Dear FML Friends,

I'm a Hospice Mom, and I work under Ferretwise with Alicia who is a
super ferret Mom. Everything that comes into my care is LOVED.

I sit with the ferret, feed it, sometimes by the dropper for days. We
graduate to licking my finger, then a spoon, then the dish. I am up
nights, I carry them around days, one passed on my lap, I love them
all. They are not deprived of "family," and while Shelter and Hospice
life may not be what some people envision, it is a quality of life
that the animal would not have otherwise had.

Hospice Moms keep the tissue companies in business, either wiping up
spills or tears. We probably cry more than anyone else, first for the
ferret we are holding that is in deplorable condition, then for the
heartless people that did this to a living thing. We are probably not
CUT OUT FOR THIS JOB, as we take everything to heart. And we cry, boy
do we cry. But, the need is there, so we step up to the plate.

We cry when we take one in, we cry when it won't eat, we cry when it
does eat, we cry when it is a ferret at last, and we cry when it dies.
Let me put it in prosepective - I gave up wearing eye makeup when I
became a ferret mom. Then I gave up wearing all make up because mine
was always streaked.

When Shelter Ferrets cross, we mourn, and the Bridge Greeters treat
them like any other ferret. It matters not if you had family here,
you had a Shelter Mom or a Hospice Mom, and she loved you.

One person's trash is another 's treasure and I have treasured all of
my fur kids. I work hard and spend my money for their care. They love
chicken - and when I shop, if it comes down to the nitty gritty, they
get their chicken, and I will eat tuna.

Would I do what I do again if I knew then what I know now? You bet,
only I would have started sooner.

Oh yes, I work, and my boss knows how I feel. I took my latest fur kid
to work for 10 days, while I was trying to save her. I worked on my day
off to make up the time, worked on the weekend, worked nights, ate my
lunch while I worked and only took potty breaks - no coffee breaks, and
my project is fat and sassy. Gave him about 30 extra hours in return
for allowing me the freedom to feed her during the day. My boss is the
best.

The Labor Board ????? I need to talk to them about people who abuse
animals. There are jobs they could do and send their pay to a shelter.
Believe me, they don't want to go there.

So in a nut shell, Shelter ferrets and Hospice ferrets do have a loving
Mom, she didn't buy them for the kids, and end up taking care of them.
She took them because she wanted them, she rescued and saved them, and
she did it out of love for a voiceless creataure that was tossed about
like so much trash. She works out of love and she is their shield
against abuse from others until they pass.

Think about this - some animals in hospice or shelter care have better
lives than some children. I've seen children looking worse than the
hopeless ferrets that come into my care. At every hospice home in the
system I work in, life is great, and we all work hard and let "The
Boss" take care of the hereafter.

Thats the first hand report from someone in the trenches, bless the
shelter Moms and Dads, cause they don't have time to bless themselves.

Want to lose 5 pounds??? Give up the doughnut with your coffee break
for thirty days. Send the doughnut money to the Shelter of your choice.

Marilyn Ledoux

[Posted in FML 6436]