My question on this wouldn't be if Chows or even this particular dog is good with ferrets. My question would be how is she prepared to keep them separately? Despite how we like to think of them, dogs are not little people in fur suits with human social mores and ethics. They're dogs... sweet, loving, opportunistic carnivores and predators with thousands of years of hardwiring controlling their instincts. Some individuals and breeds have higher prey drives than others or are more sensitive to stimulus but all of them are ultimately dogs. In my opinion there is no such thing as a "100% safe" dog around small animals. Even if the dog has never shown any predatory behavior and has always gotten along with them it is still a dog and those instincts are there. All it takes is one time of instinct being triggered and the dog switches gears to a predator who is going to act as it's instincts dictate. Not because it's a bad dog or because it's vicious - it's simply a dog being a dog. Because of my experience, both personal and professional, our dogs and ferrets are separated for their own safety. Letting ferrets run with dogs is taking a serious (and in my opinion downright foolhardy) risk. Personally I wouldn't adopt into that situation were I looking to place my ferrets. Even if the dog never goes after the ferret, size difference alone is a risk. Not a very politically correct opinion I'm sure but safety of the little ones being placed takes priority over avoiding hurt feelings. Amanda and carpet-sharks Ana and Cino [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 4594]