Here is my first account and then my 1 month account:
 
#1..................  Tuesday, October 2, 2007 ................
West Michigan Ferret Connection (Dee Gage) and Deb's Ferret Rescue & Boarding (Deb Fitzgerald) made a road trip from West Michigan to Lori's to volunteer and bring back DMK ferrets last Wednesday, September 24, 2007 (geez, almost a week ago already).  Jennifer Deming and Rose Jannenga accompanied us on this adventure; 4 women making what should have been a 7 hour trip (according to my AAA TripTik) in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Ford Windstar.  We used Jennifer's GPS system to get down there & it took us a lifetime.  The shortcut ended up taking us 9 hours and I swear we actually went thru the Black Hole of Ohio.  We started out at 11:30pm; and luckily, we had so much adrenaline going, we drove straight thru.  Needless to say, we used my AAA Trip Tik for the trip home.  We got home (Grand Rapids, MI) at 2:30am Friday morning. We .... and I can't believe it .... stayed awake .... all of us .... for over 40 hours.  The worst stretch was from the Michigan/Ohio border to Grand Rapids on the way home.  We switched drivers more times than we did the entire trip down. 
 
I'm speechless when it comes to the magnitude of this effort and how one person was able to and has been able to manage it.  Lori Sies has my utmost respect for what she's done. 
 
I took a total of 20 ferrets:  11 hobs and 9 jills.  Deb took a total of 37 but I don't know what the breakdown is.  I'm thinking/hoping we were able to at least eliminate one of those racks of hutches they were kept in.  You can't imagine how heartbreaking it was to see them housed like that.  Thoroughly disgusting. 
 
I read Susann Thiel's post Tuesday morning and I echo her thoughts.
 
I am just lovin' this experience. I love the transformation these guys are going thru.  Friday morning I put them in playpens.  To watch them play, run, dance & tumble for the first time brought tears to my eyes.  Saturday they started dooking.  They are so happy.  Behaviorally, I have no real challenges.  Litterbox training has gone relatively well.  Food digging has been a biggie but it's tapering off.  I keep telling them the food's too expensive to go digging it out ..... think they understood?  We have no biters out of the 20.  I have a couple goofy male kits but no big deal.  I was surprised how good their nails look.  I have 2 potential mommas and everybody around me is excited about babies.  I only have one hob in rut & he's a sweetie.
 
Wish list?  Totally Ferret and wood pellets ..... and not necessarily in that order.  Also, donations to help with my neuter/spay costs.
 
 
#2..................... October 27, 2007 ..............
It’s been one month since 21 DMK ferrets made their way to Grand Rapids, MI.  It’s been an incredible amount of work but the experience has been fascinating and extremely rewarding. They have all blossomed in 30 days …… what a transformation.  I find it so cool  that I can say the ones that are together are really litter mates and not just cagemates or shipment mates.
 
I read Bob Church's comments on Sampson .... " Sampson's physical condition masks his mental state, which I consider evidence of a lack of human socialization, and perhaps a prolonged lack of mental health. He is extremely fearful of handling, easily frightened, cowers and hides, walks next to walls or under objects, and will not play bite me. It breaks my heart to see him shy away from people. He just does not act like a normal ferret. It is clear to me that -- regardless of the cost and difficultly -- this rescue was justified and ethically important."  and I concur.  This rescue was indeed justified and ethically important.  Well written, Bob, as usual.

 

 
The ferrets here are all young, with the exception of Honey Bear, a 4 year old (approx) black sable hob. He is so sweet and gentle. He has been spoken for and will be going to his new home as soon as he is neutered (scheduled for November 6). Lyndy and Grissom went to their new home in Holland (MI) to live with Reanee Gladden. Ranger and Golden Boy are living with Kim Schilling in Illinois.
 
Cage #1 is a brother & sister, both champagnes. Brother has been like Sampson in that he was fearful of handling and easily frightened.  Sister is fine. Brother actually barked!!! I accidentally dropped a black drainage pipe in his playpen & frightened him so bad, he barked twice.
 
Cage # 2 is 2 black sable brothers. They came in with their mom and sister but mom came out a couple of days after they got here. I named her Misty. She’s a tiny black sable problem child who cowers and hides. She’s nailed me a couple of times and just got Rose this week.  Little black sable sister was with her brothers until I discovered her running around the garage one morning. She's a little stinker who manages to go thru the bars of the Midwest cage and the playpens. She is now in Cage 2A. I still let her out to play with her brothers every day and she’s willing to stay in but if she gets bored, out she scoots.
 
Cage 3 contains my "cow kids", a brother & sister. They look like little cows to me with their spotted bellies & their little cow faces. They have chewed up 2 hammies so far so this week I changed to a hanging cube. We’ll see what it looks like next week.
 
Cage 4 are 2 dark champagne brothers. They have very nice temperaments. Good boys. Their coats aren’t as beautiful as the rest but they are sweet boys.
 
Cage 5 is a little wild child I’ve decided to keep …. I named him DQ after my favorite, Dairy Queen. He caught my attention when he stood against the wire hutch watching me watering ferrets at Lori’s 2nd site by the river. The light wasn’t good and I thought he was a pregnant little girl. I could see this dark gray ferret with white spots on its tummy. When I finally picked him up, there was his "belly button". He’s wiggly, he’s feisty and he has this "Exorcist" thing going on with his head when you hold him.
 
Cage 6 is 2 beautiful little champagne sisters. They must be sisters to the 2 champagne brothers because they have good temperaments, too. The consensus over the MFF Faire weekend was Sister #3 is pregnant (or a false pregnancy) so she’s been sequestered to my sewing room. Everybody around here is excited over the possibility of a litter. Babies for Christmas???  I've named her Lady Galadriel from Lord of the Rings.  She is so creamy white and tiny that for some reason that name immediately came to mind. 
 
Cage 7 are "my girls". These are 2 black sable sisters who caught my attention at Lorie’s. They were in a "normal" cage at the 2nd site and every time I walked past them, they were alert and perky like they were just waiting for me to take them. It was like the pictures you see of puppies at the pound. I couldn’t resist them. They are sooooo pretty.
 
Cage 8 is Honey Bear, a 4 year old (approx). He’s a cuddler with a face that just melts your heart. He is the first one going in to be neutered …… on Election Day.
 
They are thriving on Totally Ferret.  YEA!!!  When they first got here, there seemed to more food digging than eating but it's not so bad now.
 
They adapted well to wood pellets and litter boxes in their cages .......... not so good about litter boxes in the playpens. 
 
I ran short on hammies so I improvised with baby blankets.  Take a baby blanket, fold 2 sides to the center & sew.  That becomes the outside.  Take a long side & fold 3/4 of the way to the other end.  Put 4" elastic strips on all 4 corners. Sew.  Viola!!  Quick & easy.
 
I'm so proud I was able to be part of this.  Thank you, Lori.