This weekend we adopted Joe, a beautiful, affectionate, 3-year old dark silver whose human is leaving for college. The girl's parents didn't want to take care of him while she was gone. Permanence is not an attribute of college housing, on or off campus. College kids move often, and usually have to base their decisions on cost and availability. This adds up to a bad deal for a lot of animals. The kitten, puppy, iguana, hedgehog, sugar glider, ferret, or whatever is suddenly a burden when the new place won't allow them. Too many of these animals end up being gassed at the pound, and a lot of others get dumped on the street. In the same way that most people shouldn't get married unless they're ready to settle down and be committed, people shouldn't acquire pet commitments until they're sure of their ability to provide LONG term care and love. The hard truth is that children, including teenagers, can't offer that. If a 12-year old gets a baby ferret, just as that animal is entering old age, the kid is leaving home for college and can't readily take care of such a commitment. If the kid's parents don't want to deal with the animal, then what? In my family's case, as the 'consenting adult,' I've authorized my daughter's various pet acquisitions knowing that they are in the long run MY responsibility. (That doesn't mean she doesn't clean their cages!) I hope that the teenagers who read the FML will recognize their natural, normal limitations on maintaining commitments to animals during their college years, and will 'just say no to pets,' understanding that they can make up for lost time later on when their lives are settling down by adopting and loving animals that need homes. If you're a kid who has a ferret, I'd like to encourage you to work NOW, well ahead of time, with your family to make sure your animal will be loved and cared for when you're not there to do it. [Posted in FML issue 2670]