Not sure how and not sure why, I have received some wonderful
Thanksgiving cards, from people I don't know, or people who don't know
me, or have any reason to know of me.  But I have to say that it has
been far more of a blessing then anyone can imagine.
 
I became a rescue, because of our Humane Society, and not being able to
help the ferrets they have there.  It is a rather long story and I won't
go into it.  But because of them I made the choice to be a Rescue.
 
For years I have helped ferrets find homes, and taken in unwanted
ferrets.  Never calling myself a rescue.  This year on my birthday I
became a Rescue.  The money my mother sent for my birthday, opened the
checking account for Squeezle's Galore Ferret Rescue.  Mom would be
appaled to know thats where her money went.  She does know I am now a
Rescue and cringes when I mention it.  As I left my parents house the
last time, my Father told me to do something with my life that was
important, and not that ferrets, were not.  Well Daddy I hate to tell you
but to me ferrets are important, even if you consider them disposable.
My family will never understand my love for these animals.
 
Once I became a Rescue things happened extremly fast here.  I took in 11
ferrets.  Four of these went to a foster home, they were not adoptable.
The Foster mom decided she would keep these four to the end of their
lives.  Within two weeks we lost one of the fosters she had.  His name
was Fred.  I had the other the other 7 here with me.  Three were very
young ferrets that had been near death kits from a pet shop.  4 are older
ferrets .  3 of the four are fully adoptable.  One was so dehydrate when
I got him I was not sure he would make it.  Nothing but a bag of bones.
He is a happy boy today, but still needs to be constantly monitored.  I
adore him.  I had the three young kits for almost three months, making
sure they were storng enough to go to a new home.  One kit was still
nursing on others ears.  His head was much larger than his body.  I
finaly got some weight on him with a ton of baby food and duck soup.
 
The first applicant I denied.  They would have been good ferret parents I
believe, but I did not believe that their money situation was at a point
in their life, that they could do the best for a ferrets.  I did tell
them that at some time in life when things settled down for them to think
once again about adopting.  Another long story.
 
I did a Petapalooza at my vets office.  There a couple came in and
came directly to the ferrets.  Their daughter had just lost one of her
ferrets.  They asked if I thought it too soon for her to have another.
She still had one ferret at home.  My answer was that sometimes a new
ferret can help the heart a bit.  They filled out the application,
called the daughter and she came with the ferret she still had.  It was
a surpise to say the least when she showed up.  I had met her at the
vets office about a week before hand.  Any way to make this story a bit
shorter.  They adopted two of the young ferrets.  Jezabel and Harley.  I
knew I had found a wonderful home for these two.
 
Two weeks later the mother called me and wanted to adopt Martha also.  I
did not hesitate.  All three of the kits were now back togeather.  It was
a wonderful feeling.
 
A week after Martha was adopted, the woman showed up at the house.
Jezabel had died.  I could not believe it!!!  She insisted I come to
their home and make sure the other two were okay.  They told me that if I
felt something was wrong the would understand if I were to remove Martha
and Harely from them.  Two young ferrets dying so close togeather within
a month was suspisious.  They did take Jezabel in for a necropsy.  The
vet had sent in her organs for testing.  These are responsible people,
but the doubt had set in for both them and for me.  The daugher was so
very upset at loosing two of her ferrets so very close togeather.
Emotions were extremely raw every where.  She loved and adored her
ferrets and she babied them totaly.  They were her loves.  The next
day my foster mom called and little Angel had passed away.  One of her
personal had also passed away that same day.
 
You can imagine how beside myself I was.  Not only dealing with my own
grief and the people who had the ferrets grief.  For the last month I
have been doubting myself very much as a Rescue.  What was I doing wrong?
 
I got the first Thankgiving Card the middle of last week.  I can't tell
you how much it lifted my spirits.  This past weekend we got the results
of Jezabel's tests.  She had JL.  No matter where she had been this would
have claimed her life.  No one had done anything wrong.  I had decided to
leave Martha and Harley with their new family, and it was the right
choice.  These are wonderful loving people.  They would do anything to
see their babys are okay.  They were here this weekend and Harley the ear
sucker is one of the biggest most beautiful ferrets I have ever seen.
They are doing a wonderful job.  I thank God I placed them with these
people.
 
I was overwhelmed with grief and with self condemation this last month
for nothing that was my fault or anyone else's.  Remain a Rescue or
stop?????  I had so much self doubt, was so depressed I was not coping
with normal life.  I can not really tell you totaly how I have been
feeling, and the questioning I had about myself.  To have your first
adoption end up the way it did.  To loose a foster at the same time.
To be trusted to place ferrets in a good loving home.
 
Then came these wonderful cards from people.  You will never know what
that has done for me.  They have made me feel that being a Rescue is the
right thing for me to do.  That there are people who think I do something
important.  That ferrets are more than disposable.  That people really do
care.
 
I love every ferret that comes under this roof.  They matter, life
matters, and there is pain and loss and questions when you are a Rescue.
This I will learn to deal with, because the end result of a new home and
a new life for each ferret is a wonder in it's own.
 
With the help of the Thanksgiving cards,and knowing there was nothing
that could have been done for Jezabel even if she had remained with me,
this Thanksgiving will be one to celebrate that I am a Rescue.  I know I
will always have some kind of doubt, but that I AM doing the right thing.
You guys have given me more than you will EVER REALIZE with the time you
took to send along a card and a note.  Many ferrets that will be comming
through here will never know how close I came to not being there for
them, amd without knowing that strangers helped me help them.
 
God bless you all.  May you celebrate this Thanksgiving knowing you
helped someone far from you, get their sense of purpose back on track,
and to keep doing what IS IMPORTANT to them.
 
Reanee Gladden
[Posted in FML issue 5070]