When my phone rings I usually cringe expecting another "I got a ferret I got to get rid of" call. When it's a call about wanting to adopt, I'm still not at ease until I've talked at length with the stranger on the other end of the line. Initially I have nothing to go on about the character of that individual until I have a chance to feel them out through casual conversation & a profile questionnaire that I ask permission to fill out on them. So when I'm contacted by a person who can't be bothered spending a little time on the phone w/me, or someone who can't wait & has to have a ferret NOW, my fosters will stay right where they are. I think it's important for the 1st time owner to understand, at the very least, the basics of ferret care & what to expect from a creature who will spend the rest of his/her life w/them. Animal lover or not, how can you possibly make an informed decision about whether a pet is suited to you & your lifestyle, or properly care for a pet w/out the information to do so? I guess I've been conditioned to feel this way because of the number of ferrets that have been turned in...like the guy who had a kit in a cardboard carrier for 3 days because he was afraid to touch it. I guess he didn't get enough info from the pet store before he bought. I don't ever want anyone who has adopted a ferret from me to come back & say "I didn't know..." Potential adopters will know what I think they should know, & leave w/printed info so they can't say "You never told me..." First-timers are asked to come visit, experience, & learn about ferrets before they adopt, especially when the ferret will be a personal pet of a young adult. They are informed before they come that they will go home empty-handed. This affords everyone in the family a chance to think seriously about the important decision they will be making, taking everything into consideration w/out the excitement of wardancing woozles. The individual who finds our guidelines too much trouble usually say they'll call back, but never do. As for myself, I work a full-time job w/a 50 mile round-trip drive. I spend most of the rest of my time (except for the 5 hours sleep I afford myself) doing ferret stuff. I usually come home to at least 3 ferret-related msgs every night. I'm not only doing adoption/surrender calls w/individuals, animal controls, & humane societies, I coordinate our foster homes...so I'm on the phone A LOT. I spend about half of all my Saturdays in the vets office, then I haul pet food for us & a local cat/dog rescue, & pick up any ferrets being held for me at animal controls/human societies. I spend what's left of my day doing errands. Sundays I open my home to strangers to drop off & adopt ferrets. In between caring for my fosters - feeding, watering, cage cleaning, rotating out-times (I currently have 8 fosters in 6 cages), supplemental hand feedings, medicating - I get around to the rest of my life. Why did you need to know all that? Because I don't want you to be mad if I don't call you back right away...or I forget to get back to you...or I don't remember who you are in the dozens of people I talk to over the phone. I need you to understand that I have been dealing w/ferrets long enough, & have come to know the fosters in my care well enough to determine who will or will not be a good companion for you, your family, & your pets. I reserve the right to say no -- I've earned it. I offer *my* time & wait around for people who don't show & don't have the courtesy to call. I open my home to virtual strangers & their families, spending hours w/them while they interact w/the fosters. I take into my home, unwanted ferrets, infested w/fleas, in filthy, rusted cages. I provide a place for society's socially unacceptable ferrets. I accept & nurse sick & dying ferrets, & grieve over their loss. I give up my time because others don't have enough to give to their pets. Do I _want_ to do this? No, I chose to. I wouldn't even be an issue if there wasn't a need. I wish we lived in a perfect world where our society regarded pets as a privilege, not a disposable option. I can only hope for the day when I can come home & dedicate all my time & energy to my own. ************************************** You wouldn't recognize Coco. A while back I posted about this little adrenal jill who came into our care as an almost completely naked, boney sausage. She's complete covered w/velvet fur - now you can tell she's a chocolate - & she has plenty of meat covering those bones. She's as happy & energenic as ever. She's very neat in her cage & is learning to give kisses (w/the aid of a little Nutri-Cal lipstick). She does seem to have one little personality flaw...so far she hates ferrets. But otherwise she's a doll. I thought I'd put this on an open forum instead of sending it directly to the interested parties. I didn't want to put anyone on the spot if they wanted to bow out of the adoption offer. Anyway, she's doing great & is just one of the "special needs" fuzzies we have available for adoption. ***************************** A special "thank you" to Marsha Stanek for her contribution to our little orphans. The fuzzy gang sends lots of Nutri-Cal-sweet furry woozle smooches. Juliana Quadrozzi GA Domestic Ferret Association visit our web page at: http://www.mindspring.com/~jcrow/gdfa/index.html [Posted in FML issue 2259]