The majority of replies have been positive, but I'd like to clarify a few points for those of you who perhaps thought my reaction was injurious to the cause of ferret rights and animals in general First, there was absolutely no press coverage- this occurred in a major urban area and things of this nature take a back seat to the stories of 16 yr-old raping 8 yr-olds, high school shootings, etc (all of which are recent stories in the area). This was simply nothing more than Disorderly Conduct. Second, I was informed by the police that if someone like me made such a scene over this, there is probably some merit to the claim of poor conditions and that they would "monitor" the situation. Third, I knew full-well my actions would garner the worst of repercussions: I am a lawyer. Once before, when I was in college, I saw a woman beating a child with a umbrella in a mall. I had pretty much the same reaction, but was praised by the police and DFACS rep for intervening- there was a history of abuse in the home. This is, in my eyes, the same situation. Actually, it's probably worse since animal abuse is wide-spread and the general public would be very hesitant to intervene. Animals, but especially ferrets, are so sweet and loving when they're treated with TLC- there is no malice or ill-intent in an animal. That is solely a byproduct of the human experience. Again, thanks for your support and comments from our Animal Farm: Chili, Starr, Julia, Nooks, Deac (the kitty), and Hershey (the doing-wonderfully and recently saved kit). [KM] [Posted in FML issue 2594]