In response to Jenn's recent experiences: (And Jenn - I know you're a good ferret mom - we've e-mailed many times and if I were closer, I'd adopt to you in a heartbeat!) Keep in mind that I'm a shelter Mom. I've also volunteered in shelters other than my own. I've noticed that in general, within the animal rescue population of humans in particular, that there seems to be more than a good share of folks that just seem to get along better with animals than they do with people. You can see that they know what they're doing as far as the animals in their care, but they are lacking in people skills and are often very cynical about the people they get their surrenders from or those who wish to adopt. In some cases, I have experienced 1st hand shelter operators who flat out should NOT be the ones who work with the volunteers, the people surrendering animals, the potential adopters or potential donors to the shelter! They're great with hands-on animal care but absolutely terrible at communicating with other humans. The result is volunteers who give up coming into the shelter to help, potential adopters who might be perfectly capable of providing wonderful homes to ferrets leaving with a terrible experience and would-be donors who decide to give their money to someone who is able to articulate the shelter needs, account for where the funds go & show appreciation for every single gift, regardless of size. You can't be great at everything - and if you have an area of weakness, in the best interest of the ferrets, it might just be good to let trusted friends/volunteers act as your "public face". To interact with volunteers with detailed training and express thanks for every moment they give to the shelter, to screen potential adopters and to help raise funds. Somehow I managed to be a ferret shelter mom and have decent people skills. I'm in sales - I know how to communicate, praise and motivate others. But I can also tell you, I've sometimes been guilty of trying to do too much and letting a "Thank You" slip through the cracks or getting frustrated with someone who clearly had not yet educated themselves about ferrets, rather considering it an opportunity for the education to begin with me. That's MY signal that I'm in a little over my head and time to start soliciting for some volunteers.......who will be treated like royalty!! Just my 2 cents as I can see it a little bit from both sides. Jerri Carel The Ferret Haven Louisville, KY [Posted in FML issue 5206]