I have tremendous respect for Pam Grant and the work that she has done for the benefit of us as owners and for ferrets themselves. I understand fully her view of the future where shelters are the sole source for ferrets. I also greatly appreciated her response to Ed Lipinski and am very glad that he is coming under some strong scrutiny for comments he has made. I wanted to give a perspective on why some of us prefer to buy from pet stores. When we first wanted to adopt a ferret, we approached Ed Lipinski, one of the larger "shelter" owners in the Northwest. We toured his garage where he has his rows of cages and spent time visiting with those ferrets he allows to burrow in his driveway. We also discovered that if we adopted a ferret from him, we were involving ourselves in a long term relationship where he would expect regular updates on the ferret health and status. This was in order that he could track his breeding practices over time. I wanted to adopt a ferret. I did not want to adopt Ed Lipinski. We chose to look elsewhere. Sandi Ackerman, owner of the Best Little Rabbit, Rodent, and Ferret House similarly turned us away from ferret adoption. She wants to inquire about the personal finances of her prospective adoptees to ensure that the ferret will be able to receive surgeries as necessary and other veterinary services. I consider this a violation of my privacy as well. It is because of people like these that many of us will prefer to utilize the service provided by pet stores. I am delighted with our decision to buy one from a local store and am not the least concerned that she is a Marshall Farms ferret. Please, shelters owners/operators, understand that you are not helping your charges at all by driving away adoptees by being intrusive and stringent. I do understand that you do not want to get the ferret back again by making wrong choices, but you must be as respectful of the people that you deal with as you are to the ferrets. If, Pam, this can be remembered, then your dream may indeed become a reality. Larry Tilford [Posted in FML issue 2142]