[Moderator's note: There will be a series of these posts, each a brief
interview with a speaker at the upcoming Ferret Symposium in Atlanta.
Here's the first, an interview with Pam Troutman.  BIG]
 
What is a ferret?" were the first words out of my mouth when John (her
husband) told me he was getting one.
 
I do not remember his answer, but there was an ad for a "free to any
home or it goes to the animal shelter".  It was for a year old ferret and
John wanted it.  Here was a sable male, unaltered, in a cage of wood and
chicken wire.  "I have a fish tank you can use for a ferret cage."  I
offered.  So John took the aquarium, with a wire lid, to his house and
set Rikki-Tikki-Tavi up in his new home.  So began the saga of yet
another ferret lover.
 
The year was 1985.  And, for nearly 20 years this former shelter operator
has been a friend to ferrets.  Although she knew little when she acquired
her first fuzzy, 10 years and 1500 ferrets changed that.
 
The first time John let Rikki out to get some exercise, the ferret jumped
up and down, snapped, and scooted backwards.  John told one of his kids
"Toss me your coat!" and he threw the jacket over the ferret, scooped it
up and tossed it back, less the coat, into the cage.  John thought the
ferret was rabid!  So it was off to the pet shop to find a book on
ferrets.  We later learned this was a "dance of joy", and was John
embarrassed.
 
For 23 years this grandmother who was never a mother has worked for the
Department of Defense.  She has been married for 3 years to her husband,
Bruce Langwiser.  They share their home with 7 ferrets and 2 cats.
 
For fun, this selfless woman does volunteer work, attends the Renaissance
Festival and makes necklaces from beads.  She also enjoys reading,
especially science fiction and fantasy lore, and relaxing in the Jacuzzi.
She should feel right at home in Judy s tub!
 
If given the opportunity to spend 24 hours with anyone, living or dead,
this person would choose to spend it with Jesus Christ.  Her grandmother,
who was deaf, was PET s role model.  Why?  Take a few minutes to ask her
about the people in her life.  Her wedding was a most memorable
experience, involving bagpipes, a pregnant organist and paramedics.
Sounds exciting, huh?
 
When asked how she would like to be remembered, Pam replied, I would hope
that people would recognize and remember my contributions to the ferret
community, but if all they remembered about me was how I was always
upbeat, loved critters of any kind, served the Lord, and I left the world
I interacted with as a better place, then my time was well spent here.
 
To learn more about her, introduce yourself to Pam Troutman, who will
speak at the Ferret Symposium in Atlanta and is today s featured speaker
highlight!
 
To learn more about Pam's work, visit STAR* at
http://www.thepetproject.com/ptff.html
You can write her at [log in to unmask]
 
To review a listing of ferret shelters, contacts, vets, suppliers,
breeders, clubs, etc., visit Ferret Central at
http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/database.html
[Posted in FML issue 4205]