Finally had to get into it as I had 3 dogs.  We have Comet, the Golden
Retriever, who I would not trust in a blink of an eye - he counts himself
as a hunting dog.  He's an inside dog and I left him in the house while
they were caged.  Then I installed a ferret tunnel where they could run
through from the cage and back into their cage and i was gone to let my
granddaughter off to school and right back, 5 minutes, he had torn the
tunnel in a couple of places, bite marks in other spots and I found Easy
Off in her little box house inside her cage, one leg she limped on for a
week, no one was killed butttt.  Sad, cause now he stays in the yard except
at night to sleep in my granddaughters room, far away from the ferrets.
 
Then there is the Great Dane, Drano.  He has let them do EVERYTHING they
think they need to do to him - except sniff his privates, and to protect
that he just covers them with his giant head.  They crawl up on him and
slide down, nip at his feet, and circle him like the old Cowboy and Indian
movies.  I trust him completely.  He too is an inside dog but at night he
sleeps in my room and cannot go to where the ferrets sleep.
 
And last, Brillo, the chawawa, as I call him.  I don't think he would hurt
them but he absolutely detests anything smaller than himself.  AND I love
it - his getting a doze of his own medicine.  They nip at his legs exactly
like he does the Great Dane and he is constantly hopping around to get
away.  He would prefer they didn't exist.  He is the one who has to sleep
in a cage at night.  I don't think he would hurt them but his nerves get
on edge sometimes.
 
I am partial to the larger breeds mixing with the ferrets because they are
more settled down, toleratant and not so high strung as the little guys.
Too, the little guys want to join in and play with the ferrets but their
way of play is to paw and jump at them and even a little dog can cause
injury in the delicate ferrets.  I would shy away from the huntingbreeds
and little nervous breds.  Maybe if I worked with Comet, - I've heard and
seen pictures of them mixing with Goldens - but Comet is too keen on cats
and boy the squirrels, we live in the woods and he is squirrel crazy,
squirrels tease a lot.
 
And my heart and tears are with those who have lost their little ones,
to those I respond direct to them personally.
 
Millie & her cleaning crew
Easy Off:  the most perfect ferret in the whole wide world
Ammonia:  Hey Grandma, ya wanta hear a dumb blond - I mean a dumb Silver
Mitt joke?
Cascade:  The Observer.  Isn't it in the manual how many kisses a humoid
can give and still survive?
Ajax: yet to come.  Mama they must really want to help me out, look at
the hints they emailed me on how to make Grandma happy.  wow
[Posted in FML issue 2409]