Hi all--
 
Well, I've always looked upon "other people's ferrets" (in public) with
wonder and awe and jealousy ("other people's ferrets" are so well-behaved)
...
 
Pepper had his 1st day out on Sunday--and he was a Poster Child Ferret.  He
was a sweet, even-tempered, mellow, beautiful credit to all ferrets
everywhere--a wonder ferret.
 
Ever hear of Grandma's Marathon?  That happens here in Duluth, and it
happened last Satruday.  So even Sunday was crazy at the LakeWalk in Canal
Park (major tourist, recreation walking/roller blading/ biking area) and
full of people.  I decided to take Pepper to Canal Park for his first major
outing.  I left Mort at home because I wasn't sure I could handle two
ferrets while meeting up with my girlfriend and her two children AND have a
good time on top of it all.  I planned an hour to an hour and a half,
figuring that would be as long as Pepper could stand to behave.  Silly me.
FOUR hours after leaving, we came home.  All I brought was a very large
purse--for a ferret pouch), a water bottle, and his harness and leash.  He
was an ANGEL all day long, outside, in crowds of people, in very hot
weather.  I couldn't ask for a better behaved ferret.  People said to ME, to
me!-- "Wow, is your ferret ever well-trained."
 
Trained?  Are they kidding?  It was his first outing.  Sometimes he rode in
the pouch.  Sometimes in my arms.  (He's too big for my shoulder--officially
just under 4lbs, according to the pet store scale) sometimes he walked along
beside us--when there was grass.  It was 90 degrees, and I believed the
pavement was too hot for his little feetsies.  Towards the end of the
outing, while he was walking, he ran after my friend's baby stroller, caught
up with it, and jumped into the bottom basket.  He lounged there, rolled,
scratched, looked out through the netting, etc.  And then he'd prop his feet
on the edge of the basket, poke his head over the side, and make people
everywhere point and exclaim how adorable he was.
 
I didn't, I SWEAR TO GOD, _teach_ him any of this--he's a natural crowd
pleaser.  When people petted him, he stretched out his neck, closed his
eyes in absolute pleasure and sucked up all the attention.  Hmph.  Hardly
ever does that at home!
 
I'm tickled.  I have a wonder ferret.  I'll write tomorrow and tell you all
about how many hundreds of people I talked to.  Very fun.  Very
ferret-educational, all positive.  Tho' I did put my hand over his whole
face when the crowds were too heavy, with my heart in my throat, thinking of
Kodo who probably was being every bit as sweet as my Pepper was being.
 
Ferrets are God's gift to people.
 
More tomorrow.
 
--Sheri
[Posted in FML issue 1982]