Like so many ferrets, Ms. Smokey's humans decided they "had to" move on without her. They convinced their good-hearted friend, Sandi Robinson, to adopt the little girl and advised Sandi to feed her mac & cheese, Fruit Loops and Cat Chow. Sandi, who had never even seen a ferret at that point, took little Ms. Smokey to the vet after discovering a sore on her side. The vet recommended an emergency spay - even though Ms. Smokey had two tiny tattoos in her right ear. $760 in vet bills and two weeks later, Ms. Smokey crossed painfully over the Rainbow Bridge. Ms. Smokey's life was lost - but in doing so, she helped to save hundreds of other ferrets' lives. She had won Sandi's heart. And Sandi determined that no ferret in her care would ever suffer like that again. That was 14 years ago. Today, Sandi runs the Heaven Scent Rescue/Shelter in Dothan, Alabama, a full-fledged 501(c)(3), and has some three dozen ferrets in her care. It is not easy. Most of her home is given over to the ferrets, right down to living with a bare minimum of furniture to make room for more ferret cages. Sandi half-jokingly talks about giving up her bed someday, and sleeping on the couch. Volunteers are always in short supply, and Sandi has no one else at home to help with the ferret care. Close family members have suffered major illnesses and expensive surgeries. On top of all that are the demands of her job. A cashier, Sandi works all the overtime she can manage. She has worked as much as 68 hours in a week - and brought home less than $450. She has talked about closing, as her life sometimes feels overwhelming. But the ferrets always tug at her heart. Her local SPCA begs her to stay open. At one point this summer, Sandi's shelter was the only one accepting ferrets when the Florida shelters, all running at maximum capacity, had been forced to close. How can you help Sandi and the ferrets she works so hard for? One easy way is to visit the Friends of Ferret Shelters raffle website, where for just $2 per ticket (three for $5 and six tickets for $10) you could win one of 12 terrific prizes - gift baskets stuffed with gourmet foods and lots of ferret goodies, bedding sets, jewelry, holiday-themed assortments, a complete set of Boston Rounds medicine bottles and syringes, and more! This very unusual raffle is our last one of 2007! As always, every penny from your ticket purchases will be donated to the recipient ferret shelter. So many ferrets would be lost without people like Sandi, who give over their hearts and their homes. We thank you for your support - it truly does make a difference! Susann Thiel and Lisa Oestereich Friends of Ferret Shelters [Posted in FML 5776]