Lori Howerton <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>2) Christine & anyone else, how do you take your ferret to the grocery
>store?
 
We walk, since it's only about five blocks.  :).  I only take one fuzzit per
trip and my fuzzits love the adventure. Once we get to the store I stuff the
fuzzy into my jacket (if fuzzit isn't already there) and just waltz in.
Sometimes fuzzit'll be sleeping at this point, or sometimes there'll be a
little head peeking out of the neck of my jacket.
 
We wander around, doing our shopping, until somebody gets squirmy.  This is
when Theo goes into the cart, perching on top of the juice boxes, which I
always get first because he likes to stand on them, with his front paws
resting on the edge of the cart at the front.  He surveys his empire from
his chariot like this for the duration of the shopping trip, looking more
than adorable.
 
Madeline is squirmier in the shop.  She wants to get onto every shelf and
inspect EVERYTHING, and we can't get a thing done.  So I pop her into my
knapsack, which I modified for ferrets.  I cut a window out of the material
on the back, and sewed in some mosquito netting to make a
ferret-stays-inside-but-sees-out window.  Works like a charm.  So she
usually rides on my back, a-peekin' out at the world, until we're done.
 
>Don't the employees and the owner freak out?!?!
 
No.  The first time I took a ferret into the store, I expected some staff
person to catch me and say "I'm sorry ma'am, but we don't allow animals in
the store."  If anybody had, I would have said "no problem" and plopped the
fuzzbean into the aforementioned knapsack.  What animal?  I just have a
squirmy knapsack that makes squeaky noises. :)
 
The first time a staff person spotted us, he came right over and I thought
our ship (chariot) was sunk.  But when he got to us he said "Wow!  Ferrets!
Ferrets are so cool, man," and we had a good visit.  Most staff think my
fuzzies are cute and seem to enjoy them.
 
Once, a few weeks ago, a new cashier didn't much like the look of Theo
(hmph! He's adorable.) and told him to his face that he looked like a
vicious rat.  He thought about telling her that she looked like a
mentally-challenged rhinoscerous, but he was much too polite. Everybody else
has been much, much nicer than this.
 
>I can't imagine being able to get away with that.
 
Well, I never would have thought of it, either, except Sheena said she did
it all the time, so I decided to give it a go.  It certainly makes shopping
a lot more fun, and we meet lots of nice people.
 
Sheena also said that she takes Boo-boo to the movies sometimes, and I'd
love to try that.
 
Oh, btw: any fuzzit who is outside of the house wears a harness and a leash.
While shopping, I always hold one end of the leash.
 
cmc
--
Christine Code                     We shall find peace.
Vancouver, CANADA                  We shall hear the angels,
[log in to unmask]                      We shall see the sky
http://www2.portal.ca/~cmc         Sparkling with diamonds.   - Chekhov
[Posted in FML issue 1410]