On Saturday, Dec 17, 1993, two KPL workers entered the home of the McDowells
to relight their furnace, stove and hot water heater.  The only one home at
the time was the 13 yr old daughter of Mike and Rita McDowell.
 
One worker petted the dog and asked what was in the cage.  The daughter said
it was a ferret and would he like to see it.  She took the ferret out of the
cage and as the worker reached for Longtail, he was allegedly bitten.  The
daughter saw no blood or wound.  The worker went on and relighted the
appliances then serviced the other houses in the area.
 
On Wednesday the worker went to the company physician and told him he'd been
bitten by a ferret.  The physician reported it to Kansas Dept of Health and
Environment (KDHE).  An on-loan epidemiologist (from CDC) contacted the
McDowells and instructed them to take the ferret to KSU Rabies Lab (Dr.
Briggs) to be killed and tested for rabies.  They refused.  The state (KDHE)
filed charges and we went to court.  In the meantime Longtail and his
brother George disappeared.  Good thing too, as Judge Klinginsmith ruled the
ferrets are wild animals and as such should be killed and tested for rabies.
Rita, because the ferrets were hers, was held in contempt of court when she
couldn't produce the ferret to be killed and tested and her sentence was to
pay the KPL workers post exposure treatment costs ($1300.00).  KPL contacted
the McDowells and said they would cover the charges, which they did.  The
attorney fees were well over $10,000 and Mike lost his job as a deputy with
the county sheriffs dept and they lost their house because they could not
pay the mortgage payments.  Rita's family blamed her for their lives being
disrupted because she refused to turn Longtail over to be killed.
 
Two years later, Rita received an unmarked video of two ferrets playing on
a couch with two children.  A note inside said that Longtail and George
were happy, healthy and very much loved.  There was no return address on
the package and the postmark was from out of state.
 
Obviously Longtail was not rabid.....
 
Hugs to all. tle
[Posted in FML issue 2157]