Regarding ferrets and dogs (again :)
 
I have a two and a half year old Akita pup who gets along famously with
my two ferrets.  In fact, when I first got the dog, I taught her right
away that she couldn't harm the ferrets, and being the gentle sort she
picked up on it immediately.  The only problem I've encountered is that
the ferrets (refusing to co-operate) quickly realized that the dog wasn't
allowed to hurt them.  Many a time I would come home and hear my poor
dog whimpering because she couldn't beat up on the two ferrets which
had latched on to her leg and wouldn't let go.  :)
 
Fortunately, no damage was ever done, and now that my dog is older, I've
taught her that she can play with the ferrets as long as she doesn't hurt
them, so she'll often play the game of bonk-the-weasel, which is fun to
watch (she never lands full force).
 
My cat and dog get along in basically the same manner, though my cat is
much more agressive, he'll taunt my dog until he finally plays bonk-the-cat,
and then my cat will lunge at her neck and hold on.
 
It's frightening to watch at first, till you realize they are both wagging
their tails like crazy :)
 
Silly animals :)
 
Here's an interesting unrelated point.  I just recently had to (unfortunately)
renew my lease for the apartment I'm in because of how hard it is to find
a place to rent with animals.  Fortunately, I convinced the landlord to let
my ferrets run free, so I modified their hutch so they have a carpeted tube
running down to the floor (ferrettrail!).  Much to my surprise, they almost
never use it!  It seems that they prefer to stay in the hutch I built them.
 
Anybody have any ideas why?  I've been working desperately to give them their
own room, but it seems they don't want it!  Oh well :)
--
Kodi "is that another weasel?  can I sniff it?" The Bear
Cinder "you're not actually going to let that rat out of the cage??" The Cat
Maxmillion "I think I'll sleep some more" Fantastic
Sagittarius "c'mon Max, I swear this tube goes somewhere!" Excalibur
Dave "more food, more water, more litter, sheesh!" The Human
[Posted in FML issue 1279]