The Sept./Oct. issue of the American Ferret report from the American Ferret Association arrived and all I can say is that this is their best one, yet! At 37 pages, including covers, it's about the same size as the early issues of Modern Ferret and it is jam-packed with useful content! Cover art is by Carla Rodriques. Articles include: CA and NYC legislation follow-ups, a piece on how HSUS has a marvelous website segment on ferrets but unfortunately throws them in with wild animals (so I think I'll send a donation saying that it's for the content but that the donation would have been twice as large if their placement had been correct), one on Jarmain's sentencing, another on P&G reducing their animal testing -- and I'm only through the first 4 pages. Then AIDS patients and pets, Texas shelter laws, VERY informative and lengthy pieces in two places on CDV vaccines (with Linda Harrah and Freddie Ann Hoffman addressing Fervac D and Galaxy D, and Debbie Kemmerer doing a follow-up on the new Merial vaccine work), BFF info complete with a picy of Georgia Bailey, AVMA convention news, financial statement, events listings, show procedures, Charlie Weiss's protocols for medical treatment of adrenal growths for those rare or very elderly ferrets who are not surgical candidates, new drugs, ECE coronavirus identification, the Pamela Slack DVM Memorial Ferret Medical Research Grant Fund to improve vet care for ferrets, and the closing of Accupath. SHELTERS: there is a very useful set of articles on how becoming a 501(c)(3) shelter really helps and how to get there. Ben's story made me cry and then smile. There's a large piece on keeping a cage interesting and Ten Commandments to be remembered by anyone who gets ferrets. Broadway's story really turned on the waterworks big time -- there was that ferret with his eye gouged out and he still followed a security guard to get help, and KISSED the people who provided his medical care!!!!!!! What an absolute DOLL! Faith Hood tells what it's like to start a shelter and Pam Troutman gives even MORE info and how to get further data in a later article plus Cindy mentions some of the appalling reasons people give for surrendering to shelters. You'll find another inspirational tear jerker when you read of how Taz helped some severely malnurished boys recover; yes, ferrets DO help ferrets. Want to read about how PA shelters became an association and see what Chris and Tara Palaski, Kymberlie Barone, and Mary McCarty look like? You can do that in this issue, too. There are pages of shelter listings. Oh, and there are ads for ferret products, as well as poetry, info on how shelters can educate, and the heartbreaker about Griz and Suzy who had been mistreated. FML members will read many of these articles and think, "Hey, I know this person!", or "I read this person's posts each chance I get!". Want to learn more? The AFA is a non-profit ferret club which can be contacted at: P.O. Box 255, Crownsville, MD 21032, 1-888-FERRET1, [log in to unmask], and the membership is $30 regular for a year except for: $40 Regular CA, HI and outside the U.S., and $50 vet hospital or $100 corporate. They also have 2 or 3 year rates. (Oh, and someone was asking about brochures; they are among the groups which have those, too.) Steve and I hold a membership, but we are not active in the AFA's functions given our lack of time. If schedules ever allow, though, we really respect this group so you know what we'll do!!!!!!!!!! [Posted in FML issue 2800]