Hey folks...Jen in Iowa out of lurk mode again. I want to say, first off, I don't know the people at Tiny Prints that well at all. Only met them once at the LOS show in March, so I really can't get into what they do or don't do. However...what has, hands down, IRRITATED me to no end are the remarks about shelter credibility and what "makes" a shelter. One of the annon. posts yesterday mentioned that TP only had 7 ferrets in their shelter, while others had dozens or hundreds. Personally, I don't care if you have 1 rescued ferret you're trying to help or 100...you're still doing your part to help homeless fuzzies. How many adoptables one has or doesn't have does NOT dictate the status of your shelter. I understand the concerns about where the money goes for a small number of ferrets...but shouldn't we be asking TP personally?? As an example, I only have 5 shelter ferrets at this time...however, in the last month I shelled out $490 (out of my own pocket, not fundraiser), to have 2 adrenalectomies done on shelter kids. That's in addition to the "regular" monthly expenses for meds, food, etc...AND the bills we are STILL paying on (which, at this point, has hit over $1,000). Stop and consider that many of a shelter's costs come straight out of pocket, and other necessities get put off. For example, I've been driving a car with a "check engine" light on that randomly dies on the interstate to and from my job for the last few months because all my free money has gone into ferret medical bills...NOT into getting the car fixed. My dishwasher is broken, my computer is BEYOND substandard, and I barely manage to keep one step ahead of routine household expenses...but at least the ferrets get the best in medical care, housing and love. So I deal. My point is simply this...I'm not defending TP. Nor am I questioning them. I just get aggrivated when I see ANY shelter gets attacked/questioned extensively in an open forum, especially when it's over something so petty as how many ferrets are currently in their shelter. It's been my experience that just ONE ferret can total over $1500 in medical bills alone. There are many factors here that we probably don't know about. Maybe TP's vet doesn't allow them to carry a balance? Maybe they pay their vet bills by credit card and are trying to pay off the card now? My suggestion is that if you're one of those truly concerned, email the shelter personally, off list, and ask them. A reputable shelter/rescue will have no problem with providing references, proof of accounting, etc. And now, I put on my flame-retardant suit and go back into lurking. :) Jen & The Furkids ===== Jen Galas, LVT President, Legion of Superferrets Midwest Legion of Superferrets of Iowa Ferret Shelter Black Dragon Ferretry Visit Our Website at http://pages.ivillage.com/jedi.knight/ Help support the homeless fuzzies in our care by shopping with iGive: http://www.iGive.com/LOSofIA If you don't rescue, DON'T BREED! [Posted in FML issue 4525]