Hello all, I write this while major tears fall. Does anyone have any ideas where I can send the 38 ferrets here? After 12 years of rescue in Colorado, the only rescue to run that long I am proud to say. Other than my two beautiful children, rescue is my other pride and joy. I have to close the doors. I only raised $25.00 to what I needed to save my home and the rescue. SO as of tomorrow it is over. We have to be out next week. We will go to court on the 4th and unless we have the full amount of what we owe on the loan the house is gone. And we never will, I have not raised the $1,200.00 I needed by the 31st to stop this action, there is no way I will raise $170,000.00 to pay off the home loan. I am so devastated for my children and my animal friends. I hate to sound angry but I am. I am no saint buy any means, but I rescued my first animal when I was 5, started to volunteer at shelters when I was 8 , got my first ferret at 15 and fell in love. Went to Virginia where I learned about ferret rescue and rescued my first ferret Nellie there. Moved to Colorado in 1992 and started Ferrets Etc. And have loved and rescued over 3,000 ferrets. And now it is all ending. I know they say GOD does not give us more than we can handle, but I am not sure of that. I have struggled with financial issues since I started the rescue, unfortunately it costs a lot of money to run a private rescue, many people do not realize that, they give to the big humane societies and forget the little guys. Not that I do not think Humane societies should get help, I want them to get help to, but I think many forget it is the small rescue that really keep the big Societies a float, taking on older, sick, exotic and behaviorally challenged pets. Anyway it has always been a burden but I managed. I even made it thru 8 miscarriages and a tubal pregnancy, an emergency c-section with my daughter who was born 5 weeks early, an emergency hysterectomy at the age of 29 that was devastating. I was never sure I would pull thru but I did, the ferrets kept me going, knowing they needed me. And now I failed them. I cannot pull the $1,200.00 together by the 31st. The media will not do a story, my pleas have fell on deaf ears and no one else has had time to email them with the holidays. Unfortunatley this miracle will not happen and I do not know what to do. I do not want to have 38 ferrets put down, but I have no home as of next week and I have 2 children also to care for and 9 cats, 2 dogs and 7 birds. I know there are so many kind people who could help, who have that kind of financing, but I cannot figure out how to get the word to them, the media will not help. And I do not know how to solicit that kind of thing over the Internet, if anyone does pass this letter on to anyone who might be able to save my ferrets and children's home. I would be forever grateful. Anyway thank you all for the kind words, I hope everyone else has a great New Year. Stephanie Sheme Prseident/FOunder Ferrets Etc. 303-358-8387 [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 5107]