I am forwarding this on behalf of Laurie Crocker in hopes of finding a home for her children. Date: 96-08-05 12:33:26 EDT From: [log in to unmask] (Laurie Crocker) To: [log in to unmask] (holgoltly) I noticed your post in the special advertising list published last week, and wondered if I could ask a big favor of a fellow Massachusetts ferret owner. I am unable to subscribe to the ferret-l because I access e-mail through work -- would you mind posting the following message to the list for me?? It's a sad thing to have to post about, unfortunately. Although I love my two fuzzies very much, they're not getting the care they deserve. Thanks for your help -- Laurie Crocker w/ little Sam and Jose N. Andover Mass. [log in to unmask] I am writing, unfortunately, in hopes of finding new homes for my two wonderful fuzzies, Sam and Jose. Both have been central to my life since I first brought them home, but a combination of factors is making it difficult for me to care for them properly. We recently added a dog to our family, and raising him is taking up an incredible amount of our time and energy. Although he tries to be gentle with the ferrets, he's a large-breed dog that runs the risk of crushing them by stepping on them or (gasp!) sitting on them. As he gets bigger, he's starting to play rougher, and the ferrets are a little stressed out from it. Additionally, we moved into a brand-new home last year. Between trying to protect the fuzzies from the dog and trying to protect our house plants and carpet from the fuzzies, the little guys are spending much more time in their cage than they should be. I knew long ago they deserve better, but didn't want to let go. I'm not the type of person to simply give up a pet on a whim, but neither am I the type of person to keep pets as a "convenience." Here's the story on these two little monsters: Jose and Sam both had birthdays in April -- Jose is 4 and Sam is 3. Both are MF ferrets purchased in pet stores, one in New York and one in Maine. Both were neutered and descented as kits. Jose, a lean sable, is a classic gentle Ben. He's extremely tolerant, sweet, and very calm. His favorite game is "chase the toes," and he knows not to nip too hard. Sam is the Harley-Davidson of ferrets -- rough-and-tumble, adventurous, wild. He's a pudgy cinnamon with a fearless nature -- unless he spots a vaccuum cleaner. Sam's our climber, jumper, attacker (he runs kamikaze missions onto the breakfast table to get AppleJacks) and also, paradoxically, our cuddliest. Jose is 100% reliably shoulder-trained (Sam jumps off) and both roll over for treats. Both are healthy and up-to-date on vaccinations (at their annual checkup two weeks ago, the vet remarked that they were the calmest and most tolerant ferrets he'd seen). We couldn't be prouder of these two or love them more. It's important that these guys go into a home where there are experienced ferret owners who really love fuzzies and have lots of time for them. Other ferrets would be a big plus -- these two get along with everybody. I will consider splitting them up, as long as there are other ferrets in the home for them to bond and play with. The ferrets, their roomy three-story cage, and their toys and accessories are free to the right family. Please e-mail me at [log in to unmask] if you are interested. Thank you, Laurie Crocker N. Andover, Mass. [Posted in FML issue 1655]