We were so happy she wrote. We had adopted out the 2 other ferrets to her and she has stayed in contact (although I had put off MY paperwork trying to match Tigger's - couldn't find where it went- til she wrote). She used our motto on saving ferrets. And just to add to the emails going on now whether to take in ferrets from kill shelter............does it make you a shelter or not. Our program is never to turn down one from the animal shelters because if we do, the next time they may not call us. We keep in mind so many from there will come our way and save room for them even if it means turning down individuals who are calling with ferrets they want to turn in. We try to get some history from these people if it is an emergency or they are just trying to dump ferrets and decide if we have room or not. The way we look at is most of these people care, if we cannot take them, they will find homes OR if they don't care, they give them to a kill shelter and we get them anyway. We are registered for miles around to the different city animal controls and they have our 501c paperwork on record, they do call us. We are also involved with a huge dog organization called DFWCares (over 500 rescue groups belong), and they let us know when ferrets are available. We are not about to jeapordise our standing with them by saying no. Petco also calls us for their unadoptable kits, they do NOT put them down, they give them to us and also offer to pay the medical expenses. From individuals, we ask for a $20 donation to help pay for the distemper, rabies and microchipping (doesn't cover it all but its a help) and most want to pay to be sure their ferrets are safe. The non caring type will turn them into animal control. Even if we miss the donation they would have given, we are still there for these ferrets. Unfortunately over the summer when there are very few adotpions, we number over 100 ferrets not including the 60 to 75 in foster homes, still financed by us but not physically under the same roof. It's very hard to maintain our $1800 to $2000 per month vet bills because it continue on through the summer months, although we do put off surgeries til the Fall when more money is coming in, we do Lupron during that time. We cannot do more than that number and it taxes the daylights out of us when we get into those numbers. To try to take more, well we just couldn't give the standard of care nor finance them. We already have juveniles doing community service coming in to help clean cages and equipment, have many volunteers who come periodically to do nails and ears, and some scattered who come to play and exercise the little guys. For working with other rescues, we have been involved in some transport across our state for them. We understand there is a rescue started up in East Texas but they had only 5 or 6 ferrets and were already writing the FML for donations to take care of those. We feel unless there is a bonified reason, the rescue needs to be self supporting. THe only times we asked for help from outside our unit was when we took in the 76 from Rainbow Exotic and 21 from the Global Exotics. (Thanks to SOS and New York and Petsmart and Petco and individuals on FML, we made the initial costs - later so many medical problems with the Rainbows, we had trouble but made it through - mostly heart complications and it is ongoing.) There is a rescue in Garland, Texas, who takes in ferrets but does not adopt out, they have over 40 but they do take care of them medically. The rescue in Houston is limited to how many they can take, the Austin one can't handle more than 8 or 10 at a time and have to limit it to healthy ferrets due to finances and activities in their household (teenagers). And San Antonio along with Houston both have wonderful organizations that help with the education and the enjoyment of ferrets (how to have fun with your ferrets) but do not take in ferrets. That service alone is worth its weight in gold to keep ferrets and families together. We had in the past did ed tables and such but its all we can do to administer to the shelter kids right now. We do offer food when it comes to a family in a bind that is temporary to be able to keep the family together - including sometimes medical expenses which is cheaper than our taking the ferret and trying to rehome it plus the medical expenses, and its better for the ferret and the family. So, you see, we take in the overloads from those areas too. If this information helps any organization out there on how to run a shelter (YES we are a no kill shelter unless its best for the ferret), we save ferrets, maybe not every one but we do save lives, then I hope it helps lighten their burden. It's okay to turn down ferrets when it means it will jeapordize what you have or be more than you can handle. There is an very ulgy feeling inside when you have to turn down someone trying to place their ferrets. Just this past Sat, we took in 7 from one gentleman who waited a month to turn them in, out of the 7, 4 were adrenal...one with a toe that needs amputation tomorrow. (plus he was not able to pay the $20 each so we waived that) We have an appointment for a lady to come tomorrow with 4 ferrets = oldest is 7 and the others are 4 1/2, 5, one is 4. This is going to put a real burden on us to place them in foster homes as we just placed around 20 in the last 3 months for their sake as well as for us to be able to bring in adoptable ferrets which pays for their care. So unless you have walked in the shoes of a shelter in a big metroplex, please don't judge. You might be able to handle 30 or 40 ferrets in a smaller area and figure there is always a way to save more. If you are in the 100s and still have the phone ringing off the hook to take more, 3 rooms set up for nothing but ferrets and still having to put some into bedrooms or whereever, the 3 to 4 loads of wash every day, the cage cleaning, the doctoring, the running errands, vet visits, talking on the phone about health care, adoptions, surrenders, doing paperwork, figuring out finances, you have no idea what you can handle. Plus what you can do is not necessarily a measurement of what someone else can do. Remember this is purely volunteer work, giving up of one's self can be a strain on them and their love ones from the life they had pictured they would have earlier on. I know I didn't intend to spend my retirement, my twilight years, tending to needy and sick ferrets, fighting the odor in my home, sharing the garage stacked with cages, a storage shed for garage sale items, and the wear and tear on my vehicle - gone are the dreams of cruises and sightseeing tours, visiting long seen relatives, and sitting down with a good book til I feel like doing something else. Soon I won't be physically able to do these things. Millie at the www.txferretrescue.org The Texas Ferret Lovers Rescue [Posted in FML 6624]