Hello fellow ferret lovers,
 
Somebody wrote recently about seeing someone thumping ferrets and doing
other things that were unkind and feeling angry but not saying anything
about it to them.  I can understand doing that.  I have had that same
uneasy reaction before.  With ferrets, I think that people often treat them
poorly due to lack of information.  I guess it's impossible to judge
between the people who just don't know any better and those who don't care,
but I know that I truly appreciate the information people have given me.
Without it, my ferret would probably live in pine shavings and only be
allowed out of the cage occasionally.  I think that most people are doing
the best they know how, and if we can help them know more in a loving way,
they'll do better.  If we approach these people angrily, they are likely
to get defensive.  But if we said something like, "I just learned a better
way to teach ferrets not to bite.  I'd be glad to show you."  I think most
people would respond in a positive manner.
 
It's hard to judge when we should jump in and when it would just cause
more harm than good.  It's hard not to get upset when we see animals being
mistreated.  But I think that if we can try to have an understanding
attitude toward the people who might be happy to do better if they just
knew what else to do instead, we can help a lot more animals have better
loves, oops I meant lives, but I think that is a typo I should leave in.
 
Jodie
[Posted in FML issue 2663]