Dear readers,
Unfortunatly we have a few bad experiences to share with you; we both hope
these will sensibilize ferret owners to not go through the same bad
experiences we did.  Edith wrote her piece two days ago on Rikki, and I feel
I must now write mine.
 
In 1987 I was stationed in Germany (I`m an army enginneer with the Canadian
Armed Forces) and lived in an apartement with my best bud,off the base in
Lahr.  I also bought a ferret as a companion.  I later named her "SLINKY"...
Everywhere I went she was with me, shopping, bars,and even skiing.  I joined
the Canadian ski patrol over there.  A lot of soldiers were using a hill
about 2 hours from the base and it was customed that the base form a ski
patrol to help the german search and rescue patrol their hill...I would
spend my winters skiing there and of course my fuzzy was always with me.  I
would puff up my jacket and put on my first aid bag around my waist, leaving
a lot of room for her to move around.  If she wanted to go to the bathroom
she would let me know by scratching my shirt.  She loved to play in the
snow, I would bombard her with snowballs and her little tail would get all
puffy.  One day on the hill I could hear through my two way radio that there
had been an accident on the slopes involving a small german boy.  When "we"
got there I noticed that he had fractured his knee cap and that the leg was
in an awkward position.  The Canadian ski patrol had responded to this call
as the german search and rescue were busy on the other side of the hill for
the moment.  This only made things worst cause none of us spoke perfect
german and every time we would try to realign the legs the boy cried in
pain, the mother would scream at us not to touch him ect.  ect...At about
that time "someone" scratch at my shirt to go to the bathroom.  Her head
first popped up around my collar, and that's when the miracle happened.  The
boy saw her, as a matter of fact everyone saw her, and tears soon changed to
laughter.  I gave the boy my fuzy to hold, and she started to lick his
tears,everyone was laughing even the mother.  That's when i told the other
patrollers to continue straightening out the leg; the boy never felt a
thing.  Soon he was on the backboard and ready to bring down the hill.  The
other patrollers asked me if i wanted to pick her up, but i decided to let
the boy hold her while i skied beside them.  She was standing on her front
paws much like a dog out of a window lapping at the air.  When we reach the
bottom and the ambulance, i took my Slinky and the boy started to cry
again...oh well!  SLINKY had done 17 such rescues and received a
commendation from the Canadian ski patrol.Back in Canada in '89 i met Edith
who had RIKKI, and PIPPIN.
 
Not long after that my bud who was still in germany came to visit.  We were
driving through Manning park in a snowstorm when the wipers would not work.
We pulled over to get out and shake them loose, when we got back in SLINKY
was all excited and her tail all puffed up, i guess from seeing all the snow
at the bottom of our feet.  She probably was reminded of the good times on
the hill.
 
Damn those wipers still weren't working, my friend got out of the car
without ever looking behind him and closed the door...It was too late.  What
makes this worst is that she did not die right away.  We drove like hell to
find a Vet and two hours later found one.  I left her there and continued on
our way home, the vet telling me he would phone me if there was any change.
She died that night in a little town in the interior of B.C.  I asked the
vet to dry freeze her put her in a box,then put her on the next bus coming
to my parents ranch.  When i got her the next day i brought her to my
favorite place and gave her a Viking's funeral,with all of her toys.  You
all my think that Edith and I are crazy for spending sums of money for
operations or even to freeze a ferret and have it sent on a bus, but their
our baby's and no sum of money (at least at the time) is too great.  PIPPIN
died too some time ago, but of cushing's disease; we now have WHIDBEY which
is our fourth ferret and most probably our last for some time.  The dogs
ORCA and JUNO (WHIDBEYS loyal CKP forces) demand more attention, funny thing
thought they all get along.  If i would not have gotten a ferret in germany,
i would of never have met Edith; I think that was SLINKY's destiny to bring
us together...we met at a ferret-club car wash in Vancouver.
 
It is truly amazing how such a little fuzzy can have so much impact on one's
life.  They are very special & they have obtained world domination in our
hearts.
 
Denis, Edith & co.
[Posted in FML issue 1488]