I just want to point out that, while the new Maryland law is certainly a step in the right direction, Maryland ferret owners should not assume that their ferrets are safe from the health department. Some amendments were made to the bill which allow the health department to retain more power than we hoped for. This bill represents progress but should not give ferret owners in Maryland a false sense of security. On a similar note, I was outraged to read that a Maryland veterinary clinic reported a vaccinated ferret for nipping its employees. If anyone in Maryland is looking for a veterinarian who can be trusted not to do this, I recommend Dr. Stacey DiMaria of the West Frederick Veterinary Hospital (301-473-4478). A year ago, Dr. Di Maria was bitten by Bridgett, a ferret we had recently rescued. Even though Bridgett had only been ours for 2 or 3 weeks and nothing was known about her history, Dr. DiMaria just put a bandage on her finger (she was bleeding) and joked about having something to match her iguana bite. We drive an hour to take our ferrets to her; it's worth the inconvenience to know our ferrets are safe there. After all, no one can be sure a ferret won't bite after being stuck with a needle! ---Clare Sebok [Posted in FML issue 1580]