Hi.  My name's Karen, and I have some ferret stories to share.  Karat, a
light colored silver-mitt and our first ferret, was nearly 2 years old.  I
guess my 8 year old son mentioned at Cub Scouts the night before that he
had a ferret at home.  Anyhow, bright and early the next morning there was
a pounding at the door.  A policeman informed us that we had to have a
permit to keep a ferret.  I said "ferrets are legal if they're neutered
and have their rabies shot". My husband was making frantic motions down the
hall, trying to get me to shut up and not argue with the police.  The
license was free, so I filled out the form and signed it.  On the bottom
line it read "animal must be destroyed if it scratches or bites anyone, no
exceptions".  That blew my mind.  I got little Karat out of her cage in
the kitchen right then and there, and asked him if he wouldn't like to pet
the sweet little thing.  (She, by the way, was only half awake and draped
over my hand like a Slinky toy.) He got a funny look on his face and beat
a hasty retreat from my house.  What on earth did he think a ferret was?
A few days later my official ferret licence came in the mail and I tacked
it to the bulletin board.  Our Dept. of Agriculture inspector said she'd
never heard of such a thing, maybe it was a city ordinance?  Now, of
course, ferrets are legally bought and sold in Georgia, but must still be
neutered if kept as pets.  We never heard anything else about anyone else
ever having to get a license.  It was months before the memory of the
Ferret Police faded from our minds.  Even today, we feel a little
paranoid.  Thanks for ;istening-Karen&Ed,Jon, Tim, and Ben-the kids, and
Karat,Katoe, Silver and Bandit the ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 1191]