I've just gotten caught-up with a back-log of the FML and I have noticed a
nomber of sad stories over the last three weeks or so.  Our deepest condolences
to those of you who have lost those little loved ones:  I know how we  would
feel should anything happen to our babies.  It still amazes me how quickly they
worm their way into your hearts if given half a chance.
 
Fortunately, there also are some happy stories and I'd like to recite one for
you.
 
Friday a week ago, Tamarah and I were looking through antique stores and for
some reason we had brought along Jenni and Luci, neither of whom really enjoys
sitting still.  Jenni and Luci travel in a yellow cloth handbag, just a bit too
small for both ferrets, so they really spent most of the outing climbing out
of, into, over, under, through, etc. the bag and me.  As we left the last store
and started back to the car, the wiggly worms were hanging from me like a
couple of monkeys and distracting me from noticing the surroundings.  Suddenly,
Tamarah was gone.  I turned and saw her speaking with a young woman pushing a
pram.  The woman had stopped Tamarah and asked if we might help her find a new
home for her four year-old ferret, who, as the only child for so long, seemed
to have taken exception to the couple's new four month-old son and recently was
found inside the little boys crib nibbling his leg (no damage done).  This had
the rest of the family in an uproar and concerned that Sharky, the ferret (no,
he was named after a baseball team), might do some real damage if he had
another opportunity.  To be safe, the young couple had decided to find Sharky a
new home even though they felt there was no problem.  However, they had no idea
of how to place him or who to contact.  Of course, we quickly told her about
our local ferret club and offered to place the little guy:  I even had someone
unsuspecting in mind as foster parents.
 
That evening I called and spoke with both of Sharky's parents who obviously
loved him dearly and were considering giving-up their child instead.  On
Saturday afternoon at three o'clock  I picked him up along with his bowl,
favourite sweaters and towels, food, leads, harnesses, travel cage (he flew
Delta and Air Canada), vacination certificates and a list of his prefered
treats and habits.  He was a handsome, easy going silverpoint with a loving
disposition.  Sharky always had been a free-range ferret like ours and I
promised that I would find him a new home with loving parents were he would run
free and have ferret friends for company.  I brought him home and introduced
him to our menagerie which went well, but was still an experience I'm sure he
would rather forget.
 
The previous week, we had invited two new friends and the owners of two
ferrets, two cats, a dog, and a hedgehog to join us for a light dinner and come
to the club meeting with us.  At five-thirty, our guest and victim arrived.  I
took Sharky down to meet Irene (hubby was sick and couldn't come).  Within
minutes she had fallen in love.  Irene and I went to the meeting with my four
fiends while Tamarah stayed home with Sharkey.  Afterwards, we returned for
coffee and cake, pick-up Sharky and call Irene's husband, Denis, to tell him
about the new addition.  Somehow, he wasn't surprised.
 
It has been eight days and Sharky is adjusting well to his new home and doting
parents.  He has a three storey house to explore, sleeps with Denis at night,
never nips, and, despite the occassional tiff, gets along well with his new
companions.
 
Our club does a lot of rescue and adoption work.  Rarely do we see ferrets who
come from homes and owners as loving as Sharky's.  He is a very lucky little
guy to go from one excellent home to another and it is incredibly satisfying to
be able to make everything turn-out so well for a wonderful little creature.
 
Best description of a ferret:  Half dog, half cat, half monkey.
 
Karl, Tamarah, and four furry fiends
[Posted in FML issue 1195]