Contrary to popular belief, it takes a great deal of crap to get under my skin. Whewww..so, I am peeved. And I am trying to be kind. All shelters are over-loaded, have no money, few adoptions...the list goes on. However, just in the past darn 6 months, RFRL has taken in 28 military ferrets, 11 dropped off ill ferrets, over 14 ferrets from animal control agencies all across VA. & what REALLY pisses me off, are abandoned ferrets and strays. Last Sun. I walked out on my carport,and there sat a small cage, an older chocolate boy ferret, NO FOOD,....He is about 4-5 yrs old and has insulinoma. He's doing ok so far. Karen (in Culpepper) tried to help out a Military couple by keeping their 2 ferrets for 1 month until they had relocated. Nope. They've decided they no longer want these ferrets. Today, I received a desperate call from a lady in Harrisonburg (about 2+ hours from Richmond)- she had found an emaciated, bald male ferret in her front yard. It is amazing that he'd survived our 90+ degree heat. This kind-hearted soul checked with all of her neighbors, called local pounds, to see if anyone was missing a single ferret. Nope. Paige and myself are taking a road trip Friday, June 3rd, to pick up this survivor. We really try to keep 25 & under ferrets per household.... let's just say 3 of us are over this limit. WTF??? I had a call this am from a young woman asking if we could keep her ONE ferret for awhile. I asked why & how long. Her answer? TWO YEARS. Because she's going to school for 18 months. I advised her to find a permanent home for this fert. Another lady called this am from Newport News (near the beach)- she needed to place 3 ferrets TODAY...because she's moving. I advised her to try the Norfolk SPCA- they are a no-kill, and are on Pet Finders. They do a pretty good job w/ ferrets. Another lady emailed that she had a single ferret & could no longer stand the smell...and couldn't afford the food. So, what on earth is going on??? Okay, I feel better now, I guess. Just needed to vent a bit. Thanks for listening. It has sucked this past week, mostly because of Memorial week- I haven't gone to a few ceremonies, but did attend the "Wall of Honor" (they held a HUGE ceremony that started at the Governor's mansion & then proceeded to a new building where Kyle's photo and plack are put up, along w/other killed Military))...and then Tues. I went to my son's High School for the awards ceremony...It meant a great deal for me that he attend college- which he did. So I started a scholarship for him w/the help of another couple who had lost their son 2 yrs ago-My son grew up w/ this family's 2 boys. It just never ends. There are 2 more ceremonies for Kyle and the 63 other men from his unit who were killed in Afghanistan this year. 64 total out of 200 men from the 101st 502nd Air Assault "Strike" Force. It's the ferrets that help me keep going- that and my son would kick my ass if I shut down. A bit off topic, but DAMN. Marlene b. Director RFRL (I'll get over the peeved thing ...I promise) [Posted in FML 7081]