There are real limits to how much anyone can control another. Real life is not an action movie. Years ago I managed a store where it became necessary to call in security because of someone who got violent. With kids the parents SHOULD control them, but if the parents won't then the only option once telling them to get out does not work is to call the police. People can not manhandle other people's children. In the recent situation the people left before the police could be called but children who are violent toward animals are at risk of also becoming violent toward others so maybe the authorities or at least the school should know if there is a reasonable way to do that. Now, life does NOT have instant experts. There is a well-known premise that it takes 10,000 hours doing something before a person can really do it excellently. (Read the 10,000 hour story of the Beatles and others in Gladwell's book, _Outliers_ for a fun example. ) I've been on the FML since it began and not only am I *not* a person who runs a shelter, but I doubt that I've even READ 10,000 hours of posts about ferret shelters in those 20+ years of reading on the FML so OBVIOUSLY I do NOT know the topic of ferret shelters well. How much harder would that achievement be in only two and half years with ferrets in one's life as personal pets? (Kim, June 29, 2007, FML 5654): <http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/SCRIPTS/WA-FERRET.EXE?A2=ind0706&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R16102> So obviously Kim can not possibly be claiming to be an expert after so little exposure. I think she just was shocked and has no idea what sorts of situations may seem like they could be in the control of a shelter but then the fighting escalated on both sides. I am so sorry that the situation ever happened and so sad for the ferrets and the blameless shelterer. None of us is all-powerful no matter how much we might want from the depths of our hearts to be sometimes. If there were a state's worst parents who still can retain custody contest then the parents of those children would have to be among the individuals nominated. Rather than screaming at each other it would make sense to discuss constructive approaches to help the NEXT shelter person who runs into this problem! Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html all ferret topics: http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html HAPPY: http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/2010/01/high-fives-for-happiness.html "All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow." (2010, Steve Crandall) [Posted in FML 6581]