Mike, you can find links to news stories to read about the court case brought against her by the Utah authorities for animal abuse of ferrets and the conditions in the FML Archives. My impression (so check me on this because ragweed is blooming so my asthma is not making me most coherent or most logical) is that she is on probation now and not permitted to have over a small amount of animals. I suspect that there may be details in some websites, too, but haven't checked. Yep. I just did a quick look on Google and there are details elsewhere including in newspapers which have some details so you could just go to those directly. If she has a shelter now then she may be in violation of probation. Also, remember recent lessons on those who have public faces and private faces. That is something to consider, though, of course, I guess that it is possible that she had a disorder leading to the terrible things mentioned in the news reports and that it is under treatment now resulting in large changes. Don't know -- just hoping for the best face to it though I wouldn't risk a bet on that, especially in light of what I have learned from http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/awa.htm (USDA Animal Welfare Act) http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/publications.html (USDA animal care publications and policies) http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lobby_statelawcards (animal cruelty statutes for each state, may not be up to date) http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding.html (Animal hoarding research) http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/MunicipaLawyer.pdf (download article on animal hoarding) http://www.legis.state.il.us/publicacts/pubact92/acts/92-0454.html (Illinois public act on humane animal care) and especially http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p000425.html (psychiatric article on people who hoard animals) I know of at least three people who are or have been on the FML who fit the profiles of abusive hoarders, and know that the three I know about have cleaned up their acts temporarily only to lose control over their action again down the line, sometimes more than twice. So, if that shoe fits... [Posted in FML issue 4242]