As part of this whole shelter/rescue debate, some people have mentioned that "legitimate" shelters should be licensed by their state. It is important to note that many states have NO licensing requirements or procedures for shelters. Ohio is one of them. There are several legitimate (and excellent) ferret shelters in Ohio, but not ONE of them has ever been licensed, as there is no way to do so! Also, for many shelters, applying for tax exempt status may not be an option. First, it is very time consuming with LOTS of paperwork. It costs money. You must have a board of directors (the majority of which may not be members of the same household); most of your operating expenses must come from donations and fund raising; and no more than a certain percentage of your income may come one person. Thus for those who are mostly self-funded, it is not an option! I just wanted to point out that the lack of licensing (unless required by the state) is no measure of a shelter's legitimacy. Nor by the way is tax exempt status or lack thereof! Linda Iroff Former Ohio shelter operator Co-director International Ferret Congress http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 4546]