Just to let those who want to know that two stinky hobbs are now flying to
Missouri (well, soon after I send this message anyway).  So some Texas woman
will soon hear my voice and a plea to take one of the stinky boys away.
 
Konstantine: I'm sure CDFA-1 didn't mean anything bad by using "witch." If
you notice, the lowercase form of the word was used, not the capitalized
form, which I interpret as meaning "hag-like, or an ugly old woman," rather
than as refering to someone who practices witchcraft.  Of course, you could
defer to a lesser-known definition of witch: "a charming or alluring girl or
woman," which would mean CDFA-1 did not want to be seen as attractive.
Humm.  Not that I don't understand your objections; raised a Quaker, I often
hate the indiscriminate use of "Friend" but dropped the objection when I
realised that there was a difference between the Friends and my friends,
just as there is a difference between acting like a witch and being a Witch.
Besides, I'm sure it was just a typo..."w" was struck instead of "b." (Oh
great, now I'll be flamed by female dogs......)
 
Margaret: A great if-your-ferret-gets-lost-list from a great lady.  One
additional thing I might want to point out is that unneutered animals tend
to stray far more often than neutered ones; especially males.  Because of
the territorial nature of ferrets/polecats, males "of-age" tend to disperse
and claim their own territories rather than hanging around the house (so to
speak).  If you lose such an animal, it is probably not nearby.  Not that
you shouldn't look, but most searches concentrate on the immediate
surroundings rather than the next block.  You would be surprised how fast a
ferret can move, and how much ground they can cover when in the mood, so
don't limit the search to the immediate neighborhood.
 
One additional comment on calling your ferrets.  At least four times a week,
I (or others) use a whistle to announce treats for the fuzzies.  I blow
three short blasts, and they always come without fail.  Sometimes they will
come if I just pull the whistle out, but the three blasts work like a charm.
The advantage of the whistle is the unique sound, the high pitch and volume,
and the fact that few things in the house sound like it, lessening the
conditioning.  The trick is to find a treat the beastie loves; I started
with ferretone, nutracal, jerky, and raisins.  Each ferret in my business
loves at least of the offered treats.  Oh yeah, I use a basketball ref's
whistle, because it can be blown really loud; an advantage outdoors.
 
Bob, the flying 2 and waiting 13.
[Posted in FML issue 1588]