I posted before about how I took my furrykids, Grover and Onyx, to the vets
and had a weird time about it.  For those who have asked, it MIGHT have
been the vet-tech who decided to use a non-appropriate weighing scale for
the fuzzies, but I can't know for sure.  BTW, the stool test came back
negative for coccidia/etc.  *whew*
 
Here is the story of one of Grover's first experiences as an
ambassador-ferret:
 
At the vet's office, I spent a lot of time in the waiting room (first
waiting for the appointment, then waiting (voluntarily) while the vet
put down another animal...it was an emergency that came up DURING my
appointment; I told him to go ahead as *I* wouldn't want to have to wait,
given the same situation.) I ended up simultaneously cooling my heels for
quite a while and doing a fair amount of ferret-ambassador work.  LOTS of
people in the waiting room (to which I absconded from the exam room) asked
questions, which I answered.  I had G&O on harness/leashes in a carry-sack,
and let them down on the floor when they wanted to.  We got quite a lot of
attention from folks who asked me WHAT they were.  I even engaged in some
semi-sign language with an Eastern (asian) woman who was curious.  I let a
little girl pet, and then hold, Grover; she said her friend's family had
had a ferret once.  She must have been 8 or 9 years old; she held him
correctly, gently, and with love and confidence.  He meanwhile sprawled
happily in her arms, much to the delight of the adults around us looking on.
 
Onyx, my dearling little nose-biter, was not allowed direct contact with
strange humans, even though she really wanted into the act.  (She is
getting a lot better so far, but still sometimes follows up the
lick-lick-lick with a *chomp*.)
 
An older woman came in with a cat and she asked what was in my cage (I'd
put the kids to bed for a bit) and I said "Ferrets," and her eyes got big
and scared and she said, in apparent shock, "Really!?!?!" like she was
amazed I was so brave as to own them, or something.  My gut reaction was
that she must have heard some bad rap about our poor fuzzies.  I talked to
her a bit about them, and eventually pulled out good ol' Grover and
invited/coaxed her into petting him.  While his coat is rough and coarse
next to Onyx's incredibly soft and silky one, and his body is lean and bony
next to her solid, compactly muscular little unit, it (or Grover's smile)
did the trick!
 
A tiny, tremulous smile on the woman's face appeared as she finally reached
out to try to touch him.  The smile then grew into a large, beautiful one!
as she kept on petting him (and he, the slob, was being as cute as could
be.) The first, timid finger touch slowly graduated to soft, gently expert
strokes of his dark fur.  He was doing his sleepy-fert thing, smiling back
at the woman, tongue just nudged out, looking around and resting his chin
on my wrist (SO cute!) half-asleep and cuddling up, totally letting her
touch and pet him and acting like he loved it. :-)  She kept on repeating,
aloud, how sweet and beautiful he was, like she couldn't believe it.
 
It was amazing the change that came over this woman during the course of
all of this.  Initially she had this...facial expression when she came in
the vet clinic.  I...well, as a doctor, I am, among other things, a studier
of faces.  This woman had a face that was well-marked with lines of hardship
and severeness.  Lady save me, but...she fit the bill of "premature
white-haired older woman, extra pounds, extra pancake makeup & rouge, big
eyeglasses, scary earrings, so brittle if you poked her with a stick she'd
shatter." (BTW I am *NOT* putting this woman down; I feel for her immensely,
just don't want to go into details here.)  But after a few minutes with
Grover, she changed.  She relaxed as she petted him, her face gentled, the
fear seeped away and her confidence slowly built up, visibly, inch by inch.
She smiled a little, then more, and her face lighted up and GLOWED and
showed how /Beautiful!/ she was!  YAY my sweet Grover!!
 
- Megan & the furrykids
 
--
Megan O'Shaughnessy, L.M.T. D.C.
http://www.teleport.com/~megan/
"Progress in ethics is the only cure for progress in science."
-- Dr. Freeman Dyson, quoting Haldane
[Posted in FML issue 2458]