Ferret Friends, I witnessed something yesterday that made me absoloutly
sick!  My wife and I stopped in at a Mom&Pop store to pick up something
to drink as we are in the midst of humidity/heatwave (beats snow any day!).
Well, as we approached the soda section we spy a boy (approx. 10-12 yrs old)
holding a fuzzy.  Immediately I notice the poor baby has an earring, I'm
talking about the ferret not the *&$(%&#(&*)*@##$*@&#!!!!!!! that was holding
him (it was a male)! Not only does it have an earring but it's infected with
crusty pus all around the hole. To top it off, the poor baby is panting like
there's no tomorrow.  My wife and I both lit into the little bastard! I
started demanding he give it some water, right then and there. And also to
get rid of the earring and clean the baby's ear.  His responses? "He's ok,
we've been at the lake all day." and "It's no big deal, I paid form him!"
By this time we're both livid and haunting the sorry little excuse for a
human around the store demanding he give the baby some water. Finally he
he passes the counter and a sleaze of a man says something to him and it
all becomes a little clearer...  I followed the kid outside and he's got
the baby out in the sun and humidity and STILL NO @(#)!#*$!)# WATER!!!!
We lit into him again about getting it some water and then went back into
the store and proceeded to light into the sorry excuse for a father.
 
He too came back with some shit about being at "the lake all day" and then
tried to qualify himself with "What, do you think I'm stupid?"  His mistake!
"Yes I do if that's the way you treat your animals!"  I yelled back.
(Earlier in the argument he stated that he had another one at home,
which was somehow supposed to make us believe he knew how to take
care of them. We replied that we had 3 at home ourselves and that they
don't belong out in this weather because of dehydration
and heat exhaustion!)  So the idiot has a bag of ice in his hand (we're out
in the parking lot by this time) and tells the kid to give the ferret a piece
of ice. I yelled at him again, "He NEEDS water, NOW!!!" Adult idiot replies,
"This'll do for now, we just live down the street!" and with that got in
the car and off they went.  We just glared at them (and took down the license
plate number!) as the left the parking lot. I do recall threatening to call
the SPCA, which I still have not ruled out yet.
 
To top it off, the low life live in Mass. (The incident took place in
Hudson, NH at a store (Ayotte's for those in the area) on the border
of Tyngsboro, MASS.  They had MASS plates on the car. So now we're
dealing with a Ferret Free Zone (which in this instance is a sort of
blessing, never thought I'd be saying THAT!).
 
So to add to our dilema, if I notify the local SPCA, what happens then?
I can't in good conscience let this go, knowing that these fuzzies are
being mistreated as such. I mean besides being out in the heat, the kid
admitted that HE pierced the poor baby's ear!  He didn't go into details
as to just how he did it and at this point I'm just as glad he didn't.
Plus if the parents allow this to go on, who know what else is being done
to the ferrets (and whatever other pets they don't deserve to have!)?
 
Well friends, I can't let this go (Dick & Joan Bossart, I'll already have
been in touch with you by the time this gets distributed in the next LIST.),
if anyone has any suggestions on what course of action to take and/or who
to contact, please post it to the list so others will be aware should they
also run across such cruelty.
 
Sign me "DISGUSTED"!
 
Mark Ouellette
 Judy and ? (wife in 8th month of pregnancy)
  Tiffany & Brittany (daughters)
   Weasie,Farrah & Dakota (Ferrets)
    Mittens & Bubba (Cats)
 
[Posted in FML issue 0865]