Hello to all fuzzie lovers. This is my first posting so I will be brief (and for me that really hard). This is in response to Roger McMillian's questions about ferts and Shelties. My daughter and I have always had many pets around the house. About 3 years ago we got a Sheltie puppy to keep our 100 lbs. half German Sheppard, half Chow mix company after my 17 year old Spitz passed on. A year and a half ago we got our first ferret baby (Fairy - short for Ferragamo) and since we have added Niles, Chandler Bing (the only boy in the house) and Bug. Jasamine (aka, Jazz) has mothered each and every one, but I must admit with the last one she started looking at me as if to ask "another one, Mom?". The ferrets are Jazz's best friends and they chase each other round and round the house. My Sheltie, although a great barker (read watch-dog), is basically a coward, so she always stands back while the ferrets take over her food dish. When she is really hungry she will bark for me to follow her into the kitchen to guard her while she eats. The ferrets only complaint about her is that she is a tattle-tale. When they knock something over, or are into something they shouldn't be, Jazz barks until I follow her and then stands there looking at whatever the ferrets have done, so that I'll know they did it instead of her. Baby (our big dog) just tries to ignore the ferts, but that isn't always possible since they chase her away from her food and use her for a jumping board to get off furniture. It really is amusing to see an 8 week old ferret chasing a 100 pound dog around the house! Although everyone (who walks on four legs) knows they have to get along with all the others who live here, we did closely watch all the animals at first to make sure they got along. But I can say now that they are all the very best of friends. [Posted in FML issue 1641]