This is my first time writing the FML, Hi I am Joelene. I have had the privilege of volunteering for 24 Carat Ferret Rescue & Shelter the past 14 months. The love I have received from the people I have met as well as the ferrets is special. My background is nursing so I just naturally got involved in fostering the critical and chronically ill and unstable ferrets. Those fur kids are so special and the love they showered upon me has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life as well as the most heartbreaking, when I lose one. I have fostered as many as thirty ferrets all on meds and Duck soup. This past September 11th my oldest son was killed on his motorcycle on his way to work and emotionally and financially I cannot stay any longer in Las Vegas. I will be moving to the Reno area with family and as many of my fosters my family will allow. I am heart broken that I am financially unable to take all twenty with me and it will be so hard to leave all of those kids I have come to love so much. There are so many sweet loving ferrets at the Shelter who need a forever home for the rest of their lives. There is Dabby she is naked has adrenal and insulinoma but doing extremely well on Pred and Duck soup. she is such a delight to watch, she has great spirit. She dashes about chattering and playing and begs to be held by climbing up your leg, her brother Sinbad is fat and healthy and he loves his Dabby Doo. He always allows her to eat soup first and finishes what she doesn't. Not that he needs it, he is a rolly polly fat boy who loves to lie on his back and play dead. There are the as I call the the Scottish girls, their owners had to return to Scotland so they brought them to the shelter last year. Meg is the only one with an illness, she had mild insulinoma and only requires 1/4 Pred daily, her sisters Moshe and Molly are fat and sassy with no problems other than they need someone to adopt them and love them. they are sweet girls. They lost their other cagemates to insulinoma over the past year There is Minky and Wolfy a sweeter pair as you'd ever meet, both have Insulinoma and Adrenal DZ and are controlled on medication, Wolfy recently had to start on Lasix as well. Minky is frisky and loves her soup. She is at the cage climbing when she sees me starting morning and evening meds and soup. Wolfy is a quiet guy with a sad look in his eyes most days. He loves to be held and loved, he too loves his soup. He is sweet and affectionate and Minky is frisky and active. Then there is Raptor who was so sick and thin when I first got him as a foster I was sure he would not make it, along with his cagemates WednesdaY and Jack. Raptor is now a butterball, active and playful and loves his soup as do his cagemates. They all suffer from Insulinoma and Wednesday Adrenal. They would love to have someone to just give them some quality time for the remainder of there lives. We have Frick, Terry, Boba and Lazy, only Frick has Insulinoma Terry, Boba and Lazy Adrenal. These four kids will accept anyone in their cage and love them and nurture them. They would love to have someone take them home and love and pay attention to them. Terry and Bobba are the active and playful girls jumping and dancing and chattering and the boys are laid back and affectionate. then there is Trixie and Nipper, Trixie is healthy Nipper has Adrenal and Insulinoma but active and playful and loves to play with there neighbors below, Rebel and Rascal both girls, Rascal is healthy and Rebel has Insulinoma. The four love to be out toghther and sometimes get switched cages they look so much alike. They are definately four sweet kids who deserve a good home with lots of love and attention. We have Snowball and Cocoa who are both very sweet and loving kids, Snowball has Insulinoma , cocoa is healthy.We have Loki and Kula, Kula has Insulinoma and mild Adrenal, Loki is healthy. Both kids have cared for and lost cagemates and came together to consol each other, they are loving and sweet and could use a good home. We have a vbery special needs girl Poo who has gone blind and would love someone to love her and feed her Ferrivite as much as possible. Ther is Lizzette, a thin but no diseases yet little girl who hates other ferrets and can be grouchy and Nippy until she gets to know you then she is sweet. then there is Marilyn Monroe who hads Adrenal and came to us Naked but gained most of her coat back after Luperon. she loves to run the house and chatter. She is aa special and really pretty girl who'd love to have a forever home with someone.Probably the sweetest pair we have is Singz and Genie, Singz is blind and Genie is adrenal. I can't tell you how sweet these two kids are and loving, Singz gets around at playtime very well and Genie is another frisky little female who loves to play. He loves to cuddle. There are many more here that are in need of a generous soul who take them in and give them the quality time they deserve. the rewards are so great. i have loved them all and will be sad to leave behind a place where I felt at home and was loved by so many great little kids. I know every6 face and bald spot and what each ones little or big personality is like. I will always remember the ones I have loved and lost and how much i feel for CJ and all of the volunteers i have had the privilidge to know. I cannot say enough about how great the works of this shelter is. I hope all that read this think about the ferrets at this shelter who could use a home and love and how much you would receive for that act of kindness and love. Adopt a special needs kid, you will get more than you give. [Posted in FML issue 5071]