It really is a shame that what could be an informative perspective, whether in agreement or not, should lose all consideration & respect because of the personal need to include completely unnecessary & uncalled-for, snide remarks. As a ferret foster mom, I personally feel I've earned the right to use my discretion in deciding where the ferrets in my care will go. It really is a matter of where you draw the line. I might not qualify for some, there are others whose only consideration is that the ferret doesn't wind up as pet food, & the rest of us fall somewhere in-between. My approach to qualifying a perspective adopter is simply letting them talk while I listen. I'll relay an experience or explain why I ask a question to provoke a response. All the while, I have a printed profile sheet to fill in the info I'm collecting. Our profile includes a check-off of issues I explain, such as the vaccination & spay/neuter requirements for ferret ownership in GA, & what every ferret owner should know about ferretproofing. We've also included a check off of important considerations where we ask the adopter to do some honest soul-searching in deciding if a ferret is the right pet for their family & their lifestyle. I need to know if that 20 yr old's intention is to get a ferret w/out his parents' knowledge while living in their home, or to sneak it into his dorm where pets are banned. Is mom going to get a ferret for her kids because they're bored w/the their hamster or dog, or is it going to be their 8 yr old kid's sole responsibility to care for the ferret because they really don't want it? Just as a parent protects their child, I'll not subject my fosters, who I have taken in, cared for, nursed, or cried over, to a situation of potential harm or neglect. Just as all ferrets aren't suitable for children, all children/people shouldn't have pets - the unwanted & homeless pet population is all any intelligent individual needs to see that. It isn't in the best interest of the ferrets, or any pet for that matter, to base the decision to do an adoption on overpopulation. Even animal control agencies & humane societies have adoption guidelines - it's usually only pet stores or money-hungry breeders that will sell pets unconditionally. Hopefully more prisons don't take the same position to release due to overpopulation. Until the day comes when mankind values the lives of their pets, I will continue to complain about convenience surrenders, neglect, & abuse as a foster mom. My opinions are my own. Juliana Quadrozzi GA Domestic Ferret Association visit our web page at: http://www.mindspring.com/~jcrow/gdfa/index.html [Posted in FML issue 2301]