with these recent posting about the ferret in Cleveland I wanted to share
this disconcerting experience I had w/my ferret and some kids.  My friend
and I were walking Zooey and Linus in a park adjacent to a school.  There
were about a dozen 6 to 7 year old kids (mostly girls) swinging, etc.  The
second they saw that we had ferrets (we walked around a corner and there
they were, unexpected on our part), they screamed and ran to us, about 6 of
them at one time.  Putting their fingers in Zooey's face and trying to pet
her and asking to hold her and trying to take her out of my arms w/o waiting
for my answer.  It was very unnerving.  My friend and I kept trying to tell
them it was too much, you need to back off, one at a time please, but they
would not listen.  Every where I turned...a child, sticking her fingers in
Zooey's face.  There was a supervisor there (about 19 years old or so) who
just stood there and watched this mauling w/o making any comments.
 
Very strange, that had never happened to me before.  Finally most of the
kids heard us and backed off, but I don't know...I'd never been mauled like
that before by 6 year olds!!!  The crowd mentality?  Needless to say I was
very worried about Zooey biting these flailing fingers.  She was remarkably
composed, considering the circumstances.
 
Minta
[Posted in FML issue 2230]