferret ones out there somewhere. There is always abuse out there and you are kidding yourself if you think there isn't, whether it be a breeder or shelter. I myself have not seen it but we have heard enough in the rescues of many animals. Come on, please use a level head when thinking about these things and stop nit picking over foolishness. Please put time into hunting down ferret abusers and investigating anything out of the ordinary, even if they are rumors. Granted most rumors may be false, yet just one could be real and if investigated early enough could prevent the abuse of many ferrets before having to do another huge rescue at the expense of losing precious ferret's lives. [very concerned] [Posted in FML issue 4231]