Having seen thousands of ferrets go through this shelter, I have had many
the occasion to witness freets dreaming and also unfortunately, some
nightmares.  You can sometimes tell if it is a really hapy dream or just a
normal dream.  they even vocalize when dreaming.  Worst to witness is the
night mares.  Trooper came to us almost 2 years ago with the worst burns I
have ever seen on an animal that was alive still.  It appeared that he had
been held by the neck and horribly burned with a blowtorch.  The physical
scars remain today, visible by the the spots where he will never grow hair
due to the scarring.  You can see the lines where the flame passed close
to his feet and legs while he was valiantly struggling to keep the flames
away, but to no avail.  After his his physical health was stabilized,
Trooper had horrible nightmares.  For months.....he would scream in his
sleep and frantically paw at the air as if trying to push the flames away,
or protect parts of his burnt body from hurting anymore.  The first two
weeks here at the shelter,( the vet wouldn't keep him as he said he was
going to die anyway), someone was with poor little Trooper around the
clock, rotating his body in the burn bed we designed for him, peeling off
the dead flesh and burnt skin and hair, and mostly , softly reassuring him
that no one would ever hurt him again.  It's been almost two years now.....
he is very happy, very healthy, the nightmares have stopped.  We loan him
out now to clients who have had ferrets go to the Bridge recently,and he
uses the love and patience he has learned here to console the survivors.
 
As for the person who hurt him?  Who cares!  It would be a waste of life to
spend one second loking for the low form of life that hurt Trooper.  Wasted
time that could be spent helping another ferret in need.  Besides, who on
this planet is qualified to do Gods job?  Not me.  That persons day of
judgement will come, but not by me, the Ferretguy
[Posted in FML issue 3212]