Hi all, many people have asked about combining a household of ferrets and
dogs.  I had my sheltie-x long before I got my first ferret.  Merlin loved
Meeko on sight even though she nipped at his feet and several times attached
herself to his lips.  He plays with them by gently holding them down with a
paw or his chin and has never snapped at them.  In fact when I got the third
ferret (Snoopy the demon), Snoopy bit (and held on to) Merlin in between his
toes on a back foot.  Merlin cried and flailed (with Snoopy STILL attached)
but never tried to bite back.  He just waited for me to remove the stupid
ferret.  On the other hand I recently adopted a 3 year old German Shepherd
female (Justice) who loves to watch the ferrets but is nervous and can be
snappy.  I have two dog crates in my bedroom and when she wants to watch the
ferrets play she runs into the crate and waits for me to shut the door.  She
knows she is safe there and every so often she will snap or lunge for a
ferret that races past so I believe keeping her crated while they play is
the best for everyone.  Trust me on this, crating your dog is NOT A HARDSHIP
for them.  It provides a safe "den".  Jussy loves her crate, sometimes I
can't get her OUT of it.
 
Cute story:
Percy met the bubble bath...he wasn't sure why he could only see half of his
mama so he stuck his head in the bubbles and came up with...a head covered
in bubbles.  It was too funny.  Later he felt he had to protect me so, using
his paws, he started digging the bubbles off my arms and out of the tub.  I
tried to get it on camera but white bubbles in a white tub don't show up
well.  Please tell me that bubbles aren't bad for ferrets.
 
Melissa
Meeko, Percy and Snoopy (the ferrets)
Merlin and Justice (the ferrets' dogs)
[Posted in FML issue 1928]