To Alexis Betts and anyone else contemplating the idea of letting their
ferrets run loose in the yard unsupervised:
 
A few days ago, I had the horrible experience of encountering a beautiful,
sweet little ferret who had been attacked by a large dog.  He was still
alive, barely breathing, and couldn't move his hind legs at all.  He had
thrown up blood from internal bleeding and had blood around his mouth.  His
temperature was dropping and he was growing cold.  He went completely limp
and died in my arms shortly after I picked him up to try to get him to a
vet.  I will forever have the awful memory of this wonderful little guy
suffering so, and being powerless to help him.
 
This ferret wandered into the dogs' yard after several successive episodes
of getting out of his cage in his owner's back yard and taking off.  This
same ferret's companion had just been rescued from the same back yard a week
before -- he was lucky and managed to get inside the house away from the
dogs.
 
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR FERRETS UNSUPERVISED OUTDOORS.  In the wilderness,
they could become prey to a hawk, a coyote, or other predator.  In town,
they can wander into the yard of a big dog, they can get run over, they can
be killed by people who are afraid of them, they can bite someone and be
confiscated and killed for rabies testing.  Your ferret is a domestic, tame
animal who has no clue about such hazards.  Your ferret NEEDS you to keep
him/her safe and out of trouble.
 
                Linda
[Posted in FML issue 1609]