Years ago I had 64 free roam ferrets and 3 inside dogs at the same
time. Everyone got along wonderfully well for a long time, a few slept
together (dog/ferrets). Gizzie was Sunny's favorite ferret and when
he died, Sunny literally hung his head in sorrow for the loss of his
beloved friend. Sunny would catch mice but never harm a ferret.

Sunny was a 50lb lab/brittany mix that loved the ferrets with his
entire heart. I had ferrets before Sunny, he was raised from a puppy
with 3 litters of kits and his favorite time was when the kits were
allowed to climb all over him for play and exercise. To Sunny we were
all one big happy family and for 11 years we lived completely in
harmony, but as it happens, age changes attitudes.

Then Sunny got old, had 3 strokes, and arthritis set in. I noticed
Sunny would glare and lift his lips in a silent snarl warning when the
ferrets came to tickle the hair on his paws or ears, and at that point,
because this was out of character for Sunny, I knew he was changing
his attitude towards the ferrets because he was uncomfortable due to
arthritic pain. I'd sometimes see one or two ferrets laying inches away
from Sunny's big furry paw, they looked so sad that their dear friend
no longer wanted them to be near him. At the same time I noticed Sheena
(beagle/wiem mix) became less tolerant of the ferrets invitations to
play by becoming slightly agitated with them.

When I noticed these very slight changes in attitudes, I changed our
routine and the dogs were confined in a room away from the ferrets when
I was not there to supervise. Every morning before going out the door I
would see 1, 2, or more ferrets laying in front of the barrier.

It was the glare and silent snarl that gave me warning that Sunny was
becoming a danger to the ferrets.

Two years later Sunny was released from our realm, and Sheena who had
severe separation anxiety was given to a friend who had other dogs to
comfort her. The ferrets missed the dogs, they moped around for quite
some time and when I took 3 to a Blessing of the Animals, they
clammored to the sides of the cage to see every dog that passed by
them.

It isn't so much seeing a clear warning, but noticing the subtle
changes and warnings.

tle
www.ferretfamilyservices.org

[Posted in FML 6095]