>Today I was in PetCo to buy stocking stuffers for the girls and noticed a
>magazine on the rack by the name of "Fuzzy Creatures Quarterly".  It was
>featuring ferrets.  I looked thru it and noticed a photo of prairie dogs.
>Under the photo was written "prairie dogs are distantly related to
>ferrets".  I do believe that prairie dogs are actually rodents and are the
>main food souce for ferrets (black footed).
 
This is completely true- they are both mammals, so they are 'distantly'
related.  It just depends on how far you want to go back.  Heck if you go
back far enough we're all related to blue-green algae too... ROTFL!!!  Who
puts out that magazine?  Is it Fancy Publications (Ferrets magazine and
Ferrets USA annual, NOT to be confused with the more accurate Modern Ferret
magazine)?  For those who didn't notice, the second sentance in Russ Case's
editorial in the 1999 Ferrets USA annual reads:
 
"According to recent figures released by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory
Council (PIJAC), the domestic ferret is now this nation's fourth most
popular pet mammal, following cats, dogs and birds."
 
Until I read that, I had been completely unaware that birds had been
reclassified as mammals.  But seriously, that's just one of MANY erroneous
statements I have seen in their Ferrets USA and Ferrets publications.  I
think that it's ridiculous that Fancy, who is based in California where
ferrets are illegal, and with all the erroneous info (and misleading
photos) I've seen, bills themselves as "The leading authority on living
with Ferrets".  Capitalization theirs.
 
I just tried going to the Fancy Publications website to see if the Fuzzy
Creatures Quarterly was theirs, btw. (www.fancypubs.com) and instead of
their website (which I've been to before), I got a site for Shandon
Lipshaw, which appears to be some kind of a biological testing facility
(!!!!) ("cytology, immunology, autopsy, mortuary, immunochemistry")  Is it
just me or are other people getting this??  Very weird!!
 
-Ilena Ayala
[Posted in FML issue 2531]