Good Morning All,

I have many foster moms and dads and it is especially difficult for
them when they loose their "babies" - the ones they chose to care and
love for me during, what is unfortunately, the last months of their
too-short lives. Most are elderly and most of those suffering from one
or more minor illnesses. Most foster ferrets are just elderly and left
at the shelter when their previous owners would not or could not care
for them any longer. We are having a bad year this year as most of our
fosters are slowly fading away and passing to the Bridge. And, one of
these wonderful owners, Amber, lost her precious Sassy yesterday.

Sassy was one of 21 ferrets that came to us last February from the
shelter in Michigan that took in multitudes of ferrets from an upper
Michigan rescue whose operator suffered a sudden stroke last and had to
close, last October. These kids endured two ice storms and a two-month
sabbatical at a shelter in Iowa (??) and then had a short-stay at a
rescue in Kentucky because of the ice storm that prohibited us from
traveling to pick them up at the rendezvous point.

Sassy and Red were two little elderly girls that were very closely
bonded to each other. One did not go anywhere without the other. Sassy
was diagnosed with inoperable cancer last month and she put up a heroic
fight for her foster mom. Sassy is remembered by her foster mom, Amber:

"Sassy was black, white, and tan. She had the cutest mask over her
face. She was a very laid-back kind of little girl. She loved Red very
much and Red loved her. They were inseparable. She would spend many
days laying in her favorite hammock cuddled up to her best friend, Red.
She had an attitude when she did not get her way. The one thing tat
sticks in my head and will always be in my heart is laying and running
around with the girls. I cherish my memories of putting Sassy on my bed
and rubbing the blankets on her back to ruff up her fur and having her
pop up out of the blanket on her hind legs all puffy biting my toes
and fingers. She gave me the sweetest kisses! And I got them often. I
buried her earthy body in my grandmother's backyard where I can always
go and visit and talk to her. I buried her with my love and a piece of
my heart. She leaves her BFF and sister, Red, who misses her terribly.
Red searches for her constantly and I swear has a tear in her eyes
knowing her bestest friend is gone. She is also loved and missed by my
friend, Chris. Sassy would try to climb up Chris' pant leg when he came
over to visit me and the girls."

Please No. 421, make sure Skye finds this little one at the Bridge and
keep her with the Raisins crew until her foster mom, Amber, can come
and claim her when that time comes. She really really needs friends
until her BFF, Red, arrives and then both ladies can wait for their
foster (and forever) mom comes to claim them both and cross. These
girls are the first pets Amber has owned on her own. The other pets
were owned by the family as a whole.

Now, I need to convince Amber, when that time comes, to select another
fuzzie to love and care for. I only hope that little Miss Red will
accept another friend to cuddle up with. And, I hope Amber will find
the strength to love again. Right now, she says she can't endure the
pain....but we all feel that way when we lose one. But somehow,
someway, our heart opens yet again to love one more.....

Respectfully submitted,
Maren Qualls
Raisins From Heaven
Hernando, MS

[Posted in FML 6879]