From the 1st moment I saw her, I was so taken w/the little silver mitt jill in my local pet store. She was in w/2 others, but she really stood out in the crowd. I must have seen 100s of pet store kits, but I was never so overwhelmingly drawn to one before. I stood my ground & left that little girl there because I am adamantly opposed to any operation that would sell an animal without regard to their future welfare. A few days later I received a call from a young woman who had to give up her ferret. It was a case of 'I'm 21 yrs old so I can do what I want, regardless of whether I'm living in my parents house' purchase. Well, her parents thought otherwise. Now, the day after she bought her, the store refused to take her back & referred her to me. Wouldn't you know it was the same store. I was dreaming to myself that it would be the same little jill I so desperately wanted to take home every time I went in that store, never believing I could be that lucky. I couldn't believe my eyes when she walked in w/her. Through some strange twist of fate she was really mine. She was just adorable. She had a bright silver coat, mitts all the way around, a beautifully full snow white bib, & the most endearing sparkling onyx eyes. She was the perfect addition to any family. She loved & enchanted everyone, & they her, human or fuzzy alike. There wasn't even a hint of a scuffle, not a neck grab, or a hiss w/any of my fuzzies. They all took to her immediately & played w/everyone. She never minded being cuddled & would shower you w/kisses at every opportunity. She never even went through a nippy stage. She was always just her sweet lovable self. Her adrenal surgery was long & drawn out because it was on the back of the vena cava & she took a long time to come around from the anesthesia. I should have gone to see her that night. The following morning at 10am she was having trouble maintaining her body temperature. I should have gone to her then. I received the call at 11:30 that they had done everything possible to revive her. She was gone. All I could do now was pick up her remains. I will always carry the pain & guilt of knowing that I wasn't there w/her when she passed away. I'll never know if she gave up because I wasn't there. I buried my little darling today. You will always hold a special place in my heart, my dear, sweet little Anola Gay. Juliana Quadrozzi GA Domestic Ferret Association visit our web page at: http://www.mindspring.com/~jcrow/gdfa/index.html [Posted in FML issue 2276]