It's ironic that the post came up about home-based shelters being overwhelmed. I run a shelter in Michigan and can't believe how many kids have needed our help. We have many, many kids that have come in that will never leave. It is sad, it is heart-breaking but it is also something that I dedicate my life to. There are currently 81 ferrets in our shelter system, of the 81, 18 are healthy enough to go to new homes. That leaves an overwhelming 63 kids needing special care, some around the clock. I currently have 55 of the kids here, and the others are in foster care. My day starts at 7am and ends between 2 or 3am. Sleep?? What is that??? But, knowing that I am making a difference, that I am helping furkids that could be suffering from being in bad situations, I wouldn't have it any other way. I couldn't live with myself if the one ferret I sent to a humane society or to a countly shelter died because his/her needs weren't met. No way, no how. I developed a deep passion for what I do. It has become a part of me that will be with me forever. Whoever said that we shelter moms make alot of sacrifices hit the nail on the head. In 2004, $15,000.00 was spent on vet bills alone, that doesn't include food, supplies or educational material. I spent the money we saved to remodel our house, on the furkids. The sacrifice is so worth it. And...well....I spend so much time in the ferret rooms, I don't see the rest of the house anyways!!! With that said, I also want to introduce a great program that my volunteers came up with. We have started to post some of the needy kids on our website. Each ferret has his/her own page and a donation button for anyone that would like to sponsor them. Having so many charges in our care, we don't have time to plan fundraisers and we don't have our paperwork finished yet for 501c3. To be honest, I think the lack of sleep has made it almost impossible for me to comprehend the paperwork!! If you check out our site, please, drop us a line and let us know what you think, what changes should be made and who captured your heart. There are so many wonderful kids in all of the shelter systems so if you can, find a shelter to help. Give that shelter mom break, a pat on the back and let her know that you support her, believe me, we need it sometimes. Lora Blaisdell - President Michigan Ferret Rescue inc. www.miferretrescue.org [Posted in FML issue 5143]