Since certain people have recently called into question the responsibility
of Victoria Hadfield as a ferret owner, on the grounds that she was
unable to afford a $1000 operation which might perhaps have dealt with
the immediate illness of her ferret Antigone, I feel compelled to speak
(write?) to the matter, as probably the only person on this net who is
actually in a position to make any meaningful judgements.
  In nearly ten years of contact with ferrets, I have *never* known a
better ferret owner than Victoria Hadfield.  She rescued Antigone from
conditions of the most appalling neglect--Antigone had essentially spent
all of her prior life cooped up in a cage, even to the point of having
forgotten how to play.  In the remaining years of Antigone's life,
Victoria gave her the love, attention and care which a ferret so greatly
needs.  I returned to visit Toronto a few days before Antigone's death:
Victoria was pale and exhausted with caring for Antigone, and constantly
on the verge of tears at the thought of losing her.
  The question of what means a person should have if they are going to
take responsibility for an animal is both important and difficult.  What
if the operation had cost $2000?  $5000?  $10000?  Where do you draw the
line?
  In the end, I believe that responsible pet ownership is to be measured
by ordinary care, not extraordinary expenditures.  A person who plays
with their ferret, pays attention to it, nurses it through ordinary
sicknesses, and in general attends conscientiously to its basic physical
and mental needs, may be considered a responsible owner.  The decision
of how far to go in taking heroic medical steps is too complex to be
boiled down to a simple rule, save that a responsible owner can
reasonably be expected to make a responsible decision.  Remember that
we can never prevent death, only postpone it;  in the face of this
eternal reality, quality of life becomes much the more important
question.
  I hope fellow FML subscribers will forgive me this sermon.  A very
worthy person has had her reputation impugned and her feelings deeply
wounded in a time of bitter grief:  it would be wrong to remain silent.
  Jeffrey L. Singman
 
[Posted in FML issue 0752]