Your story really irked me and made me wish I could fly to Reno to knock some heads together. However, I doubt it would be necessary to go all that way, because what you've described happens everywhere, I'm sure. Just last week, I 'inherited' 3 more ferrets. How does my family grow to 4 overnight? I guess my heart is just too soft when it comes to these dear animals. When I was telling one of my coworkers about the sudden addition the next day (she owned ferrets before), she made a comment about my being 'lucky'. I tried to explain that though I'm lucky to be involved with such awesome creatures and that these particular ones ended up with an owner who would throw herself into oncoming traffic to save them if need be, it's not really luck at all. These situations just should not happen, period. A few weeks ago, there was a ferret listed in the classified section of our local paper as a 'giveaway'. Unfortunately I don't get up at 6AM to read the paper and by the time I called at 11:30AM, the 'beautiful cinnamon to a good home only' was GONE. Gone where? You're giving it away, no paperwork involved. How do you know it's gone to a good home when even shelters who CHARGE MONEY and have friggin' BOOKS of paperwork to be filled out before you're allowed to adopt can't be guaranteed that a ferret is getting a GOOD home? You just don't. At that point, I didn't even know what I was going to do with another ferret even if they did still have it by the time I called, but I have a steady job that pays enough for me to get by with a savings account. I have good credit. I was going to come up with something, anything to make it work. Putting 'giveaway' in the ad just freaked me out because when you give something away, you're just inviting the jerks in. I was ready to do anything for this animal, I'd even had loose arrangements with my brother to take it since I wasn't planning to add another ferret to the family at the time. All sight unseen. I cried when I found out someone else got it. Not because I was upset that *I* couldn't have it. Because I was upset that no one had any idea where it might end up. I consoled myself by going and grabbing Kahlua (who was aimlessly wandering around the house) and crying on/hugging her. At least I could know that I helped her when she needed it. And then there was Anakin and his situation... Now, I, the person who wasn't really looking to add any more ferrets to the family right at this second, ended up with 3 more all of the sudden just because of the 'I adopted my ferret' magnet on the back of our van. It's odd how you end up at 'the right place at the right time'. Even though I don't adopt out and I don't go through the stress that shelter Moms go through, I worry. About the ferrets at PetCo. About the ferrets in the newspaper. Even about the ferrets who don't make it out to the 'public circulation', but just get shoved in a dark corner or set 'free'. Then I set myself straight and tell myself that I *do* do all that I can. And I guess that since I don't have any superhuman strengths, in the long run, doing what I can do and not just sitting back watching the world go by is what matters. I try to tell myself that anyway. Meanwhile, I look at the new cage full of boys in the house and remind myself of how 'lucky' we all are. ~Tammy - a.k.a. Kesrael "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wonder are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be the blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." "May it be you journey on To light the day; When the night is overcome You may rise to find the sun" [Posted in FML issue 5132]