[Moderator's note: I forwarded Cindy's post to the Ferret Dreamers Rescue Haven so we can read both sides of story. Their response follows this post. BIG] I have had to most horrific experience with the Shelter Ferret Dreamers Rescue Haven in San Marcos. I feel I must tell my story so no one else goes through what I have. I live near Corpus Christi about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive to San Marcos. It all started when I took a ferret that I rescued to the shelter, I called to check on how she was doing and in our conversation the lady learned I was selling my Sugar Gliders, she offered to trade medical care for my personal ferrets for the Gliders. I had a ferret that needed Melatonin implants and thought this would be great. She did the implants and was going to help with more medical care for my ferrets until the Gliders were paid for. When I called to check on him and see when I could pick him up, she asked me if I would be interested in fostering ferrets for her that I seemed to know a lot about them and to really care for them. She said she would furnish all the food, litter and medical care for them. She said she was having financial problems, that she had only $5 in her rescue fund along with other issues. I'm a compassionate person and wanted to help. She wanted me to take the old sick ferrets and the ones that were unadoptable so she would have the room to take in adoptable ferrets. I had no problem taking in these sick unadoptable ferrets, I love them and wanted to make their time left as comfortable as possible. I took one with lymphoma, 5 with adrenal disease these were all on prednisone, one that had been starved and 4 healthy ones. When I went to pick them up she said I could adopt out the 4 healthy ones and to put the money back into the ferrets which I did. She wrote down the prices I was to charge and told me to make copies of the adoption papers from her website then went over how to fill them out with my sister and I. I adopted 2 ferrets out to a friend and my sister adopted one. One of the old sick ferrets also had an eye infection when I picked him up at the shelter and I was told to get antibiotic eye drops she was using which I did. His infection cleared up and the swelling went down some but not all the way. I told her this, she said he was old had adrenal disease and probably a tumor behind his eye, just put him on some amoxicillin antibiotics and see if this would help. He started having problems urinating and I called her, she said to bring him to her, which I did, I couldn't bring him that day but took him the next day. She took him to the vet the day after I delivered him to her and said she had to have him euthanized and it was my fault. I can't tell you how horrible I felt, I fell in love with all my fosters. She told me she was going to have to pick up all her ferrets because I lived to far away and needed them closer to the vet. I understood all this, but it still broke my heart. I had them for 6 months. When I first got the ferret with lymphoma she couldn't even walk her stomach was so swollen and her legs were weak, the shelter lady said she was glad I had the old ones because she didn't let them out of their cages and also didn't give them their medications like she should, in fact she told me she doesn't let her ferrets out or their cages to play much at all. I thought this was awful for a shelter to be doing, but was glad to have the ferrets because I felt they were better off with me than at the shelter. I also gave them chicken baby food with their medications so they wouldn't get an upset stomach or an ulcer. I told the shelter this and she said she didn't give medications with chicken baby food, she gave it with water. She also fed her shelter ferrets Purina Healthy Kitten cat food. When she picked up the ferrets she also took the one my sister adopted, I asked her why and she said she was going to have the vet check her out and I could come pick her up. When my sister called her and asked when she could get her ferret, the shelter told her I had a very nice set up and my place was clean, but I didn't take good care of the ferrets, I didn't feed the right food and was also keeping her ferrets with mine which weren't ADV tested. She said my sister couldn't have her ferret because it was with me. I kept my sister's ferret when she worked, so I could watch her and let her have play time with other ferrets. I was appalled that she would say such a thing. She tested 4 of my personal ferrets and they tested negative for ADV. She said if they were negative then the rest of mine were also. I believed what she told me. I took the very best care possible of her ferrets, I fed them a mixture of the Purina kitten food and the Marshalls ferret food I feed my ferrets. I bought all the medications except for 10 prednisone pills and one bottle of amoxicillin for the ferrets plus the food and litter. Don't get me wrong I didn't mind at all, I just hated for her to say things that were untrue. I don't think it was right for her to take my sisters ferret and not give it back. I have 14 ferrets of my own, all but one I've taken in because they were abused, neglected or the people couldn't care for them any longer. All my ferrets have found their forever home with me. I love each and everyone of them and they get their play time out everyday. I have a heated/cooled room I call my ferret room filled with tunnels, toys and I'm constantly looking for new things for them to do. I also let them out in my dining room and kitchen to have a new place to run and explore. I take the best possible care of all my animals. I won't turn any away. I'm not a shelter and everything I do for my ferrets as well as the rest of my animals is out of pocket. Ferrets are my passion and I know all you ferret lovers out there know what I mean. God Bless God's Little Creatures [Posted in FML 6585]