10-4 Randy. This response is for you and any others who may be interested. The local source here in Seattle (Mercer Island, WA) for the superior leather English harnesses is a pet store owner/proprietor by name of Missy. Her store is named Animal Talk. Address 6415 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle 9815, Phone 206 526 1558. Website is 3W's.animaltalkrescue.org. As I recall from 5 years ago I paid a discount price of $12 each or so for 6 to 10 harnesses of different colors, but you get no leashes. And just as well, because I use surveyor's nylon/cotton line with loops in both ends so that the leash is easily attached and removed. Don't know if it'll work anymore but ask Missy for the Lipinski Ferrets North West discount. The worst she can say is no. If you use ordinary cotton twine be prepared for a surprise, because some ferrets are smart enough to chew through their leash line. They are smart as little devils insorfar that they'll backup to the full length of the leash line and try to back out of their harness. They will pull backward repeatedly with the result that the leash line is drawn taught across the side of their head just at the jaw line. These smart little buggers seem to realize all of a sudden that this twanging leash line is their one big hinderance and will chew across their rear molars thus severing the cotton leash line. Of course, you should use the nylon surveyor's line, because they seem unable to sever this line twixt their molars. Perhaps I should clarify the situation here relative to the chewers efforts. This problem only arises when the ferret is staked out in my side yard. The other end of the leash is draped over a steel/aluminum rod that is about a foot high and planted deep enough in the soil such that the ferret cannot dislodge it or bend it over. When I walk the ferret around the neighborhood, the local park, or up in the Cascade mountains (decaying tree trunks are a ferret's absolute joy), the leash line I use is about 15 feet or so, such that the ferret can range quite a distance ahead of me, trailing his leash such that I am aware at all times his location. When walking along the sidewalk I usually shorten up on the leash line such that is just about vertical down to the ferret. In this way I don't move unless the ferret pulls straight ahead. Then I release more line and follow him along as long as he goes straight ahead more or less, rather than heading for neighborly shrubs/gardens, left, right and every other which way.. Walking ones ferret down the neighborhood street often results in a wide range of conversations with pedestrians and drivers. It certainly makes for a proud and fulfilling experience. In one instance a Metro bus driver stopped his diesel bus dead in the street, ignoring all traffic, and related to me how much he enjoys his own ferrets, the bus passengers be damned! As you may have realized, the staked ferret is restricted to his circle plain and once he accepts this restriction to his total freedom he tends to settle down to investigating his environment. Most ferrets will shovel-nose any loose soil and will chest scoot pushing with their hind legs and folding their forelegs in a trailing position tight against their ribcage. As far as I can tell, they are sniffing the loose soil, like a bulldozer with the dirt roiling back over their heads. It appears that once they've scented a smell of interest they then decide to go subterranean and the front claws go to work with gusto, the dirt flying up against their chest and back towards the hollow between their rear legs, the dirt forming a mound of loose, fresh dirt directly under them. At this juncture a rather strange and absolutely ferrety thing happens. The ferret decides that the pile of dirt under his belly has got to go somewhere so there will be more room for the next pile of diggings. The ferret holds his two forepaws together and while his hind legs scratch out a V-shaped trench behind him, he scoots rearward, his dirt pile being pushed along and into the V-shaped trench. He thusly distributes the pile of dug dirt far rearwards and away from his tunnel entrance some 4 to 6 inches displaced. It goes mostly without saying, but once you've seen the tunnel entrance and the V-shaped ditch leading away from the tunnel, you can be sure that the tunnel was dug by a ferret, since no other animal I know leaves such a telltale sign of its excavation. The one exception may be the badger when it is attacking and digging out underground trapped prey. However, the badger throws a shower of soil high into the air and makes no cute little ditch with a V shape elongation. Some farmers over in sagebrush country say that a digging badger gives one the first impression that an irrigation pipe has ruptured and water is spraying high into the sky. Not so with ferrets. It is not unusual that the excavating ferret is soon lost to sight in his newly dug tunnel. Every so often he will back out entirely, sometimes sit up and look around as if to check that all is still OK with the world. And then with the blink of an eye he swooshes back down into the tunnel to dig out another load of good old Mother Earth. Yes, good old Mother Earth is a fur cleanser of super efficiency. You can take an older, globular hob (non-neutered male) with his huge marble balls, and who smells like a ferret from the skunk works, comes away from the digging grounds with no discernible musky odor, but instead smells of sweet garden soil, the essence of nature. The difference is altogether remarkable and allows one to cuddle the big lug against your chest in loving embrace - that is without your clothes smelling all ferretish. Lastly, and most affectionately, comes the unsaddling of the harness from around the ferret's body at day's end. Once the buckle is opened the ferret eagerly twizzles out into my arms and takes purchase on my chest, his face looking up into mine and seemingly says to me, Oh, boy what a wonderful relief to get than damn thing off. Now comes the big, big moment for both him and me. With both hands I massage the back of his neck and shoulders. He thrusts upward with rather amazing force into my moving fingers and his tongue juts and thrusts repeatedly toward my chin. I lower my head, my chin, onto his busy tongue and lo the two meet in solemn rapture, I benefiting from the formatting of an animal to human bond that could never be stronger than this. And he, likely joyous in the massaging back rub from my gentle fingers, eagerly jumps into his cage and straight away guzzles that water bottle valve for a long, long drink of cool, cool water. I look at him with a feeling of deep kinship. He barely notices me gazing at him with admiration and disappears beneath his sleep blanket, apparently quite self-satisfied and with not a care in the world. Ahh, and so it goes in this world of wonder. Edward Lipinski Ferret Endowment for Rehab, Research, Education, and Training Society, North West Foundation. Ferrets North West Foundation is a not for profit org and is under the supervision of the National Heritage Foundation, Falls Church, VA 22044, nhf.org. Note: For those who should like to educate themselves and their ferrets, that is, to undertake a purely educational activity, I may be able to obtain for you as many ferret harnesses as you want. In effect, if you itemize on your Fed Income Tax, the cost of harnesses may be essentially free to you. You will need to contribute a little more than the actual costs for educational material to the National Heritage Foundation in the name of Ferrets North West Foundation. I can withdraw the funds then needed to purchase your educational material and mail the harnesses to you. You keep your contribution receipt and report it on your 2008 Federal Income Tax as a charitable contribution (I /will furnish the appropriate tax number of the NHF) /for which you take the appropriate deduction. This may work for you, though you may want to consult with your tax adviser or the IRS. [Posted in FML 6077]